# Bar Prep Launch Roadmap

Launch: May 1, 2026 | Exam: July 28-29, 2026 | 12 weeks of runway

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## Phase 0: Pre-Launch (Now through April 30)

### Goat Meeting Prep (by April 28)
- [ ] Prepare one-pager showing the product: essay flow, grading, repair drills
- [ ] Prepare referral code for Goat to distribute to his students
- [ ] Lock down with Goat: what does his post look like, when does it go live, what platform(s)
- [ ] Confirm he's comfortable with $129 Founding Pack price (he originally validated $249 for licensed)
- [ ] Ask if he wants a custom landing page or just a code

### Fordham Student Affairs (by April 25)
- [ ] Draft workshop-first email to head of Bar Prep Student Affairs
- [ ] Offer a free essay diagnostic session for Fordham students, not a product pitch
- [ ] Propose 2-3 date options for a short session (25-30 min)
- [ ] Frame: "I'm a Fordham Law graduate who passed the February 2026 bar, I built this, I'd like to offer it to our community"

### Product Readiness
- [x] Confirm free essay flow works cleanly (3 attempts before gate, CTA after first)
- [ ] Update Stripe checkout from $79 to $129 Founding Pack
- [ ] Set up referral code system in Stripe: classmate code ($49), general referral ($10 off)
- [ ] Set up referrer payout tracking ($25 per referred sale)
- [x] Landing page live at shepbarprep.com — pricing visible, repair drills mentioned, headline: "Essay. Score. Breakdown."

### Content Prep
- [ ] Record 3-5 short screen recordings of the grading flow (30 seconds each)
- [ ] Load Typefully with 1 week of scheduled posts (launch week content)
- [ ] Draft group chat message for Fordham evening cohort — share, don't sell (see below)
- [ ] Draft LinkedIn launch announcement

### Classmate Approach (Fordham Evening Cohort, ~50 students)
The frame is sharing, not selling. You built something for the bar exam and you want your class to have it first.

**Free access (5-10 close classmates):** Give free access in exchange for honest feedback and testimonials. These are beta testers, not customers. Their feedback becomes social proof for selling to strangers later.

**Group chat message tone:** Not "buy my app" but "I built this and I want our class to be the first ones on it." Example:

> "I've been building a bar prep writing tool — you write MEE essays inside it and it scores you across four dimensions with a breakdown. I want our class to be the first ones on it. Here's a code for discounted access that's only for this group. If it helps, use it. If it doesn't, tell me — I'd rather hear it from you than from a stranger."

**Why classmates first, strangers second:** You need social proof to sell cold. You get social proof from people who know you and will be honest. The strangers (other law schools) come after you have testimonials and proof it works.

**$49 friends-and-family code:** This group only. It's well below market ($129 Founding Pack) and genuine. Don't apologize for the price — it's less than a textbook.

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## Phase 1: Launch Week (May 1-7)

### Distribution Activation
- [ ] Goat posts about SHEP Bar Prep (confirm exact date with him)
- [ ] Send Fordham evening group chat message with $49 friends-and-family code
- [ ] Give 5-10 close classmates free access for feedback and testimonials
- [ ] Post LinkedIn launch announcement
- [ ] Post on X
- [ ] Begin helpful participation in r/barexam and r/LawSchool (do NOT self-promote, just help)

### Referral Program Live
- [ ] Referral system active: $10 off buyer, $25 cash to referrer
- [ ] Create shareable referral link or code mechanism
- [ ] Brief any early users on referral program

### Metrics to Watch
- [ ] Free essay completions (how many people try the product)
- [ ] Free-to-paid conversion rate
- [ ] Referral code usage
- [ ] Goat post engagement and signup attribution

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## Phase 2: Weeks 2-4 (May 8-28)

### Student Org Outreach
- [ ] Identify 5-10 student orgs at schools with July 2026 legacy-MEE takers
- [ ] Send student leader partnership email (free workshop + member discount code)
- [ ] Recruit 2-3 campus ambassadors (free access + $10-$15 per paid signup during founding phase)
- [ ] Write one-page ambassador terms document

### Content Engine
- [ ] Publish 2-3 proof posts per week (score screenshots, before/after improvement, student reactions)
- [ ] Post helpful bar exam essay tips on Reddit 3-4x per week
- [ ] Continue Typefully scheduled posts on LinkedIn and X
- [ ] Collect and publish first testimonials from classmates and early users

### Fordham Follow-Up
- [ ] Run workshop if scheduled; collect attendee emails
- [ ] Follow up with Student Affairs on pilot or broader distribution
- [ ] If workshop went well, ask for a forwardable email to other Fordham bar takers

