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emphasis on what each side wants voters to believe. Each message contains both
an admission of uncertainty and an argument, thus making both pitches a good
fit for independent voters who haven’t made up their minds yet.†

In all the messages you send (whether delivered via email or in another way),
you’ll want to be mindful of several qualities. The first and most important is
what we’ve mentioned already: the need to tell a good story. On its own,
however, a good story isn’t always enough. You also need to think about
“relatability” and timeliness. Relatability, which may or may not be a real word,
refers to the need to ensure that the people who hear about the launch can relate
to it. Do they see themselves in the characters in your story, and can they clearly
understand how it will help them? Do they get it?

The final factor is timeliness, and it can be the critical difference between
good results (“We did OK”) and great results (“We killed it!”). Without
timeliness, customers may evaluate the offer and agree that it’s interesting, but
fail to take action because there is no need for them to do so right away. You
don’t want to pressure people into buying if they’re not ready, but you do want
to instill a sense of urgency. That’s why a good launch always factors in a
concern for timeliness.

It’s Not (All) About the Sales

The goal of a good launch is not just to convert as many prospects as possible;
it’s also to preserve your relationship with other prospects and increase your
influence. The reason this is important is because you don’t want to hammer
people too hard; it’s better to build relationships over time.

Some people will always complain whenever you sell anything at any price.
There’s nothing you can do about that attitude, so just accept it and don’t cater to
those people. But you do want to pay attention to your broader base. What are
they saying about you? How do they perceive the value of your offer and the
style of your messaging? A good launch should increase sales and influence at
the same time. If you’re getting positive feedback from people who don’t buy
your product but want to support you in other ways, you’re on the right track.

Storytelling and the Empire Building Kit Launch
It was my most important launch to date: an online business course called the