Launching something for the first time is equal parts exciting and terrifying — and if you’ve ever made a thing, put it out into the world, and then held your breath waiting to see what happened, this episode is for you.
Kristi and I both sell art calendars, and in Season 2, Episode 5 of Art After Dark, we got honest about what our first launches actually looked like. Spoiler: there was no grand strategy. There was a lot of “here it is, hope for the best,” some fumbling around on Etsy, and the very specific thrill of a complete stranger buying something you made.
A few pretty good things that came up that might resonate with you:
The marketing starts way before the launch. Sharing your process — even just a photo of a work in progress — builds the kind of trust that makes people want to buy when the time comes.
Success looks different than you expect. For both of us, the real milestone wasn’t a number. It was the first sale from someone we didn’t know.
Talking about your product feels uncomfortable. And most of us don’t do it enough. (Guilty.)
If you’ve been sitting on a product idea — or you have something finished that you haven’t quite gotten around to listing — this one’s for you.
🎧 Listen to Episode 5 here, or watch it on YouTube!
