Launching a new product is likely one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking parts of being a business owner. After all the planning, research, and product development, you want your hard work to pay off with a successful launch. A well-thought-out product launch campaign can help you build anticipation and get early sales that set the tone for long-term success.
You’re in the right place! In this simple guide, we’ll walk you through actionable strategies for an impactful product launch. We’ll also introduce you to tools that make them easier to implement in WooCommerce. Let’s get right into it!
What Is A Product Launch Campaign?
A product launch campaign includes all the marketing strategies used to introduce a new product to your target market. The goal is to build anticipation, drive interest, and turn that curiosity into sales. These campaigns often use a mix of different channels to build hype, including email, social media, and promotions like coupons and early bird offers.
For store owners, it’s crucial to understand that launching a product isn’t a one-time event. To ensure success, your campaign should unfold in multiple stages:
- Pre-launch: This is when you build excitement and curiosity. You might create a waitlist, tease the product, or offer early access to VIP customers.
- Launch: Your product is officially live! You’ll want to announce it across all your sales channels and offer limited-time launch promos to boost visibility and conversions.
- Post-launch: After the initial hype dies down, the goal is long-term adoption. You might send out follow-up emails, collect reviews, or offer incentives to drive repeat purchases.
Each phase helps ensure your new product gets seen, tried, and embraced by the right customers. This sets the foundation for sustained growth.
6 Effective Product Launch Campaign Strategies
You don’t need a massive marketing budget to pull off an impactful product launch campaign. With the right tools and strategies, you can build excitement and hit your sales goals without overcomplicating your marketing efforts. Below, we walk you through simple yet effective campaign ideas you can try on your next launch.
1. Create a waitlist or early access landing page
One effective way to build excitement pre-launch is by creating a waitlist or early access landing page. This allows interested customers to sign up and be the first to know when your product officially drops. Apart from helping you build anticipation, this strategy also helps grow your email list, which you can use to send pre-launch teasers, reminders, and personalized promos.
Here are a few tips to make this work:
- Set up a simple landing page: Here, you can highlight what the product is, why it matters, and when it’s going live.
- Add an opt-in form for signups: Make it easy for visitors to join the waitlist with an easy-to-fill-out opt-in form.
- Leverage exclusivity: Increase the value of joining the waitlist by offering an incentive. This can be a special discount, bonus, or freebie.
- Promote your waitlist across channels: You can share your landing page via email and social media, or add site-wide banners to boost visibility.
Most of the WooCommerce store owners we work with use tools like OptinMonster to quickly create opt-in forms and pop-ups for capturing waitlist signups.
2. Build hype with pre-launch email teasers
Now that you have a waitlist, the next step is to keep them excited about the launch. Emails are one of the most effective ways to do this.
Pre-launch email teasers can showcase:
- The story behind your product: What makes your new product unique? What’s the problem it solves?
- Sneak peeks or behind-the-scenes content: Showcase how your product was made, or share your inspiration.
- The official launch date: Create a sense of anticipation and encourage readers to mark their calendars.
- Features and benefits: Share some of the most standout features of your product without revealing everything at once.
The goal here is to stay top of mind. Each email should add more context and value, so by the time launch day arrives, your audience is still excited and ready to buy.
3. Offer early bird discounts to drive sales
How do you convince shoppers to buy now rather than wait for reviews or social proof? Offering compelling early bird discounts can help encourage them to act early. Even a small discount can make a difference, especially if it’s positioned as a reward for joining your waitlist or for being one of the first to buy your new product.
There are a lot of ways you can structure your early bird offer. The key is creating urgency. Here are some key tips to make it irresistible:
- Add a time limit: Set a clear deadline to encourage fast action. For example, you can offer an exclusive 15% off only for the first 24 hours of your product launch campaign.
- Offer subscriber-only coupons: Send the discount only to people on your waitlist to make the offer feel exclusive and personal.
- Limit redemption: Consider limiting the offer to the first 50 or 100 orders to further create a sense of urgency.
WooCommerce store owners can use a tool like Advanced Coupons to easily create time-sensitive coupons or limited-redemption offers. This powerful plugin allows you to restrict offers by user roles, limit the number of times coupons can be used, and set specific cart conditions to tailor promotions based on order value, cart contents, and more.
4. Host a fun giveaway or contest
Now, if we’re talking about creating buzz, we can’t miss talking about giveaways and contests! This strategy adds a playful, exciting, and shareable element to your product launch campaign. It’s also a smart way to encourage customers to get involved, naturally expanding your store’s reach and growing your audience.
For example, you can:
- Host a tag-to-win contest: Encourage your social media followers to tag their friends and family for a chance to win your new product.
