This is the process I have used to create juicy descriptions and plans for workshops I've taught, both in person and online, since 1999. I discovered early in my career that having a specific focus for a class series sells much better than a more general focus. We'll use this model as you hone your own topics and get feedback from me on them. You'll get this training on video to watch before the first meeting you attend, and then work through the exercises in the live group meetings, to create your workshop or course outline, along with titles, slogans and tag lines, and plan the size and nature of your program. In the live meetings you'll be able to share with others and get coaching feedback from me to help you make decisions about your offering.

You will want to have eye-catching graphics, but they also don't need to be perfect to be effective. You don't have to be a great graphics designer to learn a few useful basics, using free services. Having a graphic flyer to advertise your program will get more clicks, and it doesn't have to be fancy to get noticed. This recorded training will also touch on how to create simple videos with graphics if you want to take it farther. If you are already using Canva.com or another service, this will include some basics as well as strategy for lesson planning with your graphics; it's not only part of program promotion, but also program creation. Creating a graphic means creating a container for your message.

Actually setting up a link for people to register is what gets you the sales. That may seem obvious, but it can feel like the hardest thing to do. In a recorded overview, I'll go over the models I've used since I began online registration for my programs (both online and in-person programs), and the advantages and disadvantages of different payment methods and cart or button options. This will cover free or inexpensive payment options and shopping carts that can save effort over the long run and maximize your sales in the short term. I'll cover the importance of testing your payment link and any email automation that is triggered by it. You'll have an incentive to get your payment link or shopping cart up early, even before your program is fully "ready"... so you can make sure you like your sales page, before you make it live. Some sales pages are very short, and some are long, like this one! What you create will be congruent with the commitment you want from your students, and the kind of students you want to attract. If you are true to yourself, you will attract the students who are right for you. And of course, I'll cover pricing, because how you price your programs can be the most challenging part, and there are ways to make this job easier for yourself.

Getting comfortable with being more visible and available to potential students makes it easier for them to decide to work with you. They get a better feel for you, and in this series, you'll be able to practice in a "low-stakes" manner for us before you venture out in public. It may seem a little scary, but I promise I'll make it feel easier and less pressured. This training will demonstrate some of the outreach options I've found useful in promoting my programs, to give you ideas for your own. Then, if you are in the VIP full series, you'll practice different methods of making yourself available, either by showing up on camera and in print, for talks or private meetings, over the course of the series. (One of my favorites is what I call "asynchronous conversations" with potential students: easy, free, recorded personalized video outreach, shareable in a private email.) You as the teacher need to make the first move, because when you show up, prospective students know that you are serious about being there for them too. This short training will inspire you to make yourself more available to your prospective students, or to your existing students whom you want to encourage to make a deeper commitment in their work with you.

Even a short video says more than a thousand words...but is it saying what you want it to say to your ideal students? Like an "elevator pitch," your program pitch is how you talk about your program, in a brief, punchy way, to provide a clear message about what you are offering. I like to do this on video, because video conveys feelings as well as content. Narrowing down your video pitch helps you to organize your teaching topics, convey what you need to in a limited time frame, and share the "intangibles" that give people confidence in you, so that they feel more comfortable registering. Video can feel vulnerable, and through practice, you can develop your own confidence in yourself and in the process. People often focus on the wrong things in making a video. What is most important is your confidence, and by extension, your believability. "Pitch practice" will help get you there. I'll also address the actual mechanics of getting a "fresh feeling" for yourself on camera, where you can share the most vibrant parts of your personality. Showing up on camera when you feel fresh, rested, and calm is ideal, but what if you are tired or nervous and still need to create a promotional video? I'll share my method for getting a video you can feel good about, to use in promoting your programs. Pitch practice opportunities will be a regular part of the Bootcamp, so you can improve your skills on camera for live or recorded uses.

During the pre-work time before we officially begin, you'll be able to meet with me at a time that is convenient for you, and get started on the pre-recorded trainings. Nov. 1 will be the last day to sign up for the Bootcamp series. We will organize into regular small-group meeting times for the time of the program, and you can attend all group meetings or watch their recordings. Sign up early to have your first pick of the times. Since it's a small group, we will build the program schedule around member availability using our new calendar scheduling app. (Limited to 12 people, organized into "pods" so you can join at a time that works for you.)

