Mastering the Art of Product Launch Countdowns: A Step-by-Step Guide

Have a product you want to launch? Launching new products takes work. It can be a complete success or an utter failure. But it’s possible to have a successful product launch with the right tools, channels, and tactics.

An epic product launch creates curiosity, extends the selling cycle of your product or service, and can be rewarding in the long run.

Here’s how you can launch products successfully:

Select a Date (60 Days Before the Launch)

When looking to launch a product, always have a date in mind and try to stick to it. Double-check the calendar to ensure your product won’t be introduced on a date when your audiences will be too busy to pay attention. For example, avoid days like the 4th of July or Halloween since people will most likely be busy with other things.

Once you select a date, drop hints about your product. Be vague to build intrigue. Most marketing experts suggest picking a date at least 60 days away. This will give you enough time to gather more data and work on other marketing aspects.

Finalize the Product

As much as you want to perfect your product, there comes a time when you need to stop making minute changes. Make the hard decision to stop product development unless there’s something majorly wrong with what you’re selling.

If you don’t give yourself enough time between product development and the day of your launch, you may have to change your launch date, giving your audience a reason to lose faith in you and your company.

Create a Unique Angle

Every product, even the most basic ones, has an angle or a critical trait that separates it from the competition. You have to emphasize this unique selling proposition (USP) throughout your marketing campaign, so take time to think about it.

Conduct research through social media, meet with friends or people from the industry, and brainstorm to understand your USP. Once you’ve created an angle, you’ll better understand what your launch should look like.

Make a Plan

List all the details you need to take care of for your launch. This includes creating a hashtag for social media, ideating posts, blogs, advertisements, and even emails. This is an excellent time to make a mood board for your product or service and stick to it.

Let the Teasers Begin (30 Days Before the Launch)

Ideally, 30 days before the launch is a good time to start talking about your launch. You can choose how many details you want to share at this stage. But it would be better if you kept some information under wraps to create curiosity.

The idea is to make your audience feel special, so select a specific channel to reveal information. This is a common strategy adopted by tech companies. They love to create hype among their loyal consumers and often hold “soft launches” to introduce and test their products.

Choose from a wide range of technology email templates and other industry-specific templates from PosterMyWall to make this step easier and more cost-effective. There are many ready-made online templates that are stylish, highly customizable, and user-friendly.

Image Source: Pixabay

Draw People in With a Special Offer (7 Days Before the Launch)

Drawing people to your special offer doesn’t need to be complicated. At this point, you already have your audience’s attention thanks to the steps that came before. All you have to do is put together a special offer. Something as simple as early access to the product, a discount, or a freebie that only they have early access to will work.

Extend the Offer to New Email Subscribers (48 Hours Before the Launch)

After learning about the early access, you will most likely have an influx of new subscribers. New people will have heard about your product and service, so why not extend the offer to them too?

Launch Day

Talk about the product in-depth. Reveal all the enticing information about your product and market it across channels, including social media, emails, and ads.

However, remember that not everything needs to be about selling the product. Balance posts that “sell the product” with informative posts to help your audience know your company better and trust you more.

Post-Launch

For at least two weeks after the launch, talk about the product and encourage people to buy it. Talk about behind-the-scenes activities and testimonials via social media and email. Continue to offer special promotions to entice people.

As the days go by, you can talk less about what you’re selling so that the conversation feels organic.

Conclusion

When launching a product, select a date to launch it, create teasers and promotions to attract potential clients, and talk about it across your customer touchpoints. Remember, your current audience is always your first customer, so focus on them. Eventually, you will reach new markets.

Don’t forget to remain authentic and to provide regular valuable content along with sales pitches. Following these steps during product launches will help make your milestone a business success.