- Run a launch day raffle: Anyone who places an order during your launch week (or day) will have an automatic giveaway entry and get a chance to win a bonus gift.
- Create a hashtag challenge: Ask your followers to post content with your product using a specific hashtag for a chance to be featured and win a free gift.
- Partner with influencers: Work with content creators in your niche to help promote your giveaway and expand your reach.
Plugins like Rafflepress make it incredibly simple to set up a giveaway if you run a WordPress-powered store. I’ve used this plugin to create monthly giveaways for our websites, and I love how it allows me to reward bonus actions like leaving a review or commenting on a blog post.
5. Use push notifications to announce the launch
If you’re not yet using push notifications in your product launch strategies, it’s time to give it a try. Unlike emails or social media posts that might get missed, push notifications pop up in real time on a user’s device. They’re perfect for announcing limited-time offers, countdown alerts, product launches, and flash sales.
Advanced Coupons’ integration with PushEngage even allows you to send coupons directly as push notifications. It’s a great way to deliver limited-time offers to your customers, ensuring they won’t miss out. Here are a few helpful reminders to make your push notifications more effective:
- Create a clear, click-worthy message: Tell them what’s launching and what they should do next. Pair it with a strong call to action like “Grab your discount now” to encourage action.
- Segment your audience: If you’re using a plugin like PushEngage, you can segment your subscribers based on their behavior. For example, you might want to target those who’ve visited your waitlist landing page.
- Send notifications on key moments: Apart from the launch day, you can also send a “24 Hours Left” notice or last call reminders before the offer officially ends.
6. Bundle new products with bestsellers
Bestsellers are products your customers already love. Bundling your new product alongside these items creates a sense of familiarity, which can encourage customers to try it out.
This strategy is particularly effective if your new product complements your bestsellers or completes the experience. For instance, if you’re launching a new facial cleanser, you can pair it with your best-selling moisturizer for a complete skincare kit.
Here are a few bundling ideas you can try:
- Limited-time launch-only bundles: Offer a discounted set that includes your new item and a customer favorite, available only during the product launch campaign.
- Buy X Get Y format: Let customers buy one of your best-selling items and get the new product for free or at a discounted price.
- Gift bundles: If you’re running your product launch campaign during a seasonal event (such as holidays or back-to-school), curate giftable bundles that pair your new item with proven bestsellers.
💡 GOOD TO KNOW: Advanced Coupons lets you easily set up BOGO promotions that trigger discounts only when specific products are in the cart or only when certain conditions are met. This helps you reward bundle buyers without needing to create separate product listings or pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three phases of product launch?
A product launch campaign typically has these three phases: pre-launch, launch, and post-launch. The pre-launch phase is about building excitement. This is when marketers build a waitlist, send out teasers, and showcase sneak peeks. The launch phase is when the product goes live. Strategies like early bird discounts, launch-day bundles, and push notification announcements help spread the word and encourage early sales during this phase.
Finally, there is the post-launch phase. This helps sustain customer interest with follow-up emails, review requests, or second-wave promos that encourage customers to purchase again.
What are common product launch mistakes?
Some common launch mistakes include not having a clear plan, skipping pre-launch promotions, or using only a single channel to promote. Many store owners also forget to follow up post-launch, which is important for staying top of mind. Product launch campaigns should include strategies to support pre-launch, launch day, and post-launch phases to increase the chances of success.
How do I market my new product?
Some effective strategies include creating a waitlist, sending teaser emails, offering early bird discounts, and running exciting contests or giveaways. To boost visibility, you’ll want to use multiple channels like email, social media, push notifications, and paid advertisements to promote. You can also partner with influencers in your niche to reach more people.
Wrapping Up
Launching a new product is a huge milestone for your business. After all the planning and research, you’ll want to make sure it gets the attention it deserves. A well-thought-out product launch campaign makes this possible by helping you build excitement, drive early sales, and sustain interest even after the launch date. In this article, we covered 6 strategies to support your product launch:
- Create a waitlist or early access landing page
- Build hype with pre-launch email teasers
- Offer early bird discounts to drive sales
- Host a fun giveaway or contest
- Use push notifications to announce the launch
- Bundle new products with bestsellers
Advanced Coupons can help bring these campaign ideas to life. This powerful WooCommerce plugin lets you run advanced promotions like BOGO deals, auto-apply coupons, loyalty rewards, and discounts that only activate when certain cart conditions are met. It’s the complete promotion toolkit you need to convert customers and keep them coming back.
We hope this article helped out! Any strategies you’re excited to try? 😊
