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Why my first workshop worked
I just posted about my first online workshop back in 2020, and Ashley Charles replied:
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"Amazing. Do you know why they loved it? Were you a subject matter expert already, or was it the way it was pitched? Are you willing to share the reason for its success?"
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Absolutely, I’m willing to share…
But first, a bit of context:
The pandemic just hit. I lost all my income overnight. And I was sitting at my kitchen table wondering what I might do next. So I came up with an idea for an online workshop on somatics and leadership during times of crisis.
I thought to myself:
“If I’m feeling this way, I bet others are too, so rather than wait for a solution, I’ll create one myself.”
This is the essence of entrepreneurship.
And within 2 weeks, 15 people paid me to come to a workshop I designed in my gym shorts on the back of napkin whilst sitting alone in my kitchen on a Wednesday after.
This didn’t bring life changing amounts of money into my life.
But it did bring in my first digital dollar.
So why did it work? Well, before I tell you why it worked, let’s look at all the usual suspects. The main reasons most people think are what makes online offers work, then we’ll look into the real reason why this offer, and many other offers, actually work.
At that point…
I’d dedicated almost a decade to personal development. Studied various forms of embodiment and somatics. I was a tech whiz when I was younger (so the digital stuff came easy). I’d already started run multiple businesses (some successfully). And had a natural inclination for teaching (even if not a natural knack for it).
So all that helped.
But that’s not why it actually worked.
The real reason this offer worked, and the real reason any offer works, is primarily due to one thing:
Timing.
The pandemic just hit. People were dysregulated, anxious, and uncertain. And the workshop was about somatics and leadership during times of crisis.
It was a perfect fit.
Here’s more proof that it had little to do with my experience above.
I wasn’t know for any of this personal development stuff. I was mostly known for being a reclusive hippie carpenter with a widespread reputation for being unreasonably chill.
Also, my marketing skills were incidental at best.
I didn’t run ads, or build a funnel, or leverage my brand… I just sent direct messages to everyone I knew using SMS and facebook, and said, “Hey I’m hosting a workshop, here’s the link, let me know if you’re interested.”
All to say, digital economics are real, you don’t need complicated tech, scrappy beats perfect, and a simple offer beats endless preparation.
Oh yeah… and timing is everything.
Marketing isn’t about convincing people how great your thing is. It’s about meeting them mid-thought. People don’t adopt ideas because they’re good, people adopt ideas because they’re ready.
So before you go ahead and draft your next marketing message…
I invite you to ask yourself the following question:
What problem is already alive in your audience before you even open your mouth?
Then let’s take a quick look at timing in action.
Threads just passed X in daily mobile users this month, organic reach is still working, and still prioritized. People are getting in front of tens of thousands of people who’ve never heard of them before on a daily basis without even trying hard. And your posts are actually getting seen without having to pay for ads.
That’ll all change eventually though.
But before it does, you can still grab a free discovery call with me to learn about VIP access inside The Nature of Marketing community:
Just pick a tier then use the “book a call” link on the right hand side on desktop or send me a DM on mobile, and I’ll get you squared away.
Talk soon,
Kevin Hood