### 250-School Institutional Sales Blitz (see Playbook doc for full details)
- [ ] Build target list of ~198 ABA-accredited law schools + bar support office contacts
- [ ] Finalize one-pager PDF for admin outreach
- [ ] Set up mail merge tool (Instantly, Lemlist, or Mailchimp)
- [ ] Set up CRM tracking (Notion table: school, contact, date sent, response, status, deal size)
- [ ] Confirm with Will: Google credential reference OK per employer policies
- [ ] Send batch 1 (75-100 schools) May 1-2
- [ ] Send batch 2 (75-100 schools) May 3-4
- [ ] Send batch 3 (remaining schools) May 5-7
- [ ] Follow up with non-responders from batch 1 by May 12
- [ ] Schedule calls with interested schools, close first deals by May 16
- [ ] Two models: site license (school pays, $50-75/seat) or distribution partnership (school shares 20% discount code, no cost to them)
- [ ] Team credential line: "SHEP was co-founded by a Fordham Law graduate who passed the February 2026 bar and a software engineer at Google."
- Note: No founder names or faces on the landing page. Use team credentials only in direct outreach.

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## Phase 3: Weeks 5-8 (May 29 - June 25)

### Push Founding Pack
- [ ] Increase urgency messaging: "Founding Pack expires when licensed content launches"
- [ ] Run "already have Barbri or Themis? Use SHEP for more reps" supplement positioning
- [ ] Retaker-specific content and outreach (31% of examinees, 31% pass rate)
- [ ] Ambassador check-in: are codes being shared? Adjust incentives if needed

### Content Proof
- [ ] Publish improvement stories: students who used SHEP and saw score gains
- [ ] Create "July 2026 legacy MEE changed" explainer content (dropped subjects)
- [ ] Share writing tips that demonstrate SHEP's approach

### School Pipeline Push
- [ ] Second follow-up wave to remaining non-responders
- [ ] Close deals with pipeline schools (target: 10-15 total by end of Phase 3)
- [ ] Onboard converting schools: access codes, admin dashboards, kickoff sessions
- [ ] Shift messaging to urgency for unconverted pipeline: "Your students have 8 weeks left"
- [ ] Convert Model B schools (code distribution) to Model A (site license) where engagement is high

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## Phase 4: Weeks 9-12 (June 26 - July 28)

### Final Push
- [ ] All messaging shifts to urgency and practice volume
- [ ] "Use your last weeks for active essay reps"
- [ ] Retarget every warm lead who tried the free essay but didn't convert
- [ ] Push last workshop or office-hours sessions
- [ ] Ambassador final push with bonus for hitting 5+ sales

### Prepare for Licensed Launch
- [ ] If licensed NCBE content is secured, prepare $249 tier
- [ ] Draft upgrade path for Founding Pack users (grandfathered discount)
- [ ] Switch all copy from "exam-style" to "licensed questions" immediately upon licensing
- [ ] Activate $30/$30 referral structure on the $249 tier

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## Pricing Summary

| Offer | Price | Notes |
|-------|-------|-------|
| Free diagnostic | $0 | 3 essays before gate, CTA after first |
| Founding Pack | $129 | Single tier, expires when licensed content ships |
| Classmate code | $49 | Fordham evening group chat only |
| Free access (5-10 people) | $0 | Close classmates, in exchange for feedback + testimonials |
| Referred buyer | $119 | $10 off via referral code |
| Referrer payout | $25 | Cash per converted referral |
| Institutional per-seat | $50-75 | See Institutional Sales Playbook |
| Licensed (future) | $249 | Post-license standard price |

## Referral Economics

| Phase | Buyer Discount | Referrer Payout | Net to SHEP |
|-------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
| Founding ($129) | $10 off | $25 cash | ~$92 |
| Licensed ($249) | $30 off | $30 cash | ~$182 |

## Revenue Target: $90K (May 1 - July 21, 12 weeks)

### The Mix

| Source | Volume | Avg Price | Revenue |
|--------|--------|-----------|---------|
| Institutional site licenses | 10 deals | ~$5,000 avg | $50,000 |
| Full-price individual | ~180 | $129 | $23,220 |
| Referred buyers | ~50 | $119 | $5,950 |
| Classmates | ~20 | $49 | $980 |
| **Total** | **~260 people + 10 deals** | | **~$80-90K** |

### Institutional Deal Breakdown (10 deals at ~$5K avg)

| Deal Type | Count | Revenue Each | Subtotal |
|-----------|-------|-------------|----------|
| Small pilots (25 seats, $2,500 flat) | 3-4 | $2,500 | $7,500-$10,000 |
| Mid-size programs (50-75 seats, $60-75/seat) | 4-5 | $3,000-$5,625 | $12,000-$18,750 |
| Large programs (100+ seats, $50-60/seat) | 1-2 | $5,000-$12,000 | $5,000-$12,000 |

