Ever since I released the Social Triggers Insider series, people asked me to add it to iTunes.

I’m no magician, but BAM! The wish has been granted.

Get Social Triggers Insider on iTunes here.

If you’ve enjoyed the Social Triggers Insider series thus far, please rate and review it on iTunes.

It takes like 10 seconds, and it will be a HUGE help. Thank you.

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Today I’m going to show you how I slapped a jetpack on my blog’s growth.

And more importantly, I’m going to tell you exactly what I did so you can model it.

What’s better is this:

Even though I used this simple strategy to increase my blog traffic, you can use this framework to grow anything, from raw traffic numbers to loyal customers.

You ready?

Let’s do this.

First, A Little Backstory

Back in early November 2011, I was hanging with Pat Flynn in Los Angeles, and between beers, I heard Pat say “~20% of my readers said they first found me on iTunes.”

I didn’t spit on myself, thank god, but I did have the foresight to DRILL him on that number.

You see, I never ran a podcast before, but with results like that, I knew I had to create one.

But I wasn’t going to rush it…

Instead, I was going to follow what I call the “launch anything” formula.

And here’s what happened:

My Podcast Came Out In Early January…

…and here’s what happened:

It’s January 27th, and Social Triggers has already grown over December’s full month of traffic by 43%—and there’s still 5 days left before month-end!

If this rate continues, Social Triggers will experience 69% growth over December 2011, my previous “best month” for blog traffic.

But let’s not just talk about traffic…

…let’s talk about RSS subscribers.

On January 1st, 2011, Social Triggers had 14,309 subscribers, and on January 27th, 2011, Social Triggers has 16,590 subscribers, meaning my RSS list grew by 16% too!

(I don’t publicly reveal my email list size or my revenue on purpose, so don’t ask ).

Why was the podcast a huge success?

It’s because I used the “launch anything” formula I told you about.

But now you’re likely wondering “how can I pull off the same thing?”

And more importantly, “how can this same strategy work for anything… not just a podcast?”

Keep reading.

The 3-Step Formula to Launching Anything (I Just Happened to Launch a Podcast)

Let’s get one thing straight:

Yes, I used this 3-step formula to launch a podcast, but it can be used to launch anything.

Releasing a new ebook? A product? A training program? A new service? New real estate listings?

It doesn’t matter. This formula works.

Why am I giving it away for free?

That’s simple.

You see, when I give away sure-fire formulas that get you results, that means you know my material works.

That way, when I release my premium training product, you won’t wonder “does it work?” Instead, you’ll think “is this right for me?”

That’s the psychology behind why it’s smart to give away some of your best material.

Makes sense?

Good.

Now let me walk you through this 3-step formula.

Step 1: Discover Your Unique Selling Proposition

Here’s the most important step, and if you plan on skipping it, you might as well stop reading right now.

Whenever you launch something new (a blog, a podcast, anything), you’ve got to fill a need in the market with a solution that doesn’t exist.

I know that sounds complicated, but it’s not.

All you’ve got to do is this:

First, Take a look at your main competitors (look at the biggest and best only) and figure out their core topics and target market.

Second, Write those topics on a piece of paper, and then begin to write other topics that might be related.

Finally, Begin combining 2, 3, or 4 topics together with your personality, and you’re set. You may not have unique ingredients, but you’ve got a unique recipe.

And that unique recipe is all that matters.

I’ll say that one more time…

For a successful launch, you don’t need unique ingredients. You need a unique recipe. – Tweet This

Nothing works better than a real-life example, so here’s mine:

When I decided I want to release a podcast, I knew I had to do something different from Pat Flynn, and the other podcasters out there.

You see, I write about internet marketing, which is one of the most crowded niches. So what did I plan on doing to stand out?

Instead of bringing on the usual suspects, the top social media influencers, I decided to go outside social media to introduce new people into our community.

I began featuring world-class researchers, professors from top universities, New York Times best-selling authors, and anyone else who could talk about the psychology of monetization.

And BAM. I was done.

But having a unique selling proposition wasn’t enough…

Yes, when you’re using the “launch anything” formula, the unique selling proposition is vital, but you also need something more.

And that’s where this next section comes into play.

Step 2: How to Build Anticipation The Right Way

Here’s the deal:

When most people release something new, they often announce it AND release it on the same day…

…And that’s a huge mistake.

No matter what you release… whether it’s a podcast… a new product… a new type of content on your site… you MUST build anticipation.

Why?

1. That anticipation gets people talking about you and your upcoming release.

2. That anticipation gets people to comment on your blog and say “I can’t wait for it.”

(Note: When people commit to something, they like to remain consistent with their publicly declared actions, as originally pointed out by Robert Cialdini’s consistency principle).

