From Idea to Launch: How I Built My New Program with ChatGPT + Waitlist Tips

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Launching a new offer isn’t just about sales—it’s about listening, trusting your gut, and aligning your energy with what your audience actually wants. In this blog post, I’m taking you behind the curtain of how I launched my newest program, The Messaging Edit, and what I did differently this time to make it feel not only successful—but fun.

🎯 Why Messaging Matters More Than Ever

While beautiful visuals and cohesive branding will stop the scroll, it's your messaging that will get your audience to say yes. That’s why before I launched anything this fall, I went all in on content around brand messaging.

If you haven’t yet, listen to my recent podcast series on this exact topic:

• EP 30: Why Your Ideal Clients Aren’t Connecting With Your Messaging - And How to Fix It

• EP 31: The M.A.G.N.E.T Method: My Framework for Messaging That Connects and Converts

• EP 32: The Missing Piece Between Clear Messaging and Real Engagement (+ An Invitation)

✂️ A Fresh Cut, a Fresh Start

You know when something clicks out of nowhere? That’s what happened after a spontaneous haircut where I chopped off 8+ inches. The next day, I felt completely energized to dream up what I wanted to do in the fall.

I’m not the kind of person who plans out her entire year in Q1—and that’s okay. I like to leave room for intuition. After that creative burst, I started listening more closely to what my audience needed.

📊 How I Decided What to Launch (Spoiler: I Asked YOU)

Before creating anything, I polled my people. I used:

• Instagram Stories

• My email newsletter

• My paid membership group

The options were all things I felt good teaching, but overwhelmingly, the topic of messaging and brand clarity came out on top.

👉 Tip: Never offer something you wouldn’t be excited to create—no matter what your audience picks.

🤖 How I Used ChatGPT as My Launch Assistant

For the first time ever, I used the Projects feature in ChatGPT to help me map everything out. I created a dedicated space called “The Messaging Edit Fall 2025” and taught it everything about:

• My audience

• My goals

• My tone of voice

• My past offers

Together, we brainstormed the offer structure, name, modules, and pricing.

This wasn’t a “type and done” thing—it was a collaborative back-and-forth conversation where I refined the results based on what felt right.

✍️ RESOURCE:

Curious how I use AI without sounding like a robot? Check out these blog posts:

ChatGPT & AI: Exactly How I'm Using it to Boost Creativity & Save Time as a Solopreneur

5 Prompts I Use to Get Better ChatGPT Results (That Most People Don’t Know)

🎙️ Choosing the Program Name: The Messaging Edit

Naming a program should feel right in your gut. I narrowed down three names, all of which I liked, and took them to my Stories to vote. The people spoke, and the feedback helped me finalize the name: The Messaging Edit.

Why “edit”? Because it feels:

• Elevated

• Clean

• Clear

• Like something fresh

Even one of my students was so inspired, she used “edit” as the subtitle for her upcoming book!

🗓️ Launch Timing: Working With My Life, Not Against It

My kids go back to school September 2nd. I didn’t want to launch until they were back in school, and I didn’t want to be running a program when I fly to Australia with Canva (!!!) in late October.

So I chose:

• Doors Open: September 3rd

• Doors Close: End of the first full week of school

• Program Start: Mid-September

• Program End: One week before I travel

✨ Moral of the story: Build your business around your life—not the other way around.

💰 Pricing Drama: Let’s Be Honest

Pricing is hard. It just is.

To get clarity, I:

• Talked it out with my husband (he literally took notes for me)

• Factored in my proven results and support level

• Decided on a 1x payment or a 3-month plan

Even though I’ve launched multiple programs, pricing still brings up old feelings. That’s normal.

👯 Co-Coach Selection: Don’t Go It Alone

For this round, I brought on Steph, who’s been with me through eight launches. Messaging is her jam. I love having a second set of eyes inside the program, especially someone who supports the students the same way I would.

Pro Tip: Your best co-coaches might be your most supportive alumni.

✨ Waitlist Strategy: Why It Matters So Much

The waitlist is everything. It shows interest, builds buzz, and becomes your warmest audience. I opened the waitlist before I had a name. I literally called it “Program TBD” in the form!

• Built using Flodesk

• Linked from Instagram and my email list

• Segment created to target pre-launch emails

Goal: 400+ people
Reality so far: 210 in the first week and a half

I’ll be pushing hard the next 10 days through:

• Instagram CTA comments

• Newsletter mentions

• Podcast mentions

📌 Reminder: People need to see your offer 7+ times before they take action. Show up and repeat yourself.

🌐 Sales Page Saga: What Went Wrong (and Right)

I tried to use Flodesk’s new checkout feature, but found it doesn’t allow multiple-payment plans for standalone offers.

That meant:

• Rebuilding the sales page from Flodesk → Podia

• Recreating everything from scratch

• Embracing the mess and moving forward

Silver Lining?

I’ll officially hit $1 million in revenue with this launch—and Podia will reflect it.

It took me 4 years.
My first year was under $50K.

Progress is not instant, but it’s worth it. You can do this.

🔨 Building While Launching: Yes, It’s Possible

The program isn’t even done yet.

And you know what? That’s okay.

I’ve done this before. In fact, the first version of Start & Grow Your Email List was built in real time. My goal this time:

• Have the first 3 weeks done before launch

• Build the final 2 weeks during the program

Not ideal—but 100% doable.

🛠️ My Go-To Tools for Launches

Here’s what I used:

• ChatGPT Projects – Planning, writing, brainstorming

• Flodesk – Email marketing + waitlist forms

• Podia – Sales page, checkout, and course hosting

• Instagram – Warm engagement + real-time feedback

• Google Docs – Internal planning and module outlines

📣 Final Thoughts: Build Loud, Launch Loud

I don’t believe in secret launches.

I believe in:

• Asking your audience for feedback

• Sharing the behind-the-scenes

• Building community through transparency

When people feel part of the process, they’re more likely to buy—and root for you.

🔗 Helpful Links & Resources

• Download my FREE 5-Day Social Refresh Email Challenge

• Flodesk (Affiliate Link)

• Podia (Affiliate Link)

🧠 Want More Like This?

Make sure you’re subscribed to The Creative Bodega wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave a review if this episode gave you life!

💬 Comment below and tell me: What part of the launch process do you get stuck on the most?

Let’s make launching feel fun again.