### Individual Sales Cadence (~250 sales, ~21/week, ~3/day)

| Period | Weeks | Sales/Week | Driver |
|--------|-------|-----------|--------|
| Launch spike | 1-2 | 30-40 | Goat post, classmate code, launch energy |
| Steady state | 3-6 | 15-20 | Reddit, referrals, content engine, school code distribution |
| Urgency ramp | 7-10 | 20-25 | Exam approaching, retaker push, ambassador final push |
| Last call | 11-12 | 15-20 | Stragglers, last-minute buyers |

## Content Positioning (Critical)

**The product sells the practice loop, not a question bank.** The entire AI essay grading market (Write.law, BarScore, Bar Essay Grader) runs on original content. SHEP is the norm. Never frame simulated content as temporary or lesser. Licensed content is an upgrade, not a fix.

**Two-track content model: "We have our questions AND you can bring yours."** SHEP provides original simulated prompts and also lets students upload or paste any practice question they are authorized to use. No competitor offers both. This makes SHEP the universal grading layer that sits on top of everyone else's content — Barbri questions, Themis questions, NCBE's MEE value pack, a professor's practice exam. The uploaded question is processed transiently (never stored), and the backend generates a rubric during the student's 30-minute writing window. By the time they submit, the grade is ready.

**Content sourcing (legally clean, industry standard):** SHEP's own questions are original, modeled directly on the NCBE's published subject matter outlines and guidelines. This is what every bar prep company does, including Bear the Bar, which states: "modeled our questions directly against the latest syllabus and guidelines released by the NCBE®." The subject matter outline is public and not copyrightable. Writing original fact patterns that test those topics is standard practice.

**If asked "are these real NCBE questions?":** "Our questions are modeled on the NCBE's published subject matter outlines for the MEE. You can also upload any practice question you already have — from a course, tutor, professor, or official source — and get the same structured feedback."

**Do say (all phases):**
- Questions modeled on the NCBE's published subject matter outlines
- Exam-style essay prompts aligned with NCBE® guidelines
- Writing-practice supplement for legacy-MEE takers
- Write, score, revise, repeat
- Best used alongside a full bar course

**Approved copy (use freely):**
- "SHEP supports UBE-style essay practice."
- "SHEP supports California-style essay practice."
- "Practice with original simulated essay prompts."
- "Upload a practice prompt you are authorized to use."
- "Get structured feedback on issue spotting, rule accuracy, fact application, organization, and conclusions."
- "Review your answer through an IRAC-first scorecard."
- "Track missed issues and weak rule statements across practice sessions."
- "Designed for students preparing for essay components of the bar exam."
- "Built around the skills bar essays test: legal issue spotting, rule recall, fact application, and organized analysis."

**Approved copy (use carefully, with disclaimer nearby):**
- "Covers subjects commonly tested on UBE essay components and California essays."
- "Uses public exam-format information and subject coverage to shape original practice."
- "Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCBE, the State Bar of California, or any board of bar examiners."

**Do not say (pre-license phase):**
- Real NCBE questions
- Official / licensed / authentic questions
- The same questions used on the bar
- "We don't have real questions yet" or anything that frames current content as incomplete

**Switch immediately when licensed:**
- Licensed questions
- Officially licensed essay practice

## Distribution Channels (Priority Order)

1. **Goat activation** (highest leverage, ~500 potential signups from one post)
2. **Fordham Student Affairs** (institutional validation, "piloting with Fordham")
3. **Fordham evening group chat** (50 classmates, $49 code, immediate warm audience)
4. **Reddit** (u/sheppyrun, organic helpfulness in r/barexam and r/LawSchool)
5. **Student leaders and ambassadors** (campus rep model, not passive affiliate links)
6. **LinkedIn and X** (Typefully scheduled content, proof posts)
7. **School admin outreach** (workshop-first, start with 3-5 schools)
8. **TikTok bar prep creators** (3-5 creators with engaged bar exam audiences — free access + referral code, no script, let them react; one post from a 10K-follower creator can drive 50-100 signups)
9. **Retaker Facebook groups** (dedicated groups for bar exam retakers — highest intent, underserved by existing products; founder as participant, not advertiser — passing the February 2026 bar is the credential that opens these rooms)
10. **Former SHEP Legal beta testers** (law students who tested the core product — some are now bar takers; personal founder outreach, warm relationship already exists)
11. **Discord** (covered — already active in the largest bar prep Discord server)

## Channels NOT Prioritized Right Now

- Paid search and retargeting (no budget, July window too tight for CAC optimization)
- Bear The Bar partnership (set aside, they're a competitor)
- SEO (season too short for organic ranking)
- Broad paid social (one person, no ad budget)