Week 1 (Oct. 31-Nov. 7): Make Your Program Irresistible:  Identifying the juicy takeaways of what students will get from your program, and putting it into *specific* written language - written sentences and bullet points that cover pain and pleasure points and address potential objections. You will start putting your taglines onto graphics and bullet points on an online sales page and/or flyer. Brainstorming titles, and start developing short pitches. Coaching on slogans, bullet points, and pitches in live meetings. Identify where you'll share your pitches and outreach videos, whether linked to emails or your site, or on social media, and begin sharing "teaser" promotion, or more detailed promotion if you are ready. We'll also refine the ways you can make your program more welcoming to a greater number of people, while still making your program specific enough that your ideal students feel your program is absolutely for them. Homework for feedback: Submit 1 minute pitch video or instagram reel about the program, and create Canva graphic.

Week 2 (Nov. 8-14): Make Your Program Practical: This is where you will complete your sales copy, narrow down and decide what you can commit to ...and what you should save for next time. Brainstorm how to maximize your income from your program, maximize the commitment of students so you have a consistent group to teach to during the course of your program, and find the right balance of streamlining your efforts while still delivering value. Work with limitation to drive demand and urgency, and share this in a non-annoying way during your video pitches. Coaching on pitches in live meetings. Homework for feedback: Submit 2-3 minute pitch video addressing program content as well as the urgency and limitation of this run of your program (why they should join you now).

Week 3 (Nov. 14-20): Pump Up Your Pitch: Practice speaking on camera under deadlines, covering for errors, and creating “quickie” general (low-touch) and personalized (high-touch) outreach videos to invite groups and individuals to your program through email marketing and personal messaging. Coaching on pitches in live meeting. Homework for feedback: Practice creating short video pitches of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and 1 minute for submission on the Ginger City custom video app.

Week 4 (Nov. 21-25): Prep Your Delivery: Complete payment and email setup to be ready, either with email automation or a simplified manual process, to onboard new members. Coaching on pitches and feedback on shared materials in live meeting. Homework for feedback: Submit shopping cart or sales page video up to 2 minutes to encourage members to buy, and submit short welcome video for buyers of up to 2 minutes.

Weeks 5-7 (Nov. 26-Dec. 18): Monitoring Sales vs. Promotion Efforts, Personal Outreach Videos, Troubleshooting and Building on Your Success: This is where you'll assess how your promotional efforts have been going and what commitments you've already gotten from students in the form of registrations. During this period you'll get feedback on additional promotion efforts to increase sales through the month of December.

There are many types of teachers this program will be right for (and some who it's not for).
This is for you if any of these apply to you:

You work hard to educate yourself, teach, and support others, but don't promote yourself enough.

You are an experienced teacher, tired of feeling you have to compete with those with less experience, or who are just more Instagram-savvy than you.

You want to develop your own niche, so you don't have to compete with others who are out there teaching.

You'd like some help deciding the next offering for your followers, because there are so many things you want to teach next!

You want to up-level your work, to create a coaching program, to develop a deeper teaching relationship with your students, or, offer on-demand programs.

You'd like a little company in this process, to put your stuff out there, with a gentle push to get you through it, and the support of a group who is rooting for your success.

You are a creative type who doesn't always function in a "linear" way, or an ADD/ADHD type who thrives on being in the moment, but might not always plan well.

You are a perfectionist who would appreciate targeted advice to keep you headed in the right direction.

This is not a teacher training on how to teach: so it's NOT for total beginner teachers. It's for current teachers in packaging and promotion, with the lesson planning embedded in the marketing work.

If you have a questions about if this is the right program for you, just reach out to me using the yellow chatbot below, or email me at support@gingercity.com with your questions and I'll reply.)

The August pilot was a one-day event, with some email follow-up to the members who submitted work to me. The Bootcamp series expands that pilot's content and focuses on ongoing accountability over 7 weeks to get you to the specific goal of selling your new program before the holidays.

The "Plan Your Teaching, Plan Your Marketing" workshop content I offered during the pilot will be available to you as part of the bootcamp series, along with a lot more coaching and personal feedback on your graphics, writing, and pitch, live and on video. 

Instead of the previously planned Oct. 28-30 live intensive weekend workshops, we are adapting the schedule to be more inclusive to all members (since that is Halloween weekend, it frees everyone up to get started on their own time before we meet!). You'll have the pre-recorded trainings to review from the start of the program. You can submit your ideas to me, and get my coaching. I'm doing this first as individualized coaching for each member to get you started, before we meet live. 

Then we'll set the schedule based on member availability for the remaining weeks, using our new calendar scheduling app.  When you register, you'll get a request from me to share your schedule, and from there, we'll be arranging meetings that work for everyone. 

