How to Successfully Launch Your Retreat
How to Successfully Launch Your Retreat
My last launch for our Costa Rica Retreat sold out in 5 days. We launched the retreat to our newsletter subscribers on a Friday with a discount that expired in 2 weeks. We sold 9 spots in 24 hours and the remaining 2 the following Wednesday. That retreat offer never even made it to the public. I’m going to share with you what has and hasn’t worked for me in the past but I’m not going to pretend that I know everything.
I’ve hosted 14 retreats and I have failed miserably, course-corrected, constantly tried new things, done loads of market research and have gotten lucky a few times, too.
What it all boils down to is marketing is a game and I believe as long as you’re not making the same mistakes over and over again then you’re doing it right. Keep collecting data and showing up.
Here are 5 steps I take when launching my retreat:
1. Timing is Everything.
I subscribe to too many educational types of things and have participated in some large retreat host surveys and “the retreat dates don’t work for me” is always ranked first or in the top 3 reasons why guests do not attend a retreat. Which normally means guests already had commitments during the retreat. It wasn’t too expensive or an issue with travel or the location, it was the dates it was hosted that prevented them from participating.
One of the things that I think worked so well for our Costa Rica launch is that we were sharing our scouting trip leading up to the launch at a time when everyone was dying to get out of the house post COVID. Central America was one of the first places to reopen to the US without a quarantine requirement and we were showing potential guests that it was possible to travel safely and we were also having a blast.
Other instances that timing hasn’t been perfect for a launch for me has been the holidays. Most of my target is already travelling with their families or spending all of their residual income on gifts.
Summer overnight retreats are a bit difficult too because I think most of my local audience wants to stay in Michigan to enjoy the fleeting days of summer but if you host in the dead of winter (February, the longest, shortest, worst month of the year) in Costa Rica then you are likely to sell out.
Launching in April for Costa Rica gave my guests plenty of time to plan and save and they also were over winter in Michigan and ready to dream of warmer climates.
2. Knowing & Defining Your Target and Solving Their Pain Point
Your clients might not hate winter or live anywhere where they ever have to deal with it so a winter retreat in Banff might be more their thing. You need to really know your audience to establish the best timing and the best offering.
Determining who your ideal client is makes you a better a better host and guarantees better sales.
Potential clients are more likely to purchase something that solves a problem. For example, a tired, stressed out mom has multiple pain points, stressed, exhausted, etc. Some possible solutions for this type of guest would be:
a team of hosts that take care of everything so that they can really rest
free time so that they can take a nap, read a book, or just enjoy some rare peace and quiet
love to interact with adults instead of children for a change
You get the idea, there are multiple pain points for a tired mom. Knowing your clients’ needs helps build the best schedule and marketing plan. REMEMBER: you’re serving them.
On worksheet 5 in your handbook, there are suggested questions to ask for market research. Jot down what you think their pain points are and see if you're right.
Get creative and think of your own questions and find different people who you can ask these questions to. Try to poll at least 15 people, but do more if you can!
current students or clients
post to groups or to your personal page on social media
family or friends
create a form/survey to send out
There are multiple ways you can complete market research and there are no wrong ways. Don't be afraid to try different things. A few more tips when asking clients questions or communicating your offer:
Most clients require a lot of touch points (7-10).
Clearly communicated is more important than unique, spell out what’s included.
By the time we launched Costa Rica, my audience already knew what exactly to expect because we shared every single detail on social media and answered all of their questions prior to launch.
3. Talk About Your Retreat Non-Stop & Determine Your Pre-launch Strategy
Start talking about your retreat before it's even available. I recommend 1-2 months prior to launch to start teasing your offering.
Tell them when to expect it
Tell them to mark their calendars
When you build all of that momentum, they are ready
Take your audience behind the scenes with you.
I think this was key with Costa Rica. I was getting so many DMs and comments asking when the retreat would be available. A few other tips that will help your launch be successful:
Host a live Q+A to meet all of the hosts and answer any questions before launch.
You must push through the fear of promoting yourself.
I promise your clients want to see you and what makes you great.
People spend money with companies they trust.
They will feel more included and invested if you take them on the journey of your launch.
Get creative in how you can talk about your offering before you launch it.
Jot down some pre-launch strategy ideas.
4. Limited Time Discount
This is my least favorite thing. I get the need for discounts and I personally love them and I understand why they work but it just means I need to charge more for the retreat and for someone that tries really hard to make my offerings affordable, this is hard. I gave a $300 discount to the Costa Rica and of the 11 registered guests, 7 of them used the code. I always make my discounts exclusive to subscribers because that’s part of my opt-in for my list and I always give a deadline. The deadline is so important because otherwise people take their time and then they end up forgetting about your offer. I normally send a reminder that the discount is expiring but because it sold out so quickly I didn’t have time to do it.
Other tips to create demand:
I always share when we sell a spot.
Anytime I share that we only have 1 spot left, it normally sells quickly, it feels special, exclusive, in high demand.
5. All You Need to do is Show Up
In case you didn't already know, the secret to life is simply showing up. Taking risks and seeing what happens. Putting yourself out there and hoping for the best, but being willing to overcome the worst. The truth is we are never really ready, we just need to jump in. What is the worst that can happen?
If you…
are willing to make mistakes. We all do!
are committed to being a student and are willing to learn and grow!
can ask for help when you need it!
Then you can host a retreat!
Believe in yourself! You have everything you need within you to pull off a retreat!
I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
“It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking now is as good a time as any.” ~ Hugh Laurie
So what do you say? Are you ready to finally pull the trigger and host the retreat of your dreams?
Images by Personal Branding Maven Elise Kutt at Mod Bettie Portraits
My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am retreat host, travel designer, and a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.
I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things.
My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.
Anna VanAgtmael | Retreat Host | Travel Designer