37: 13 Things I Did to Sell Out My Program in 24 Hours — Without a Funnel or Paid Ads

f you’ve ever wondered how some entrepreneurs launch effortlessly while juggling all the things—this episode is for you.

I didn’t have a funnel. I didn’t run ads. I barely posted on launch day. But I still sold out my program in 26 hours and made over $41K. Inside this episode, I’m breaking down the real reason it worked—and it has everything to do with consistent content, a warm email list, and showing up before the pitch.

To read the full show notes, [CLICK HERE].

Here’s what we cover:
 ✨ The pre-launch moves that made the actual launch feel easy
 📬 How I used my email list (not social) to drive 90% of conversions
 📦 Why reusing what I already had (offers, bonuses, SOPs) saved my sanity
 🎯 The exact strategy I used to warm up my waitlist
 💬 The mindset shift that made this my least stressful launch ever

This isn’t about a magic formula. It’s about building trust, staying consistent, and launching from a place of clarity—not chaos.

💬 Your challenge this week: Take inventory of your pre-launch runway. Where can you build connection before you ever pitch?

Tools & Resources:
 📥 Join the Messaging Edit 2026 Waitlist
 📥 Join The Brand Edit (formerly Insta x Canva Collective) 2026 Waitlist
🎧 Listen: From Idea to Launch: How I Built My New Program with ChatGPT
🎧 Listen: Why Your Message Isn’t Landing (and How to Fix It)

Connect with me:
🫶🏼 Follow me on Instagram for daily insights
🫶🏼 Join my 321 Create Newsletter for weekly content tips
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Transcript

