How to Make Your Next Launch Feel Less Chaotic: 6 Expert Tips From an OBM

Launching feels a lot like riding a roller coaster, doesn’t it? I don’t mean the ones where you get off and say “AGAIN! AGAIN!” I’m talking about the ones where you hop off, your hair’s a mess, and you turn to your friend and say, “Never again.”

One minute you’re flying high on adrenaline, the next you’re frantically searching for that one missing email link at 2 AM. It feels like at every turn, something’s going wrong, while you’re stuck constantly doing it all at the last minute. 

But reviewing what went wrong, and making a plan to improve it, can keep you from feeling like you’re on a ride that won’t stop. Instead, you’ll be eagerly waiting in line, ready for your next turn (or launch)!

To make it happen, here are 6 tips for making your next launch feel less chaotic.

Launch Tip #1: Audit, Audit, Audit

Here’s the thing about launches — they’re packed with insights if you know where to look.

Think of your launch debrief as the ultimate growth opportunity, not just another task on your to-do list. Sitting down with your team and being honest about what worked and what didn’t. 

Some questions to spark the convo:

• Where were you frantically putting out fires?
• What had your team been sending “help me!” Slack messages?
• What feedback did your audience share (the good, bad, and unexpected)?

Don’t skip this step! Your future self will thank you when you’re not repeating the same headaches launch after launch.

Launch Tip #2: Create a Master Document 

Think of your master document as your launch compass. Everything has its place, and works together to answer the who, how, where, when, why.  This is your “end all be all” guideline sheet that your team can reference when you’re knee-deep in launch mode and everyone’s asking questions.

Your launch master doc should include:

• The full timeline (from pre-launch nurture to cart close)
• Important dates
• Promotions and bonus offer info
• Links to assets 
• A “helpful to know” section
• Anything else that can be attributed to your launch (i.e. info on the pre-launch workshop or for your early bird offers)

I know you love your team, but if you want to stop being Google for them, this is the way to do it!

Launch Tip #3: Document Issues in Real-Time

Even the best launches have their “oh shit” moments. It happens. But the best thing you can do is to catch those fires while they’re still hot and document what went wrong. 

You can add these notes to your master doc, or create a separate document to act as the notepad. When something goes sideways (big or small), you or your OBM (*wink wink*) can quickly drop in a bullet point.

For example:

• “Email #3 went out with the wrong link—had to send correction email”
• “Checkout page loading slowly during webinar traffic spike”
• “Missing FAQ about payment plans caused customer overwhelm”

Then next time, you’ll know exactly what to fix before it even happens. 

Launch Tip #4: Look at the Numbers

The only thing worse than not hitting your launch goals is not knowing why you didn’t hit them. 

I once had a client who had no idea her sales emails during her launch were never scheduled. Yep. I’m shuddering too.  

Here’s what happened: Her previous OBM didn’t include her email performance in her launch metrics. So, obviously, it seemed as though her sales emails were under-performing. 

When we dug in further into why, we found that they never got scheduled to send! No wonder the numbers weren’t in the reporting. 

Facebook Ad Spend was also missing from the report. This meant that we had no way of knowing whether or not our ads were giving us a return or if her organic community was driving the majority of her sales (two important metrics this client wanted to track). Basically, we might have been spending money for no reason. 

That’s why the post-launch analysis is so important. Not only do you see the cause and effect of your launch efforts, but you can spot where something might be missing (like sales emails!). 

Create a tracking sheet with these numbers (and feel free to customize as you see fit!):

• Daily sales (timing of transactions can reveal so much)
• Email performance (opens, clicks, etc.)
• Page views and conversion rates
• Webinar/workshop stats (registrations, shows, conversions)
• Ad performance (cost per lead, clicks, impressions, etc.)

Launch Tip #5: Create Tasks for Everything (Yes, EVERYTHING)

Launches run on systems. Not on the fly. 

Every single launch action needs to become a task with:

• A clear owner (who’s doing it?)
• A firm deadline (when must it be done?)
• Dependencies (what needs to happen first?)
• Success criteria (what does “done” look like?)

This isn’t just about keeping your team accountable — it’s about protecting YOU, too. When your VA suddenly gets the flu three days before launch, you’ll know exactly what tasks need to be rearranged or reassigned. 

Launch Tip #6: Templatize Your Launch Process

You don’t have to create your launch plan from scratch each time. Yes, really! That’s the beauty of a system — you can turn it into a template and make things SO MUCH easier for the next launch. 

Create a “Launch Project Template” in your PM system (like Asana) with every task, timeline, and dependency mapped out. Each launch becomes a simple matter of duplicating, updating dates, and customizing for the specific offer.

The magic happens when you continuously refine this template after each launch:

• Add new tasks you discovered were needed
• Update timelines based on what you learned
• Refine descriptions to be crystal clear
• Link to examples from previous successful launches

We’re all about working smarter, not harder, over here!

Get Started on Your Launch Plan

The perfect launch doesn’t exist. You will have pitfalls and may even have to put out a few fires. But analyzing your launch when it’s done and creating an improvement plan means you do way less firefighting, and more celebrating.  

If you’re still working on the pre-launch phase, make sure you read my previous post! There, I give you a 3-part framework to make this less chaotic for your next launch! You can check it out here.