Back in 2010, Jeff Walker's Product Launch Formula 3.0 was the talk of the internet marketing world. The course cost around two thousand dollars, and everyone with an email list was promoting it. I could not afford it at the time, but the launch taught me something more valuable than anything inside the course itself.
It taught me how to borrow buzz.
The 75 Percent Who Do Not Buy
Here is the math that changed my thinking. Even if a mega-launch converts at an absurdly high rate, say 25 percent (which almost never happens), that means 75 percent of the people who visited the sales page walked away without buying. These are not uninterested people. They visited the page. They consumed the launch content. They were warmed up and ready to buy something.
They just could not afford the two-thousand-dollar price tag.
That 75 percent represents a massive pool of motivated prospects who have been pre-sold on the concept but need a more accessible entry point. And that is where the opportunity lives for the rest of us.
How Borrowing Buzz Works
The strategy is straightforward, and it works just as well in 2026 as it did back then. Here is the framework:
1. Watch for high-dollar launches in your market. Major product launches create waves of attention. Blog posts, social media discussions, podcast episodes, and email campaigns all generate awareness around the topic. You usually know about these launches days or weeks in advance because the entire launch model depends on building anticipation.
2. Offer a lower-cost alternative. This could be your own product, an affiliate product, or even a quick guide you put together on the same topic. The important thing is that it addresses the same need at a fraction of the cost. It can teach a similar concept, cover a portion of what the premium product covers, or approach the problem from a different angle.
3. Position the two options honestly. Share genuine value related to the topic. Mention the premium launch and acknowledge its quality. Then present your lower-cost alternative as the accessible option for people who are interested in the topic but cannot justify the premium price.
You are not trashing the premium product. You are serving the audience the premium product cannot reach.
Why This Still Works in 2026
The tools have changed but the psychology has not. Major launches still happen constantly. Software companies do them. Course creators do them. SaaS products do them. Every time someone launches a premium product with a big marketing push, they create awareness that benefits everyone in the space.
The modern version of this strategy might look like:
- A major AI tool launches at $99 per month. You create a tutorial showing how to get 80 percent of the same results with free or low-cost tools.
- A well-known creator launches a $2,000 coaching program. You offer a $47 self-paced mini-course on the same topic.
- A SaaS company launches a premium tier. You write a detailed comparison post that includes affiliate links to the lower-cost competitors.
In each case, you are riding the wave of attention that someone else created and serving the audience segment they left behind.
The Ethical Line
I want to be clear about something. This only works if your alternative genuinely delivers value. If you slap together a garbage product just to ride someone else's launch, you will burn your reputation and your audience's trust. The alternative has to be worth the money, even if it costs a fraction of the premium product.
The best version of this strategy is one where you are legitimately helping people who cannot afford the premium option. You are not stealing customers. You are serving an underserved segment of the market.
That is a business model I can feel good about, and one that has worked for me for years.
For more strategies on building a profitable internet business part-time, listen to the Late Night Internet Marketing Podcast.