3.That anticipation opens what’s known as an information gap, and people can’t wait to fill it.

(When there is a gap between what people know and don’t know, they seek to fill it. This was first discovered by George Loewenstein, and it’s called “information gap theory.“)

How Do You Build That Anticipation?

That’s easy.

You tell people what’s coming, but you’re not too specific about it. You give details, but hold back the real meat.

For example, when I launched Social Triggers Insider, I filmed a short video that said “Introducing Social Triggers Insider.”

In that video, I told people what my podcast was about, but I never told them who I planned to feature. That was going to be a surprise.

And what happened?

That video announcement post attracted well over 300 blog comments… 300 tweets… and thousands of hits.

Just announcing the release of my upcoming podcast generated a huge amount of buzz, but there was an added benefit…

People KNEW I was releasing something new!

The reality is this: Most of your readers don’t read every email or blog post you write.

So, when you break it down into two separate articles (or emails), you get two chances to grab attention instead of one.

To really illustrate this, when I finally released my first Social Triggers Insider master class, that email update had a 75.3% open rate.

Yes, 75.3% open rate… The industry average is often less than 20%, especially when dealing with email lists as large as mine.

Anticipation works .

Step 3: How to Deliver On Your Promises

Here’s where things get sticky…

When you build anticipation, you’ve got to deliver.

I know that sounds simple, but I’ve found that when people just do what they say they’re going to do, they’re light years ahead of everyone else.

Cynical, yes, but still true.

Now if you really want to woo your readers… and ensure that people KNOW you brought the goods… you should over deliver.

Here’s how:

1. Add an unannounced bonus – For example, when I released my podcast, I said it was an audio master class. However, I delivered a transcript, an audio file, and a video.

2. Deliver beautiful packaging – Your design is essential for building trust. So, if you deliver a nicely designed finished product, people will thank you for it. (I’m lucky that I like minimalism )

3.DELIVER RESULTS – You can’t get around this. No matter what you release, you’ve got to make sure you’re delivering results to your readers and customers.

And that’s it.

You’re set.

Now Here’s What I Want You To Do

If you found this article helpful, share it with your friends.

I hope to help as many people as possible with my free content, and I need you to help spread the word. So, thank you.

But now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty:

First, you’ll need to come up with what you’d like to launch. Remember, it can be anything.

But here are some things to consider:

1. You can introduce a brand-new type of content. If you often write articles, maybe now you can create a video series.
2. You can release a brand-new, or updated service package. And I suspect that’s self explanatory.
3. You can release a brand-new series of content. Instead of simply writing a one and done blog post, announce the launch of a blog post series.

And you’re done.

Once you know what you plan to release, just go back through this article and follow the 3-step formula.

Then, when it’s time to get traffic, use what I call “The Drafting Technique.”

Now let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

What makes people buy one product over another?

Why is discounting HORRIBLE for your business?

Or, more broadly speaking, how do people make ANY decision?

The answer lies inside your brain…

…and to help you understand how it works, I’ve got the New York Times best-selling author Jonah Lehrer on the latest edition of Social Triggers Insider.

How People Make Decisions, a Discussion with the NYT best-selling author Jonah Lehrer

By now you know that smart entrepreneurs who want to use the web to attract leads and sales must master the fields of psychology and human behavior.

And that’s why you’ll love this Social Triggers Insider master class with Jonah Lehrer. Just press play!

Right click this link to save the audio as an mp3 to your computer

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can now subscribe to it on iTunes. Click here to subscribe + leave a review

And then, when you’re done, as part of our “little deal,” if you absolutely loved this Social Triggers Insider master class, share it with 3 friends. Thanks .

Anyway, here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why you should never discount your products (Hint: when you do, you may be training the pain center in your customers’ brain)
• How one company convinced me to drop a grand with the “painless sales technique.”
• Why people make decisions with their emotions (Hint: If we were all like Spock, we’d be doomed)
• And much, much more.

Notes:

1. Jonah Lehrer’s book “How We Decide (aff)” is a great read. The one story about how one fireman narrowly escaped death will blow your mind.

2. Jonah Lehrer’s new book “Imagine: How Creativity Works (aff)” comes out in March, and I’ve already got it on preorder.

3. Here’s a link to Jonah Lehrer’s blog Frontal Cortex, which is hands-down, one of my favorites. It’s about some nerdy stuff like neuroscience, but hey, you read Social Triggers, so you’re into that .

Mp3 Download and Transcript

Right click this link to save the audio as an mp3 to your computer.

If you prefer the transcript, right click this link to save the transcript.

Now I Pass It To You…

What did you think of this Social Triggers Insider?

