When Your Product Launch Fails...

The Jordan P. Anderson Show

So, your product launch just crashed and burned. Or is crashing and burning at the moment.

Trust me, I've been there, and it sucks. But here's the thing - it's not the end of the world. In fact, it might just be the start of something amazing.

I'm Jordan, and I've been a part of 200+ product launches. And in that mix - not every one was a standout winner. But you know what? Each one taught me something valuable.

So today, I'm going to share with you the five things I do every time a launch goes south. These tactics have saved my ass more times than I can count.

It's Not Personal

But first things first, let's get real. Let's get a little personal. You can't take this launch personally.

A failed launch does NOT mean you're a failure. It just means something didn't work. Maybe your timing was off, or your message didn't hit right. Or maybe it was the wrong offer to the wrong person. Whatever it is, we're going to fix it.

My First Major Flop

Now, let me tell you about my first major flop.

I spent six months developing this personal branding course. I had it jam-packed with "value" and hours of lessons. I shot the videos in 4K. I snuck into a professional studio to film it all. I was so confident, I even hired a web designer to make the course site look professional.

Launch day came, and... nothing. I mean, my wife didn't even download it.

So if I were to turn back time and try to save that launch from falling flat and getting zero customers - here's what I would do, now that I'm a little bit older and a touch bit wiser.

Five Ways to Save Your Failed Launch

1. Talk to Everyone Who Will Listen

Not just potential customers, but anyone who'd give me five minutes. Friends, family, that guy at the coffee shop. Ask them what they think about the problem you're trying to solve. Turns out, I was solving a problem nobody really had.

Here's what you do: Get on every platform you can. Email, social media, hell, even go old school and text an old friend. Ask people what they think. Find the communities where your audience lives. Don't just stick to where you want to go.

Ask genuine questions that get to the heart of the problem. It's not questions of "would you buy my product?" It's questions like "What is your biggest frustration currently with BLANK?"

And actually fucking listen. Don't defend your product. Don't lead the witness.

Let me give you an example. I spent a whole day sending video DMs on Twitter to Founders. I was asking them about their thoughts on Product Hunt. Is it worth it? I learned more in those 22 conversations than I did in 6 months of "building in private". People opened up about their real struggles with Product Hunt, and none of them matched what my agency was doing. It was a wake-up call, but a necessary one.

2. Rewrite Everything

All my product descriptions, my emails, my social posts, website sales copy. Everything. I realized I was talking about features when I should've been talking about benefits.

In many parts of my sales copy, I was too quick to jump into the sales pitch rather than setting up the problem.

Your job: Take a hard look at how you're describing your product. Are you telling people what it does, or are you showing them how it'll make their lives better? Are you poking at their problems? Big difference.

I'll never forget sitting down to rewrite my course's sales page. At this point, I've probably re-written that page about 11 times.

So when you're in launch mode - get feedback, watch your users on your site, and then rewrite the copy where people are falling off. If people aren't even making it past the hero section at the top, then focus your efforts there.

3. Find Your Real Audience

Turns out, the people I thought would love my product didn't give a shit. But you know who did? A completely different group I hadn't even considered.

For my online course - Million Dollar Edit. I was going to train up-and-coming video editors, and teach them how to edit faster and become more efficient freelancers so that I can get more clients.

And the more I ran the Million Dollar Edit, the more I saw that a new type of student was walking in the door. It was small business owners who wanted to train their junior video editor on how to edit faster and better.

And after talking with these new customers, I made the pivot. And my online course went from $1000 a month to $10,000 a month.

What you need to do: Look at who's actually showing interest in your product. They might not be who you expected. And your first guess is usually wrong.

Be ready to pivot your entire approach to reach these people.

By changing who you originally served – you are not a sellout. You are not a failure.

A lot of founders will die on this hill because they want to help one specific type of person. Even if that person isn't buying.

And if you are one of those founders – I have a question for you. What's it like being broke?

4. Ask for Brutal Honesty

I reached out to the few people who did try my product and asked them to be ruthlessly honest. It was hard to hear, but man, was it valuable.

When these customers are at the checkout, make sure you're collecting both their email and phone number.

And then, once these people do become paying customers, I want you to text them on day one. I want you to text them on day seven. And I want you to text them on day 10.

When a customer first walks in the door and they've paid you, that is open and free permission for you to text them and ask them who they are, what is going on in their life that brought them there, and what problems are they currently facing?

Because everything that they say in those text messages, you are going to take that and rework it into your sales copy, into your social media posts, and into your email marketing.

Why do we need to reinvent sales copy when we can just speak like our customers by using their exact words?

Now in those text conversations, you are going to get some brutal feedback about your app.

In this case, unlike what I said at the beginning of this video, I do want you to take their feedback personally. Because this is the only way for it to stab you in the chest and get you off your ass and start improving your product.

Their feedback should keep you up at night.

5. Keep Going

This is the hardest part. When everything's going wrong, it's tempting to quit. But here's the truth - every successful entrepreneur has been where you are right now.

What you gotta do: Remember why you started this in the first place. That passion, that belief - hold onto it. Use it to fuel you through the tough times.

Keep hacking at it to find your ideal customer.

I'll be honest, there were days I wanted to quit. Days when I felt like a total failure. I had built up this launch. I made all the graphics and videos. Everything was scheduled to post. And when all the dust settled. Not a damn thing happened.

But then I'd remember why I started - to help my clients. Be beholden to your clients.

Now, let me be clear - this last note isn't a quick fix. It took me months to turn things around. But you know what? That "failed" course launch ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. It forced me to really understand my market, to make a product people actually wanted.

The Truth About Entrepreneurship

Here's the thing about entrepreneurship - it's not about never failing. It's about how you handle failure when it happens. And trust me, it will happen. To everyone.

The ones who make it are the ones who get back up, learn from it, and make the right changes.

And you have to do all three. You have to get back up. Actually learn from it. And make the right changes.

I remember the day things started to turn around. I got a sale from a user - a small gym owner who wanted to start making more videos. They left a video review. Bookmarked that. And it reminded me why all the struggle was worth it.

Closing Thoughts

So, if you're sitting there right now, looking at your failed launch and feeling like crap, I get it. Hell, some days I'm still there. But I need you to do something for me. Take a deep breath, remember why you started all this in the first place, and then get to work.

Talk to people - and I mean really talk to them. Not just about your product, but about their lives, their struggles. That's where you'll find the real gold.

And if you're thinking about making a launch video - watch this right here. This is a full course. I show you how to make your next 90-second keynote video from scripting, recording and editing.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.jordanpanderson.com