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I asked the question, I took the polls. I teased the topic. I got the buy-in from my audience, and then I invited them into the story and the process before I ever sold anything. So they felt like they had a part in this. Welcome to the Creative Bodega, a podcast about content marketing, Instagram growth, and personal branding for female service-based solopreneurs who wanna grow their business without letting it take over their lives. I'm your host, EM Connors, and each week I'll share actionable tips, expert advice, and unfiltered truths to help you create engaging content, connect authentically with your audience, and turn followers into loyal customers, all without the burnout. If you're ready to simplify your content creation, navigate the ever changing trends and build a business that works for you while staying sane in this crazy season of life, then you're in the right place. So this episode, and actually the entire program we've been talking about for the. Three, four weeks. It started with a haircut. I cut 80 inches off my hair recently and it just gave me this jolt of energy and clarity that I didn't even realize I was missing. I'm not even kidding. I'm like not. I mean it's a little woo, but like, that's me. I. Hmm. I'm totally woo actually. But sometimes change on the outside. Sparks change on the inside. And I'm telling you, this haircut lit a fire under my, you know what? To finally launch something that I've been thinking about for a while, and that is the messaging edit. And because I'm me, I didn't give myself a six month runway. Friends, I gave myself three weeks. Total. So let's talk about how it all played out, what worked, what didn't, and the lessons that I'm gonna carry forward into my next launch, and exactly what this launch brought in revenue wise and how long it took me to sell out. So again, I gave myself three weeks from getting this haircut, deciding what I was gonna build a fall program on and launch the darn thing. And it was a wild three weeks. By the way, these were the last three weeks of summer, and my kids were home for all of them. So that was also very fun. But I sold out all 20 spots in 26 hours, and I brought in just over$41,000. In a day, like literally in a day. But here's what's wild. People are already asking me like, can you teach me how to launch? Can you do like a launch program? And here's the truth that I need to say, like super loud and clear. This didn't happen because what I did in my 24 hour launch, it happened because how I show up consistently for months or years at this point on Instagram. In my newsletter and inside my live programs, that's why I built my signature program, the Insta Canva Collective. It literally teaches you how to show up online with beautiful graphics, consistently leaving with value. Okay, and then it's why I created how to start and Grow your email list from scratch, because I'm the first one that says you need an email list. I sold out this program in 26 hours because of my email list. You guys, I never even made a post on social media. The day the doors open, I actually panicked and I just, my brain did not work, and I did not even make a post on the day that the doors open. This is because of my email list, and it's also what I'm now teaching inside the messaging edit. Which is just all about brand and messaging, clarity and increased buy-in from your followers, and that's what I'm breaking down today, not just what I did in the last three weeks leading up to the cart open, but 13 behind the scenes decisions that made this launch a sellout success. Okay. So yes, sure I could create a launch program and maybe I will one day, but it's like people think that the launch strategy is what sold it out, when in fact it, I just don't feel okay morally. Only teaching someone how to launch. I need to know that you have all those other crucial pieces in place, and that's why I teach them in my live stuff, the Insta Canva collective, how to start and grow your email list and the messaging edit. Those are the places where I would focus if I were you. And then the launch success should come naturally and organically from you doing those things that I teach. So I just wanna like put that out there. These are not like launching secrets. Nothing I did is groundbreaking, nothing. So yes, this episode is called 13 Things. I did to sell out my program in 24 hours. And you guys, it was 26, but let's just say 24. And I'm gonna walk you through exactly what worked. But again, you can't recreate the success by just copying what I did during the launch. The real work happened. Well before the doors open in my years of showing up in stories with, you know, no makeup on and real honest, authentic advice, emailing my list with actual value, not just promotional stuff when I wanna sell something, sharing tiny wins inside my programs, publicly in my stories, making content that helps people feel. Seen and connected to me. That's the stuff that really made this launch possible. The launch wasn't the strategy, it was the result. So again, the launch wasn't the strategy for me, it was just the result of it. Okay, so here's the 13 things that created momentum, conversions, and trust. Steal what works, what sounds good to you, and just leave behind what doesn't. Number one. I built hype early, even before I even had a program name. Okay? So I got this haircut. I literally put all these polls out across all these platforms of mine saying, what do you need help with? Here's three things I'm willing to teach you about in the fall. Across all three platforms. Everyone voted messaging, clarity, and increased engagement across the board. So I asked the question, I took the polls, I teased the topic. I got the buy-in from my audience, and then I invited them into the story and the process before I ever sold anything. So they felt like they had a part in this, right? Number two. I named the program and the entire method with chat, GPT. But made it sound like me, right? So my brain was fried, like there was a lot going on. My kids are home, it's summer. Like I'm trying to build and create this program that doesn't even exist and I need to oh, sell it in three weeks. So like Chatt PT helped me so much, like it came up with the name, the messaging, edit. And it came up with the magnet method, which is the method that I'm teaching inside the messaging edit, like I literally brain dumped to chat GBT. This is what I think I've done to build such a warm audience and to pretty much sell out anything I've ever made. And I just documented it, like I typed and typed and typed and typed, and then I said, I, I need to. Organize this information and I feel overwhelmed, like, can you help me organize it and break it into a six week program? And I want an acronym, like I want a really great acronym to use for it. And. The final version that it came up with was the magnet method, and when it just took all my ideas and organized them, I was like, oh my God, like you just saved me so much time. And then I worked with CHATT PT on my sales page, and then I worked with CHATT PT on my launch emails, you guys. And again, if you've never listened