Launching a new product is thrilling, but it takes more than a big reveal to make a lasting impact. An effective product launch strategy starts well before the debut and extends far beyond it. What’s it take? Smart storytelling, strategic visuals, and continuous engagement.
Here’s a fresh look at how to launch with purpose, even when your assets are limited, and keep the excitement alive long after release day.
Tease Your Product’s Story
In our experience, teasing and seeding the story of the product you’re launching is the best way to build excitement beforehand. 90 days before launch is a great time to start teasing the story. Six months is even better. Think of it as warming your audience up to recognize your new product when it officially launches.
What do we mean by the story of your product?
It’s the lifestyle it fits into, the users it’s made for, and the value it brings to those users. What’s new about it? What’s different about it? What will your customers find the most special? What would make them want to line up to know more about your product? That’s the story to tell in those months leading up to launch.
What happens when you don’t have all the ideal assets ready for launch?
Maybe your product is still in production and you have no real photos to show – even for teaser-level ads. Rather than foregoing teaser content altogether, get creative with what you do have, even if it’s just moodboards and blueprints. Focus on telling and showing your audience the problem your product solves, and how life will be afterward. And when in doubt, don’t be shy about sharing a dark, moody silhouette of your product, ensconced in mystery, like the one below, created for a Newmar launch. This buys you some time to create the “reveal” assets you’ll need for launch.
Satisfy the Appetite You’ve Created
If you’ve successfully teased your product launch, customers will be primed and ready for more information, more photos, more videos, more of whatever you’ve got. Your plan for launch “day” (or week, or month) should be to open the gates to the full story of your product.
Your launch asset checklist:
- Product glamor shots (wide, overall)
- Product detail shots (the features your customers will love)
- Lifestyle visuals (helps your audience picture themselves using your product)
- Strong and compelling messaging about what makes your product special
- Web pages where your audience can read about your product and explore the visuals
- Video tours of your product (including product and lifestyle visuals)
- Clear ways to engage post-launch (ways to contact you, downloads, special promo offers)
Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone for launch campaigns; they should feel different from the rest of your evergreen or promo campaigns – more special and of the moment.
When Airstream launched a travel trailer that stood out from the rest of their line, E3 helped make it a splash-worthy moment by creating a custom Instagram account for users to explore features and photos.
Keep Your Product Top of Mind Post-Launch
A strong launch doesn’t end with the big reveal. Brands who continue to keep their new product in the spotlight after reveal day are the ones who get the most traction with their audience – especially in industries where the buying cycle is longer.
So don’t risk your audience forgetting about your new product. Treat your launch as the foundation upon which subsequent campaign efforts build awareness and engagement.
An example launch/post-launch campaign structure could be:
- Launch campaign (teaser through reveal day)
- Product features and benefits campaign
- Influencer campaign with new product
All the assets you gathered and created for the big reveal are still in play post-launch. Use those images, stories, graphics, and videos for post-launch campaigns. Your post-launch campaign is where you dig deeper than surface level and start pinpointing the things that make your audience say “I have to have this.”
Aligning Marketing and Product Teams for Seamless Launches
What’s the secret to a truly smooth and successful product launch? Marketing and product teams working together in lockstep. If you have the ability to start planning your product launch with marketing, do it. Otherwise, one team will always feel like they’re playing catchup with the other, and product launches will consistently feel like chaotic times in your business.
- Product team shares production schedule with marketing
- Marketing builds teaser, reveal, and post-launch campaign schedules based on production schedule
- Post-launch campaigns align with product being readily available
- Sales goals are assigned to post-launch campaigns
- Marketing delivers insights to the product team about what features and benefits are resonating with the audience
Have a product launch on your horizon? Take a look at how E3 and Newmar launched three industry-leading coaches to both dealers AND prospective buyers in one day, fully live.
How to Turn Launch Strategies Into Long-term Growth
A memorable product launch isn’t just about a splashy debut—it’s about laying the groundwork for sustained success. Tune into our recent episode of The Inventory to hear Joe Mills and Theresa Goodall explore how brands can turn their launch strategies into long-term growth.