Leave a comment and let me know.

Additionally, if you haven’t seen the other Social Triggers Insider master classes, here’s a recap:

1. How to Land Major Media Coverage with No Connections

2. How to Charge 100X Your Competitors and Actually Get it

How can you charge what you’re worth and get it?

You could slap a price on your product (or service) and hope for the best…

…or you can take matters into your own hands, and watch customers LINE UP to buy your products.

I know you prefer the latter, and that’s why you’ll love the second Social Triggers Insider master class. Just click play to listen to the training. It’s free.

How Ramit Sethi Combines A Stanford Education in Persuasion with Online Marketing to Sell a Ton

By now you know that smart entrepreneurs who want to use the web to attract leads and make sales must master the field of human behavior to thrive in today’s overcrowded marketplace.

And that’s why I invited Ramit Sethi to participate on the second Social Triggers Insider. Just click to play.

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can now subscribe to it on iTunes. Click here to subscribe + leave a review

Who is Ramit?

He’s the New York Times best-selling author of I Will Teach You to Be Rich and founder of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com, a blog that hosts more than 300,000 monthly readers.

And like me, he develops a deep understanding of the psychology of his customers, so he can sell them exactly what they want at exactly the right price.

Don’t forget to grab the bonus material on “How to Write a $100,000 survey.” Most surveys suck, but with this “short-course,” you’ll learn how to write winning surveys that win business.

Now here’s what you’ll learn during this audio master class:

• The one question people ask that raises a “red flag,” and proves that they’re destined to fail.
• The “secret sauce” that powers an entrepreneurs wildly successful information business (and yes, this same “recipe” can work for you too).
• Why you should spend more time telling people to unsubscribe from your site than convincing people to buy your products.
• How you can charge what you’re worth and actually get it! (Hint: It’s all about understanding what goes on inside the mind of your customers)
• Why you shouldn’t sell anything on your website… and how that leads to more money and better customers.

Right click this link to save the audio as an mp3 to your computer.

If you prefer a transcript, right click to save this transcript.

Here’s What You Need To Do Next…

Now that you listened to the audio master class, and you took notes, here’s what you need to do next:

1. Tell me what your favorite part of this training was. Leave a comment, and tell me exactly what you plan to do now that you’ve gone through this.
2. If you absolutely loved this Social Triggers Insider master class, share it with your friends on social media (or better yet, write someone a personal email ).
3. Go grab the bonus material on how to write winning surveys. Not sure how long Ramit will leave it up, so grab it now.

Getting featured in the media is GREAT for credibility, traffic, and sales.

And you can do it WITHOUT CONNECTIONS.

Here’s how…

How the “Drafting Technique” Helps You Score Loads of Press, Traffic, and Links

What an unfortunate freeze frame, right? Quick, press play!

How Bad Press Destroys—and Skyrockets—Sales

Now let’s say you land that press, but it’s not what you expected.

It’s not good press… it’s bad press.

Do you need to panic?

Or can you sit back and relax?

That’s where this part of the Social Triggers master class comes into play.

I invited Jonah Berger, a professor at the Wharton School of Business, to talk to us about the ins and outs of bad press.

This guy is the REAL deal. His research has been featured in almost every mainstream business publication you can think of.

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can now subscribe to it on iTunes. Click here to subscribe + leave a review

During this audio, you’ll learn:

• How a prostitute sold $1,000,000 of songs on iTunes.
• Why Borat helped increase Kazahkstan’s tourism (according to Hotels.com data)
• How “stinky socks” helped a wine company increase their sales.
• And more…

Right click this link to save the audio as an mp3 to your computer.

If you prefer a transcript, right click to save this transcript.

Also, if you absolutely love the research Jonah Berger talks about, go here to visit him at his website. There’s loads of different academic papers that I know you’ll absolutely love.

What Should You Do Now?

Now that you know how to get press using my “drafting technique,” and what to do when bad press strikes, it’s time to go out there and score media mentions.

Step 1: Make a list of 5-15 competitors. You don’t have to compete directly, but instead, list 5-15 people who are in a similar world as you.

Step 2: Find where they have been mentioned in the media. If they haven’t been mentioned, find competitors or related companies who have.

Step 3: Figure out how to contact the journalists who featured these companies.

Step 4: Don’t just pitch yourself, and ask for links. Reach out the journalist with targeted pitches, as I described in the drafting technique.

Step 5: Congratulate yourself

One more thing…

If you want to hear about the next master class, make sure you sign up for the newsletter list here.

Not only will you hear about the master class, you’ll also hear about new articles that can help you.

Now…

If you absolutely loved this free training, share it with three friends .

Also, thank Jonah Berger for joining us here!