Your Guide To Launching A New Product For Your Startup

Now that you’ve made it to the end of your roadmap, it’s time to launch your product — but there is more to it than simply releasing the product into the wild and hoping it survives. In fact, you need a roadmap just for your product launch. The roadmap for your product launch should include plans for product development and testing, branding and marketing, and sales and post-sales customer care and product support.

This article will take a closer look at the end of your journey and help you understand what it takes to launch a product.

Prelaunch

The first step to marketing your new offering is identifying the potential audience. Who needs to know about your new product? If it’s an update, perhaps your existing customers are your main audience, but if you’re launching an entirely new product, you will need to look beyond your captive audience.

Part of finding your audience is getting to know your competition.

Who follows them on social media? What messages are they pushing out via their newsletter? What are they doing well, and where is there room for improvement? Knowing the answers to these questions will not only allow you to start finding your audience, but this information will also allow you to start identifying potential messaging opportunities and developing your brand identity.

Nailing down your brand identity is integral to articulate and executing your communications strategy properly. From your logo to your brand voice, brand identity allows your team to speak with one voice when communicating with your audience and customers and makes your brand instantly recognizable on the noisy web.

Beta-testing

Don’t underestimate the importance of beta-testing! Every tech company knows how important beta users are — even giants like Facebook roll new features out slowly to get feedback and identify problems before rolling the products out to a wider audience. But you don’t need millions of users to test your product.

You can use internal stakeholders, other colleagues, or even your family and friends to put your product to the test.

Anyone who replicates your target customer base will do. This is your opportunity to solicit suggestions for improving your product and finding any glitches, so do not be afraid to push your testers to give tough feedback.

Launch

Now it’s time to let the world know your product is ready! If you already have a mailing list, you will want to take your message to them directly, but most startups will need to look beyond their current contacts and turn to the press for help spreading the word.

Your product announcement will likely begin with a press release. Templates are easy to come by, but writing a killer start-up press release goes beyond structure:?

• Title/headline — When you write your press release, avoid the temptation to get cute, and instead make sure it conveys the news you are announcing and why it’s important.?
• The Basics — Convey all the most basic, and often the most critical, information quickly in the first paragraph. Using a dateline with your location and the date of your news release lets media outlets quickly glean much information, allowing you to focus the bulk of the first paragraph on your mission and the news at hand.??
• The News — Now it’s time to get into the specifics of your announcement. What is the name of your new product, what does it do, and, perhaps most importantly, what problem does it address? Avoid using too much jargon, and instead explain your product and its value proposition in a simple, clear language that anyone can understand.
• The Quotes — Quotes from executive leadership are a common part of press releases and are often used to explain the announcement further. Make sure your quote is substantive and uses the same accessible, easily understandable language as the rest of your press release. Remember, this is a pitch to press to convince them to give you coverage, not a sales pitch.?
• Drawing Connections — Hopefully, your product is relevant and addresses market needs and trends. If so, this is when you spell it out. Even if the press isn’t interested in covering your new product release, you may find reporters interested in talking to you for stories about topics relevant to your larger audience by tying your product into larger trends.
• Boilerplate — Conclude your press release with your company’s boilerplate information. This should include a very brief history of your company and its leadership and any contact information for journalists.

Types of coverage

There are typically two types of media coverage, especially in B2B media: blanket coverage and exclusives. Before you send out your press release, you will consider which type of coverage is right for you. Each has pros and cons.

Blanket coverage

• Pros: Maximizes your reach by blasting your press release to as many media outlets as possible
• Cons: Devalues your news and may be more likely to result in an outlet just reprinting your press release without adding value or context

Exclusive coverage

• Pros: Large, reputable publications are more likely to invest resources in writing an article when you offer exclusivity
• Cons: Limits your coverage options

The art of pitching

Think of your press release as a resume and the email you send to a journalist as the cover letter. Journalists are busy and do not have time to read every press release, so your email needs to capture their attention, explain why this story is important, and the possible angles for coverage. While this news may be the most important thing in your world, it is incumbent on you to explain to a reporter why this news matters to a larger audience.

Making a good first impression is key. Make sure you have personalized your outreach by identifying media outlets that are likely to be interested in your news — rather than “spraying and praying” — and then finding the right contact. Ensure you have an updated press list — there is nothing worse than addressing an email to the wrong editor and starting on the wrong foot.?

Your product is done. The word is out. Now it’s time to sit back, watch as the market responds, and begin all over again as you work toward the next iteration or new product.?

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