to any of my chatt BT episodes, I'll link the most recent one about, I think it's something like. Three or five ways I get better results on chat. GPT, it's, it's a must listen.'cause I'm not just sitting here like, I want to do a messaging program. Can you help me come up with a name? No. Like she and I are going back and forth and back and forth and a lot of times I'm like, that's so cheesy. Never use the word mastery. I never even wanna see it in a result again, like I literally hate it. So it's a lot of back and forth, but we get there, we get there, and the messaging edit just lit me up immediately. So, wow. Number three, I created a very clear wait list offer, and I talked about it every single day for three weeks. So every day stories, feed posts, any emails or newsletters I sent out. My whole goal was to build that wait list in three weeks. I wanted 400 people before the doors even opened, and I didn't shut up about the wait list, and 450 people ended up joining, and so yeah, I didn't even end up emailing my entire list of 14,000 email subscribers. I only sent three emails in 24 hours to my wait listers only. Okay, so I created this very clear wait list offer. They got money off. They got first dibs on super limited spots, and they got some sick bonuses. Okay, we'll talk more about that later. Number four, I warmed up my wait list with a couple really simple strategic emails. They weren't over-designed, they weren't super long. They were just honest, clear, and helpful. Here's who this is for. Here's who this is not for. Here's what's gonna happen. Here's when the doors open. Like I, I just was like, get ready. It's coming. And I think I sent two to three emails before my cart opened to warm up that list, the week leading up to the cart open and. It worked. It really worked. Instead of, instead of just having this wait list, build, not communicating with them, and then suddenly the doors open and they might even forget what the heck they signed up for. You know what I mean? So I really wanted to like nurture them and this is not something I've really done before and it worked really well. So I love that tip for you guys. Number five, I showed my face. Told my story and made it super personal. I didn't just share like features and bonuses, right? Like I shared my journey, I shared my messaging journey. I shared my why. I made the launch feel like an event people were watching unfold. In front of their eyes, and I had so many people when it ended in 24 hours and the doors closed, be like, oh my God. Like I'm gonna miss your launch updates and stories like I've been following along. I never even planned on signing up because this is not for me right now, but I've had so much fun watching you launch and like. Launching in public is the jam. Like it just gets people so jazzed. And again, a punch of my, the episodes leading up to this episode has really detailed how I pulled people into this whole storyline. So make sure you listen to the episodes before this one. Number six, I leaned into stories, not my feed. So did not even post on my grid when the doors opened. Kind of forgot. Then panicked and felt so overwhelmed. I didn't even know what to put out there, but I hyped this program up, like it was nobody's business. In my stories with countdowns, uh, polls behind the scenes, I put all of my people that signed up their names on post-it notes, put them up on my wall, made a big deal about it. I I tagged them. If I knew their IG handles, I tagged them so that they could then reshare it. And they did. They did, and then they added their. 2 cents on top of it. Like, I signed up for this because I'm so excited I'm in this program because, and, and then I shared those to my stories, which was awesome because it, you know, it's their words, not mine. And that can always sell something of yours a lot faster than your own words, Ken. So people told me they just absolutely loved watching it all unfold. Number seven, I sent three emails in 24 hours. Not 10, not 17. I just sent three super simple targeted emails to my entire wait list of 450 people plus my coven membership people.'cause I wanted them to get in if they wanted to with the perks. And that's it. That's all it took. I sent one at 6:00 AM the day of doors are open, let's freaking go. And then when I saw it selling out much faster and I was at like 50% sold out with just in a few hours, I was like, oh my God, I think I gotta email my list and let them know. Like, no joke, if you wanna get in, do it. So I sent that one later on in the afternoons, same day as cart open. And then I had. Two spots left when I woke up on the next morning and I sent an email just literally being like, there's two spots. Like this is it. Um, so three emails and it was sold out and I was like, oh my God, this is the best number eight. I responded to every dm. And email so thoughtfully. There was no like, here's the link, like copy, paste, go buy it. I talked to them through dms, through voice dms. This is why I think it's for you, or this is why I don't think it's for you. You know, I answered every question super thoughtfully. I wrote pretty long, detailed emails when people were reaching out. Do you think this is for me? This is more about me and my business and I'm honest. I'm really honest with people. Yes. No, maybe, but there might be a little more work behind it. Like product people, even though I always say like, I'm for service based solo open doors.'cause that's what I am, that's what I know my product people find me and they still wanna work with me. And I say, listen. Yeah. Totally, you can join, but I'm gonna need you to work with me and think outside the box. Any advice I give, you're gonna have to spin it sort of in your mind for product so we can work together on that. But it is built for service-based personal brands, right? So every dm, every email, my voice, my energy. And it created real connections. And I'm pretty sure all but one person ended up signing up who did reach out to me, which was awesome. Um, number nine, I use bonuses that were already created. So this is a mistake I've made in the past. Oh, like the first 10 people to sign up, get like a free Instagram audit from me. Well, hi. Then when the program ends, I have a million other things to do and I'm having to get this, this work to them. Like, I need to pull up their account, I need to record, I need to send it to them like. Oof. Just way too much work. So I didn't burn myself out by creating some type of offer like that. I just bundled in my course creation camp that I built with Hillary Krieger and I put in my Insta Stories that sell, and those were the offers, and I'm proud of both of them. They're both built, and it was no sweat off my back. Number 10, I used a super simple SOP or standard operating procedure for my launch day and really the month leading up to my launch day and even like the 48 hours after my launch day. So I have a an SOP standard operating procedure with literally lists every single thing I need to do and when, so it's three weeks before. This, this, and this, two weeks before this, this, and this. The day of, you know, and it's all listed out and I basically highlight it as