With the flexible scheduling for the first weekend, you'll be able to get acclimated faster and feel more confident about your next steps. 

This process is tailor made for perfectionists and dopamine-driven ADHD types... and many fellow movement teachers may identify themselves as such!
The "Plan Your Teaching, Plan Your Marketing" method is something I developed, as a "non-linear"/ ADHD/perfectionist kind of person, to commit to workshop descriptions through my career, from early on. This may feel pretty different from other business coaching programs out there. In the series, you'll hone your course descriptions and the containers for them (graphic and text-based), like polishing a gemstone, within the actual marketing framework you plan to present them in (in draft versions that you'll get feedback on). You will experience the process from the perspective of your target market, not only what is inside your own head.

You will create planning and marketing assets in "container form", as well as refining your spoken pitch through practice... then return to revise these... and keep developing their juiciness until you have something you feel thoroughly excited about, which makes it easy to share and promote, and to sell it with joy. Having it in container form will make it feel easier to share to the public or to your focused list. By putting it out there through this process, you will see what more it needs.

We'll get into the creation of lesson outlines and promotional assets quickly, and you'll have time to revise them week by week until Black Friday... and even after. 

Similar to my "pod"-format performance coaching programs, you will be able to join a pod coaching meeting that you can attend most weeks, as long as you can free up a consistent time block. You'll get your personal coaching time within your meeting session, as well as co-working time to work on tasks and ask questions. We will divide the group into pod times based on available times, using our new, efficient calendar scheduling app (brand new for this series, and it will save us a lot of time in coordinating everyone's schedules). I've never had a problem accommodating all members of a pod-format coaching program, and I don't expect any problems with this one either. If you have schedule questions, reach out to me at support@gingercity.com and I can address them.

Since each person's journey is unique, the program can accommodate those with different goals: teaching online, teaching in person, etc. You will get personalized, tailored feedback for where you are now, so that you take the next steps that are logical for you in building your teaching business. We'll focus on ways you can create and promote a unique program that will help you stand out. My function as a consultant and coach is to help you to identify your unique selling points, and the type of people who will most want what you are offering, in a way that feels right for you and makes sense within the market.

In my "Plan Your Teaching, Plan Your Marketing" process, we link the promotion of the program to the design of the program. Video is the fastest way for people to get to know you, and so this will be a priority in creating your promotions.

In identifying the juicy touchpoints that will help sell your program, it helps you organize (and limit) what you will teach, and creates a container for your teaching. Those touchpoints form the outline for short videos (and we'll practice in every session, as well as in weekly submissions).

When you feel excited about what you are going to be teaching, and able to celebrate its juicy details, you'll pass that enthusiasm on to others. And when you understand the limits of what you can teach, within a package that is manageable for you and for your students, then you can sell it with confidence and realism, even on video.  

I am strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the movement teaching arena. Because this is the first time I'm offering this particular program, I will be exploring ways to make access to, and success in, this program as equitable as possible. While I will not be able to offer equity-based financial discounts on the program, I am able to offer additional coaching as needed, to members of groups who have experienced past discrimination or challenges in the movement teaching marketplace.  If you participate fully in the program, I will work with you to make your investment back, and create a stronger foundation for building your teaching work. Reach out to me if you would like the extra support, and let's talk about how I can help facilitate you getting your message out to your prospective students and building your teaching income to a greater level. 

No, we don't use Facebook groups for these programs. We'll meet on Zoom and in private Ginger City online spaces just for Bootcamp or Bootcamp VIP members. If you do have your own Facebook group or want to use one for your own program, either for promotion or for running your programs, of course that can work for you! (I used Facebook groups myself for courses until I brought members to my own platform, and I still use my Ginger City Community Facebook group for promotion and for giving back to my dance community with free talks and interviews.) I can give you feedback on best practices and how to maximize connections between Facebook and your own email list (which you'll want to build as an asset of your own), and options for building a community on your own platform instead, if you want to use one for your program. 

You will get guidance and coaching targeted to ensure that the program you are marketing is one that you can deliver in real time, without going crazy. Starting small can pay off. Your program should have the elements that make YOU most excited. After all, why do this, if it's not rewarding and enjoyable? I learned the hard way in my first programs online: Teaching online is different from running an in-person program, and our time as teachers needs to be allotted differently. This is true even if you are offering some online component for an in-person program. You'll develop your own sustainable approach, whether you are planning an online or in-person or hybrid program yourself.