How to Launch Through Your Summit While Respecting Your Attendees
Have you ever thought about launching an offer through your summit, but then worried that it might be too "salesy"? You're not alone. From wondering how the speakers would feel about it, to how it will come across to the summit attendees, this is one of the most common concerns I hear from hosts. It's especially common in those in niches where audiences might be less marketing-savvy or more sensitive to sales approaches.
Many worry that it might come across as some kind of bait and switch to go straight into a launch following a summit. But here's the thing: when you approach launching through your summit from a place of service rather than manipulation, everyone wins. Your attendees get the support they need to continue their journey, and you get the business results you deserve.
In this episode, I'm sharing some strategies and mindset shifts to help you launch your offer as part of your summit in a way that feels respectful, aligned, and genuinely helpful to your audience.
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Why You Should Launch Through Your Summit
If you have a proven offer, you should absolutely be launching it through your summit! Not weeks later when momentum has cooled off, but during the event itself as part of the whole experience.
Think about it from your attendees' perspective: they've just spent 3-5 days learning from you and your speakers, having breakthrough moments, and starting to see you as someone who can help them move forward. Then you just... disappear? That doesn't serve them at all.
Your attendees don't want a break from you. They want to know what's next. They're sitting there thinking, "Okay, how do I keep moving forward? How do I continue this journey?"
The business benefits are significant too. When I used to launch my WordPress development services through summits, I'd book out for six months every time. Now with my programs, we've brought in between $46,000-$63,000 in program revenue with every launch. Plus, I tracked it for 18 months after one summit and found that summit attendees alone brought in an additional $180,000+ just through two offers.
Bottom line: launching through your summit benefits your business bottom line, and your attendees both immediately after the event and for years to come.
The Mindset Shift: Service vs. Being Pushy
There's a huge difference between being pushy and being of service:
- Being pushy is trying to convince someone to buy something they don't need or can't afford for your benefit.
- Being of service is offering a solution to people who have the exact problem your offer solves for their benefit.
You created your offer because it's a true service to your people. It's beneficial for the people it's made for, and it's not right for others - and that's completely normal.
How to Launch Respectfully through Your Summit
I definitely have seen plenty of summits that came across as pushy and felt like a pitch fest, but it doesn't have to be that way. Here are the key strategies I use to launch in a way that honors my attendees:
1. Build Awareness Throughout the Summit
Don't surprise people with an offer at the end. Throughout the summit, attendees should slowly become aware of your offer. You're not pitching constantly, but there are feel-good ways to build awareness during registration and the event itself. This eliminates any sense of bait-and-switch because your attendees are aware of your offer and getting curious about it through the event, so it's no surprise when you start sharing more about it toward the end.
2. Be Completely Transparent
When I promote my post-summit webinar, I never hype it up without also sharing that I'll be opening enrollment for my program at the end. I say it excitedly, not apologetically, pointing out how much easier it's going to make their next steps.
During the webinar itself, I tell attendees near the beginning that there will be an offer at the end. People really appreciate this transparency - I consistently get appreciative comments about it!
3. Give Easy Opt-Out Options
In my first launch email, I let attendees know we're going into a launch sequence and provide a simple link to stop getting those emails if they want to. Every subsequent email has something similar at the top and/or bottom.
These strategies release pressure for me and my audience appreciates the respect. Could a marketing expert argue I'm reducing sales? Absolutely. But feeling aligned with my values and respecting my people is way more important to me than making extra money.
The Results Speak for Themselves
These approaches don't just work for my own summits and launches. I've seen them work for my clients across all industries, even those that are more sensitive and skeptical when it comes to sales and marketing. For example, one of my clients is in the crafting industry, and her audience is older, and less tech and marketing savvy. She was concerned about how her launch would come across to this audience. But in the end, following these strategies, she had nothing to worry about!
She ended up with over 240 new members in her membership, and the feedback from attendees was incredible. Her new members were so glad she offered that next step - they were hoping there would be a way to continue the community and learning they'd experienced during the summit.
That's what happens when you launch from a place of service and respect instead of fear and pressure.
Your people don't want you to disappear after your summit. They want to continue the journey with you. When you approach your launch from a place of service and respect, everyone wins.
Resources
- Episode 50: Launching A Membership Through A Summit with Lee Chaix McDonough
- Episode 185: How Laurie Doubled the Size of Her Membership with a Virtual Summit with Laurie Acker
- Episode 284: A 6-Figure Summit Launch While Prioritizing Values and Avoiding Burnout with Steffeny Feld
- Summit Host Hangout® Facebook group
- Launch with a Summit Accelerator®
- 6-Figure Summits Workshop Bundle
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