I go. It's switching links. It's uh, creating and editing sales pages. It's updating many chat workflows. It's all detailed step-by-step. And that just helps me really make sure that I'm not flying blind and I know what I'm doing and how did I do that? You guys, it's not rocket science. I literally just had a doc open on one of my live launches probably two years ago, and I just started listing out everything I was doing and now I add to it and I follow along and it just keeps me on task. And make sure I don't forget anything. Number 11, I had my home and my business support systems in place, so my husband knew this was happening. He handled groceries, he handled more school, like prep stuff or friend date drop offs, or practice drop offs or pickups. You know, he knew that this was gonna be a really busy time for me and he stepped up, right? I had my massage booked. I, that's like my non-negotiable. My house got cleaned by our cleaning guy. Like, you know, all those things that I need to kind of be happening in order to me to, to just keep a fresh, positive outlook on my life during this busy time. Number 12, I tracked what mattered, not everything. Okay? So somebody actually reached out to me this week. You know, we have a similar audience size, like how many story views are you getting on average? And I was like, Ugh. I don't look at my story views. I have no idea. Yes, I do track my Instagram analytics on my posts every single month. At the end of the month. I do not look at stories. They are fun, they are lighthearted, they are organic. They are not something I'm tracking the views on'cause I just. I don't wanna say I don't care, but it's just, it's just not something on my radar. So what did I track? I tracked my email, open rates, the click through rates. That's like pretty much it, my signups. So I had a spreadsheet created for any signups that were happening. And so I could track the revenue that was coming in, that I could track that in Podia. That was super easy. That's where my website's hosted and where my payment processor is. Like I didn't have a 40 tab spreadsheet. I just find that more often than not, the women that I'm working with, they're tracking too much like it's. Too much and it's impossible to keep up with. So I keep it super clean and easy. I have an Excel spreadsheet. I'm pretty much just tracking emails you guys. The date I send it, how many people I send it to, this subject line, the open rate, the click through rate, the end, okay. Number 13, I knew who I was talking to. Most of the 20 people that bought, they already knew me. In fact, 12 are inside the coven, and 17 of them are people that have worked with me in the past in some live program capacity, which is an absolutely humongous pat on the back. For me, it means they've worked with me before. In a live setting. They loved how it happened and how it all went down, and the role results that they got, and they're back for more. So they're past students. They are coven members, and they're people who have been in my world for months. So that was really great to see. Like I really enjoyed watching the names come through and being like, oh my God, you know, I know this person. I know that I, I knew every name except for three, literally, which is pretty wild, right. So. Ugh. So all those people that wanna know when I'm gonna create a launch program, I just don't know if that's ever gonna happen because it's literally your everyday content. It's your weekly emails that you're sending. It's the connection you're building in your stories when you're not trying to sell something. That's the work Again, that's why I built the Insta Canva collective. That's why I create and start and grow your email list. Right? And that's why the messaging edit now exists because when your message is clear and magnetic, you don't need like a 15 step launch plan. You just need to open the doors. Wild. I know it's crazy. So let me leave you with this. Don't need the fancy funnel. You really don't need a 90 day runway. You don't need to do everything perfect. I mean, there is no such thing, right? You need a clear message. You need a really invested community, and you need the confidence to show up consistently. If this episode gave you clarity or made you feel a little less alone in this wild ride of solo entrepreneurship, I would love for you to take a next step, right? So hop on the wait list for the next round of the messaging edit, or honestly, the Insta Canva collective. It's what's gonna come next in January of 2026. That is my signature program that I run one time of year. It's eight weeks long and it is. Incredible start to finish. Oh my gosh, it covers messaging but only for one or two weeks. It's not a deep dive, but it gets you there. So it's messaging and brand clarity, and then it's figuring out a posting schedule and it's making sure you're giving value and having calls to action and making sure you're promoting offers and making sure you have Canva templates that go with all of that. And it's brand visuals. It's it, it encompasses a lot and it moves decently quickly. But man, you walk away with so much. So I'll put that wait list in the show notes, but make sure you get on both wait lists, the messaging, edit Insta Canva Collective for those first dibs because honestly. What I do sells out fast. Praise the Lord. I'm so, so lucky, and you'll probably get exclusive bonuses and some money off. So, or if you don't wanna wait till January, you guys just join the coven, right? Like the real magic happens between the launches and inside the coven. That's where you're gonna get that monthly content support the community of other female entrepreneurs that literally get it, and then me in your corner, helping you create consistent strategic content that really connects and converts. And yeah, you're gonna hear about everything I do before everybody else. So whether you're gearing up for your next launch or you're just trying to show up consistently without burning out, that would be your next step If you wanna hang with me a little more, so I'll put the content coven link in the show notes as well. Ah, you don't need viral reels. You don't need 12 email funnels. You just need that clear message, consistent presence in a community that trusts you. And when you got those things, you guys. It's just chef's kiss. The launches don't feel like pressure. They feel like momentum. So I'll see you inside the wait list or even better inside the coven in the meantime. Until then, keep showing up like ya mean it. Thanks so much for hanging out with me on the Creative Bodega Podcast. If you love this episode, please be sure to share it with a fellow solopreneur who could use a little content creation inspiration. And hey, don't forget to check out the show notes for any resources I mentioned on the episode, to help you create content that feels easy and actually gets you results. If you want even more Canva and content tips, head over to my website, the creative bodega.com, or find me on Instagram under the same name. Until next time, keep creating, keep showing up, and most importantly, try and have a little fun with your content. I'll see you on the next episode.