How did the launch of my first book went?
24 hours later...
š Wow, such a day!
Yesterday, I launched my first product,Ā The Rust Workbook, and the response was beyond anything I could have imagined.
For those of you reading the newsletter now, hereās a little exclusive recap of how it went down and some personal thoughts almost exactly 24 hours later.
Sales and Revenue Recap
Talk is cheap. Show me the numbers. Ok:
Total Sales: 105
Total Views: 1,032
Total Revenue: $765.94
I initially thought I might make around $50, maybe $100, if I got lucky or promoted it heavily. So, to hit $765 within just 24 hours was a huge win!
My initial goal was 350$, so having already doubled it makes me very happy!
šÆ Traffic and Conversion Breakdown
Where did these sales come from?
All around the globe! Hereās a closer look at the traffic sources and how well they converted into sales:
Twitter won. The rest of Social Media was meh.
Twitter won, bringing in 612 views and converting 55 into sales. Thatās a 9.3% conversion rate, resulting in ā¬411.63 in revenue.
Twitter has always been a key platform for me, but I didnāt expect it to drive over half of my salesāespecially not in such a short time, or at least not so much polarized compared to other platforms that usually go well in terms of engagement and likes.
From this point of view, YouTube, Threads, and Linkedin have been a bit delusional, but they still have something. Instagram got 0 sales.
Newsletter Subscribers!
Iām particularly proud of Substack's conversion rate! Of 94 views, 25 resulted in sales, a 26.6% conversion rate.
It shows how important it is to build up a solid newsletter, as I am doing now. The ā¬137.17 from Substack might not be the highest in total revenue because of the lowered price, but the conversion efficiency is off the charts. (I have almost 200k followers on Twitter and 3k on this newsletter, and the numbers are comparable)
Itās also worth saying that I made the launch of the newsletter for a lower price and earlier than social media, so if you are interested in getting bigger deals in the future, you are already in the right place!
Direct Traffic went well!
Direct traffic, whether from emails, instant messages, or bookmarks, also played a significant role, with a 10.6% conversion rate. This brought in ā¬130.58, showing how personal outreach and the mouth of the word still work very well. If you get this link from one of your friends, youāll probably be way more likely to buy something.
š Global Reach: Sales by Country
One of the most exciting parts of this launch was seeing where the sales came from.
The geographical spread is pretty incredible:
Geographical sales - top
Seeing sales from all corners of the world has been incredible.
The United States is leading the way, accounting for nearly a third of my total sales and bringing in ā¬228.12.
The United Kingdom and Italy also showed strong support, with ā¬59.72 and ā¬49.09 in sales, respectively.
Now, letās look at the bottom part of sales.
What stood out to me was the diversity of countries. From Croatia to Colombia, Nigeria to Norway, itās amazing to see how this product resonated with people across the globe!!
Surprising Insights
India had the most views (253) but only converted 8 sales, contributing ā¬21.76. This is a lower conversion rate than I expected, but it reminds me that not every market behaves the same way, and thatās fine.
Croatia and Hungary had a 100% conversion rate based on their views, which was a pleasant surprise!
š Personal Reflections and Key Insights
Special Launch Pricing: Rewarding My Newsletter Subscribers
One of the strategies I implemented for this launch was offering a special price for my newsletter subscribers. While the product is priced at ā¬10 on social media, I wanted to reward the loyalty of those whoāve been following my journey closely. So, I offered them the product at half the priceājust ā¬5. There are still a few coupons left for this special price, so if you havenāt grabbed one, nowās the time.
The high conversion rate from my Substack subscribers shows how effectively marketing your product using a newsletter is. A newsletter also helps you sleep better because you will still have people you can contact if your accounts get banned.
Exceeding Expectations
When I hit āpublish,ā I had modest expectations: ā¬50 or ā¬100 in the first 24 hours if things went well.
But to end the day with ā¬755.13? Iām shocked and grateful at the same time. I really felt some love out there š§”
This launch has far exceeded my goal of ā¬350, which I thought would take months to achieve. In less than a day, Iāve doubled that. This taught me the importance of valuing yourself, especially after providing almost five years of free content.
Shoutout to Friends!
A big part of this success is thanks to my friends.
I sent a few free copies, expecting nothing in return. But many of them tipped me ā¬10 and shared the book on their social media accounts (some of them have 200k + followers!) even though they could have gotten it for free. This made my day, and I will remember whoever did that!
The Newsletter Conversion: Email Still Reigns Supreme
The conversion rate from my newsletter subscribers was eye-opening. While Twitter drove the most views and sales, my newsletter's efficiency in turning views into purchases was unmatched. With a 26.6% conversion rate from Substack, itās clear that building a dedicated email list is crucial.
This reinforces something Iāve always believed: while social media is great for reaching a broad audience, email is where the magic happens. As this launch has shown, itās more personal, direct, and more effective in driving sales.
Global Reach: Understanding Market Dynamics
As exciting as it is to see sales from all over the world, the data also provides valuable insights into market dynamics. For instance, India had the highest number of views by far (253) but only converted eight sales, contributing ā¬21.76 in revenue. This suggests that while thereās interest, there may be price sensitivity or other factors at play that I need to explore further. But this is absolutely fine.
On the other hand, countries like the United States and the United Kingdom generated more revenue and had higher conversion rates.
Understanding these dynamics will be important as I plan future marketing strategies, including potentially tailoring pricing or messaging to different regions.
Effort and Reward: Two Weekends Well Spent
Creating this course took two full weekends of focused work. At times, it was a bit hard because when I started focusing, it was hard for me to get out of that focus zone!
I wondered if the effort would be worth it. But seeing the results now, I can confidently say that it was.
This experience has reminded me of the value of hard work and persistence. When you put your energy into something youāre passionate about, the rewardsāfinancial or personal satisfactionāare well worth it.
Thinking Outside the Box
Iām usually very focused on video content, but I decided to create something different this time.
The idea is to support people with a practical approach. Tutorials are great. But they are not enough. Thatās why this workbook.
Will 2025 be the year of sales for me?
One of the most exciting parts of this launch isnāt just the immediate earnings but the potential it unlocks for the future.
I got more familiar with the Gumroad platform, and now that I have something to sell, I'm developing my sales skills.
This is an area Iāve wanted to improve, and this launch has provided the perfect opportunity to improve my skills.
Thatās it! If you are still reading, I appreciate that š§”
You can still get the workbook for 5ā¬ by clicking on the cover below (Creating the cover took 4 hours!!!).
I'm very glad for you sales went so well.
I'll be reading it the next 2 weeks after I get tired of the pool.
Learning Rust will be part of my vacation.