3 pre-launch tasks veteran course creators never skip

I still remember the blinking cursor at 2:15 AM.

Early in my tech career, I helped upgrade a core banking system…

The kind that move millions between accounts.

One wrong line of code could mean disaster for thousands of families.

The only way to manage all this chaos was to be very meticulous during the software launch.

We had a 14-page playbook and backup plans for every step.

We tested what we knew worked, plus all the worst-case scenarios.

Why?

Because when real money’s on the line, winging it isn’t an option.

Turns out, your next course launch works the same way.

So today you’ll learn:

• Why “hoping for the best” is a recipe for disaster
• Why planning for worst-case scenarios is a true stress killer
• Why “Plan B” is more important than you think

Your Launch Playbook

‍In a launch, where you place your attention matters. A lot.

Amateurs focus on marketing copy.

Pros obsess over:

• Email sequences (tagged correctly?)
• Checkout flows (tested on mobile?)
• Payment gateways (tax settings updated?)

This is why I have my clients map out their entire funnel before a launch.

We need to check links, verify automations, and confirm that emails are going out.

Simply “wishing for the best” is a pipe dream.

So for your next launch make sure you have a system to maps out things like:

• Every page in your funnel
• A list of all links (so you can test individually)
• A description of what happens at every step

Preparation is your friend.

‍Test Like a Hacker

‍Software teams use “Red Team” exercises: engineers try to intentionally break systems before launch.

You can do the same.

When you’re prepping for a launch, you can:

1. Try to make a purchase with an expired card → what happens?
2. Test email opt-ins from 3 different devices → which performs best?
3. Click every single link. (Including your “unsubscribe” button) → you don’t want any surprises

Most course creators only discover their cart glitches……only after 7 frustrated buyers email them screenshots.

‍Don’t let this be you.

‍The Contingency Plans

‍During that banking system upgrade, we had backup plans for our contingency plans.

You may not have to go that far, but you should have plans for what to do when things go wrong.

Things like:

• If your payment processor fails mid-launch, how do you capture sales?
• If your email provider flags campaigns as spam, who’s manually sending broadcasts?
• If your top affiliates ghost, what’s Plan B for traffic?
• If your payment processor decides to hold funds for 90 as a fraud prevention measure, what do you do next?

and so on…Ultimately, having these plans are a stress-reducer because when something goes wrong - and it will……because you know exactly what to do.

‍It’s Your Reputation

‍A botched software deployment could cost engineers their jobs.

A messy course launch? It costs trust.

And you’ve spent years building trust.

And in this business, trust is the only currency that really matters.

And as always… be intentional.