Nail your next product launch with the smoothness of a barista flat white

Most clients turn to me for a Shopify site when they’re at 1 (or all) of 3 key crossroads:

1. They’re about to light a fire on their marketing efforts, turn on the paid ads tap and they know that their site is the weakest link that leaks money

2. They are sick of trying to wrangle [insert other wannabe eCom platform] into scaling and selling their products

3. They’ve poured their creativity, time and money into new products and they are actually embarrassed by their DIY store

Today we’re tackling number 3. Launch success - from warmup to post-launch.

The major mistake I see is that you post 1 Instagram Reel, 1 Story and 1 email about your majorly exciting new launch…and wonder why inventory is still well stocked.

In the fight for attention, 1 post is SO easily missed so you’re going to have to shout from the rooftops.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of 5 figure launches…and this was not enough to fill baskets.

Instead they executed against a finally tuned plan that sync’d all parties

There is no such thing as a perfect launch but replicating this will certainly help

THE PRE-LAUNCH: HYPE HYPE HYPE

• Pull together your best squad - Type A’s welcome

  • If you’re doing it alone - fair play. Cos-playing at production, marketing and customer service is going to be a ride.

    • Otherwise assemble the dream team and work backwards from your product launch date. Allow for glitches, hitches and energy resets

  • Define clear goals and KPIs, such as traffic, waitlist numbers, conversion rates, and revenue targets.

• Tease me, tease me, tease me bb… with your content

  • Share BTS photos, speak about WHY you’ve created these products. Why now? What problem do they solve?

    • Add countdowns, pins to your feed and interactive polls on social media

    • Get mysterious but build buzz in the emails

  • Butter up your VIPs and raving fans

    • Offer loyal customers early access via a password-protected landing page

    • Create a teaser page on your site to mirror your socials

    • Build excitement with pre-launch sales, exclusive discounts, and sneak peeks.

    • If you have the budget, gift your OGs and/or partner with strategic influencers to amplify the noise.

    • Craft a simple waitlist page so you can get a feel for numbers: Tala do this very well

THE LAUNCH

• All eyes on your website

  • Use eye-catching homepage banners and “NEW” badges on product pages to draw attention

  • Include a Collection page tile to direct visitors the newness

  • Optimise PDPs with immersive visuals, video demos, and persuasive copy.

• If you’re using Ads - go hard

  • Highlight your product in action with video reviews, in situ and how to use (if applicable)

  • Test multiple ad variations to find what resonates best with your audience

  • Retarget potential buyers who visited but didn’t purchase

• Communicate more than you’re comfortable with

  • Hit inboxes with updates, offers, and testimonials

  • Use urgency triggers like “early access” “limited stock” and “special pricing” to drive conversions.

  • Incentivise with a value-add like FREE shipping or a gift if you spend over X

  • Create a bundle out of your new product = AOV increase incoming

• Create FOMO

  • Social is your best friend here - get your fans to tell others why they’re loving the new products

  • Do something different - see Glossier’s cherry theme for major brownie points in activation and an unexpected freebie 🔒️ 

  • Collaborate with influencers for live unboxings and giveaways

POST- LAUNCH: BREATH AND REFLECT

• Analyse, celebrate and improve

  • Dive into your KPIs to see what worked and what didn’t

  • Use feedback to refine your product messaging and benefits or features

• Keep the momentum going

  • Continue engaging with customers through email, SMS, and social media.

  • Offer post-launch promotions and create follow-up content to nurture the newbies and fans alike

• Build loyalty

  • Develop exclusive communities for early adopters to foster loyalty like broadcast groups or Whatsapp channels

  • Use customer testimonials in future marketing

And there you have it - a plethora of ideas to make sure your products get the spotlight and sales they deserve

Reply with details of your next product launch and we can share ideas

You made it!

I hope these get you excited for your next launch and if you need a glossy landing page, waitlist page or frankly an overhaul of your site, you know where I am

Laura 

P.S. What are you buying right now? Is love in the air (yet) with Valentine’s around the corner?