What I’ve Learned From: Launching

Launching this blog was the first time I actually launched something that I have been working on myself alone. In the past, I’ve been apart of other people’s launches or have created content to launch something else. At 20 this was my personal project baby and I am really proud of it.

I went in wanting to do a small launch because I didn’t think that what I had to say had any value. I knew that there were so many blogs out there just like mine with larger teams, influences, or whatever it was. But as I have been doing my research and learning more about social media strategies and understanding my own personal data (coming soon..) I learned that everyone starts small and it takes TIME for something to really take off and get developed. For some people it even took years. It’s never a picture perfect road and there are bound to be several mistakes. Surprisingly that brought more humanity into what I was doing because it was something I connected with.

So I thought “okay well if it’s going to take some time I might as well make it as perfect as possible”. Obviously there is room to improve and edit but I wanted a solid base. The day of my launch I actually Googled “How to launch a blog successfully on social media”. The first thing it said was Get a strong content base first and I was like okay so I already did that. After that I skimmed the article but wanted to find a way to do it that reflects me but also is simple. I didn’t want to put something out there that wasn’t really who I am and what I stand for. I think there is so much amazing creators out there who are honest and who they are online is who you meet in person so I wanted to be like that as well. It’s really important to me to be authentic.

I also don’t want to spend a lot of money on advertising it. If I can find a way to do it myself or for free then I’ll figure it out. I used some social media templates to create my instagram picture. Also, I think about what marketing strategies I have seen that I have liked and tried to make it my own.

This whole process took a lot of bravery because when you put your work out on the Internet no matter what it is there may be some really strong backlash on it. I was so worried about what everyone thought about it that I began to lose sight as to why I was doing it in the first place. I took a step back and really asked myself “Is this something we are willing to commit to?”. I knew in my heart the answer was screaming YES but again, I still faced a lot of insecurities.

After speaking to some people on Instagram, specifically women who have launched their own platform, I knew I wasn’t the only person feeling this way. Aside from the potential hate, whether people are going to read it, I was just worried if anyone really was listening or if anyone cared about what I had to say.

… and they were listening. The amount of personal messages, comments, and support I got from the launch really made it all worth it and validated what was in my heart and what was my truth. I am confident enough (it’s taken a long time to get here) where I’m strong in what I believe is right and “good” so I led with my heart during this launch and people saw it. Not only did I practice that during the launch itself but in the development of this whole platform. This was the first time I allowed myself to take complete ownership of a project because I was always afraid it wasn’t going to be “good enough”. Since I am my own boss, if it’s good enough to me and if its backed with the right intentions then I am okay with it.

It was really emotional because my friends, family, and people I haven’t spoken to in a few years expressed their support to me. In less than 24 hours I had over 200 people on the site. I was not expecting that at all. I honestly didn’t even have a number and that may not be a lot but to me it is. It sort of just happened and I am so grateful and appreciative of all the people who were so nice and so supportive. It made me cry because this was a big step for me and people close to me knew where I have been and where I am going. I love that people not only saw myself in the blogs but they saw themselves as well. This is a place where I hope people can relate to and connect with.

The experience truly changed the way that I viewed myself and it gave me the confidence to go forward and keep doing this despite what anyone else thinks.

So if you are a content creator or someone who is nervous to launch something, you are not alone. I hear you, I see you. Launch it. Just do it with the right intent and make sure your heart is in the right place. Don’t do it for the “clout” please LOL.