I'm in the final stages of fine-tuning a brand-new workshop my team and I are putting together. It's called Countdown To Launch and it promises to be one of the most condensed, powerful training sessions I've ever created.

I want to make workshop as accessible to as many people as possible so it's going to be totally FREE.

My goal is to deliver as much valuable content as I can. And if you've been in my world for a while, you'll know that delivering value is the best way to attract customers.

But I'm also being careful not to fall into a trap that many business owners and entrepreneurs fall into – presuming that their audience are going to sign up, just because their offer is free…

“Free” is no longer enough

During the brainstorming sessions we had while planning this launch, one topic came up again and again – what is the promise of Countdown to Launch?

Because the reality is, people won't say “yes” just because it's free. With more free training available than ever (and growing by the day), free is no longer enough.

You also need to craft a powerful promise – a meaningful outcome or results they'll get for taking part.

This may sound like Marketing 101, and in many ways, it is. But even after two decades of teaching people how to grow their businesses online, I still find myself returning to this fundamental question every time I launch.

And it's something a lot of “advanced” business owners forget about.

Crafting Your Promise

Before you can even think about creating a promise, you have to answer the most important question: Who is this for?

We often use the term ‘avatar' to depict our ideal client. Whatever term you use, step one of creating your perfect promise starts with figuring out exactly who you want to serve.

Only after getting a clear picture of your audience can you hope to create a promise that they'll go crazy for.

The Power of the Fundamentals

This might seem super basic, especially in a world where everyone seems to be focused on the latest and greatest “advanced” strategies and tactics. But, however big your launch, or however fancy your funnel, if you don't get your audience and promise dialed in, you won't generate sales.

Regardless of whether it's emails, social posts, or Facebook ads… your audience, and your promise are the key to creating marketing that stops them in their tracks and compels them to engage with your offer. And this applies no matter your market, niche, or geographical location.

If you don't have the fundamentals in place, your marketing efforts will hit a brick wall.

Two Questions

Even with two decades of experience – and generating over $100m in sales – my team and I constantly research our customer avatar so we can create powerfully compelling promises for our offers.

We know the dangers of overlooking the basics. We're continually asking “who is our audience?” and “what's going through their heads right now?” And it's that “right now” part that's super important…

To a large extent, my audience hasn't changed since 2005 – it's folks who want to start or grow an online business. However, the mood and mentality of my audience – including their goals, dreams, fears, and concerns – are constantly shifting in line with trends and current events… and I have to be aware of that.

Final Thoughts

No matter how far you venture down the marketing rabbit hole, never lose sight of the fundamentals:

Get crystal clear on who you're serving so you can create powerful promises.

Even for a free offer like Countdown to Launch, it still takes a lot of work to get folks to sign up and show up for the workshop.

Free won't be the determining factor in the success of Countdown to Launch…

Knowing my audience – and what they're thinking about right now – will be.