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✨ the SPARK 180 ~ Start simply... try this strategy

Put the launch aside for now

Author

Kim Doyal
April 25, 2024

In partnership with

Welcome to the 180th issue of SPARK, a weekly newsletter that helps you transform daily experiences into compelling content that
captivates and sells.

I had a ‘catch up’ call with a friend this week, and I shared something with him that completely removes the pressure from starting something new (think a product or project, not necessarily a new business) while also getting validation.

In fact, I wish I had learned and implemented this process years ago.

It would have saved me a lot of time and heartache when things didn’t go as I had hoped.

And I have to give a hat tip to Laurel Portié for driving this message home for me (I’m following her Ad Ecosystem process right now and it’s unlike anything any other ad gurus teach).

Her ad ecosystem has three phases, and phase one is all about validation. In fact, she repeatedly says that it’s “90 days to data” (not sales), which feels pretty manageable with a $ 5-a-day ad budget.

It also means you have to be patient. 😉

Phase one is about validating your lead magnet (she calls them value bombs) so you can start having conversations with people (which is the fastest path to cash).

Here’s what I shared with my friend yesterday that piggybacks off the strategy Laurel teaches.

And… you can do this organically for validation.

He has a great idea for a business service that targets a specific market. The offer is clear; there are plenty of people he can work with, and it’s not necessarily a crowded market (in terms of the offer).

He’s created some packages and is still working on the pricing. He asked me if I thought it was a good idea.

I said I thought it was (although that’s simply my opinion, and I’m not his target market, but I’m familiar enough with the broader category).

Here’s what I said he should start doing:

Start creating content around the service.

Specifically, talk about it in broad terms, not his offer:

  • Your target market and how your service would differentiate them

  • The value of your service

  • Highlight people in your target market

  • Create scenarios: For example, “Here’s how I’d do “X” if I were “name of the person,” - which highlights the individual and clearly shows their expertise, which his service could amplify

  • How his service (again, broad category, not his offer) can help his target market further their career

He can also share other people’s content that supports his service but wouldn’t be in direct competition.

I know I’m being ambiguous here, but I don’t want to give away his idea.

I did this (and am doing this) with “Everything is Content.”

I started with an email series that taught what “Everything is Content” is (you can download the PDF of that 5-part series here if you missed it).

I converted that into a long-form blog post, five videos, five podcast episodes, 1:1 coaching sessions, and a workshop.

There’s a lot more coming, but my focus right now is on iterating and drilling deeper.

I’m not putting pressure on myself to come up with a signature course or high-ticket offer.

Right now, it’s about clarifying the message, finding out where people struggle, and how I can best help them.

I’m doubling down on my efforts by using the phase 1 portion of the paid traffic strategy to validate my offers as well (I have my first call from an ad next week).

My first value bomb got zero comments (although the video views were great).

The second value bomb did great with just a static image ad.

Now, I’m adding the video ads.

I’ll also post the videos organically on other channels (Laurel recommends posting everything that is an ad organically and then pulling that post in as an ad). And, of course, I’ll just give them to you (my lovely subscribers), and ask for feedback.

This might seem tedious or like a long process, but it’s actually a much faster path to your end goal.

You’re finding out exactly what works and what doesn’t before you spend a ton of time and energy creating something that no one wants.

So… next time you have an idea or want to test something, start with content and test for a few months (yes, you need to do more than a few posts).

Ask open-ended questions and have conversations with people.

When your organic content starts working, step up and try boosting it with an ad. You may just find the perfect combination.

SPARK Spotlight 🔥

60,000 world-class marketers read this newsletter daily

Marketers at Google, Tesla, Meta, Shopify, Amazon, Pinterest, Meta, and other successful companies, read Stacked Marketer to increase their IQ.

Stacked Marketer curates the most useful and important digital marketing news, trends, strategies, and case studies and boils it down to a 7-minute read.

A Little Brainpower 🧠

Create content about you that also serves your audience. Read “How do I create content about me without making it all about me?”

Tool Time 🛠

I tested a couple of different video platforms this week (specifically for a client) and ended up going with Veed. So many of these tools do similar things but they don’t all work as efficiently. AND… Veed has AI Eye Contact, so it looks like you’re always looking at the camera.

I promise I’d never say I could do a backflip 🤣

I saw this on TikTok; I didn’t actually post this.

Two last things to wrap up…

I’ll send out the bonus to everyone who replied to my “I’ve made the move” (about my move to beehiiv) very soon. It will go out to everyone else in May, but I wanted to do this as a way to say “Thank You” for helping me warm up the sending and let the email clients know it’s I’m not spam.

Here’s a little tease:

Lastly, I’m working on the post and content (has video and a walk-thru’s also) about the move from ConvertKit to beehiiv.

I’ve decided the best way to do this will be as a series. This way, I’ll publish each step as it’s ready, and then I can connect them all as one long-form, paginated post when they’re complete.

If you missed it, beehiiv also changed its entire pricing structure. It’s SO good. You can get started with the Launch plan for FREE… with up to 2500 subscribers, three publications, and so much more.

Have a fantastic day,
Kim