10 WAYS TO SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCH ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND GENERATE BUZZ
BY HEIDI MCIVOR ALLEN
Getting ready to launch your next product? Launching a product is no easy task, and making it a hit can seem nearly impossible. But a powerful launch can set the tone for your product’s entire sales journey. If you’re in the midst of planning your launch strategy, this guide is tailored for you. We’re breaking down 10 essential tactics to help you succeed, plus providing 2 customizable Canva templates for each tactic to help you start executing immediately.
Ready to elevate your launch?
1. DESIGN A TEASER CAMPAIGN
A successful product launch often starts with a teaser campaign.
Teaser campaigns are crafted to provide sneak peeks and hints about a product, generating anticipation and excitement before the official launch. This approach ensures that by the time your product is released, your audience is already intrigued and eager to share or purchase it.
By strategically building anticipation through carefully managed hints and previews, you can create a buzz that primes your audience for your product’s debut.
2. DESIGNATE A HASHTAG
Hashtags are a powerful tool for categorizing your product and ensuring that any content you or your users share is easy to find and organized in one place.
They are particularly useful during a product launch. By pooling content under a specific hashtag, you make it simple for potential customers to explore more about your product with just a few clicks. Hashtags also allow users to easily share information and direct others to the curated content, making word-of-mouth marketing much simpler.
As you prepare for your launch, carefully choose your hashtags and conduct thorough hashtag research. Make sure your hashtags are unique, memorable, and straightforward. Ideally, they should be directly related to your product or any actions you want your users to take. Avoid long or complex phrases, and stick to words that are easy to spell.
As your product gains traction, you may develop multiple hashtags for different purposes. One might be the name of your product, another could support your teaser campaign or launch, and you might create additional hashtags for specific user engagement activities, like contests.
Remember, you don’t need to use all of your hashtags at once. Generally, it’s best to limit your posts to three hashtags to avoid clutter and ensure relevance. Always use hashtags strategically to maximize their impact.
3. ENGAGE USER WITH CONTESTS
4. CREATE A FOUNDER’S LIST
People love feeling like they’re part of an exclusive group, and that’s exactly what a founder’s list can offer when you launch a new product. By creating a special group of early adopters, you can provide them with exclusive updates and “insider” content, helping to build a strong base of loyal customers.
To build this list, announce that you’re creating a group for those who want the inside scoop on your product. While some may not be interested in signing up for another email, those who are genuinely curious about your product will eagerly join. These are the followers you’ll want to nurture, as their enthusiasm can turn them into powerful advocates for your brand in the future.
When setting up your founder’s list, ensure your promotional materials are consistent to create a strong and unified message about the exclusive benefits of joining.
5. ORGANIZE A COUNTDOWN TO BUILD EXCITEMENT
Running a countdown is a great way to build anticipation for your product and provides a consistent reason to post reminders about it. It’s simple to execute—just create a graphic for each day leading up to the launch, updating only the number as you count down.
A countdown strategy keeps your audience frequently engaged and ensures that your launch remains top of mind. By regularly exposing people to information about your product, you maintain excitement and momentum.
Interested in trying this out? We’ve created some countdown graphics to get you started—one with an image and another without—to demonstrate different approaches you can take with this strategy.
6. DEVELOP CONSISTENCY ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM POSTS
Maintain a consistent look and message across all social media channels. If you share a post on Facebook featuring an illustration of a panda with text about how cute they are, make sure the same illustration and message appear on X (Twitter) or any other platform. Avoid changing the visual or the content across different channels.
Consistency in your posts is also key. If you use a specific style, like top-view photography, stick with it for all your posts. If one post features bold, white text, ensure the next one uses the same style. This approach keeps your social media content cohesive and reinforces your brand identity, making everything feel like it’s coming from the same place.
By keeping your visual elements and messaging aligned, you create a stronger brand presence and a more unified experience for your audience across all platforms.
7. POST CONSTANTLY–AND AT THE RIGHT TIMES
Social media never takes a break. Keep your stream of posts consistent both before and after your launch. The goal is to establish a lasting presence in your audience’s minds, ensuring they don’t forget about you. The best way to achieve this is through regular engagement.
To maintain a steady flow of content, dedicate time each month to plan your social media calendar. Determine the type of content you want to post each week, and create visuals and copy in advance. This preparation helps alleviate the stress of figuring out what to post on the fly and allows you to focus on delivering quality content.
This kind of strategic planning also enables you to develop longer, more engaging campaigns. For example, if you plan to run a contest, you can schedule a post to announce it, another to remind followers to participate, and a final post to reveal the winner.
Below are two example posts that illustrate the benefits of planning ahead. The first post announces a contest, and the second, posted a week later, reminds users to enter. Notice the consistency in styling, making it clear that both posts are related.
Be strategic about the timing of your posts as well. For instance, posts made on a Friday afternoon might receive less engagement, making them less effective. Make sure to research the best times to post on various social media platforms to maximize reach and engagement.
8. DESIGN FUN QUIZZES
I can’t resist taking quizzes on my social media feed—whether it’s finding out which character I am or what type of animal I’d be, I love the fun and distraction they provide. And I know I’m not the only one who enjoys discovering new things about myself through these interactive quizzes.
You can leverage this by creating quizzes related to your product. Make them entertaining and unique—the more unusual, the better. Quizzes are not only engaging but also highly shareable, making them an effective way to spread awareness about your product and its launch.
To drive traffic to your quizzes, promote them on your social media channels. Share a post with a link to the quiz, using visuals that are relevant to the quiz topic while maintaining your brand’s overall style. Make sure to set up social media sharing buttons that automatically link back to your product, ensuring that whenever users share their results, they are also promoting your product.
9. DON’T NEGLECT YOUR CALLS TO ACTION!
Incorporate strong calls to action in your posts. It’s not enough to simply share information about your launch, showcase how great your product is, or post appealing images. If you want users to help spread the word or engage in a contest, make sure to clearly tell them what you want them to do!
Also, make your calls to action visually appealing. To stand out in a crowded social media feed, your posts need to capture attention for the right reasons. Carefully select your images and craft your messages to make your content more engaging and effective. For more insights on creating compelling calls to action, take the time to explore resources that delve into the topic.
10. JUMP INTO CONVERSATIONS
As your posts start to gain traction, you’ll notice comments and conversations starting to develop. Be sure to dive in and engage with those interacting with you. This is a fantastic opportunity to build a loyal following and strengthen your brand’s community. Respond to questions, address concerns, provide additional information when needed, and show appreciation for positive feedback.
Engagement goes beyond just replying to comments. Pay attention to what’s trending on social media and see if it relates to your product. Join in on these conversations with thoughtful posts that provide your perspective. Doing so not only creates more engagement opportunities but also increases your chances of having content that resonates widely and gets shared extensively.
If there’s nothing trending to comment on, celebrate milestones within your community or acknowledge special occasions relevant to your audience. This could be as simple as marking a new follower count milestone or recognizing holidays and events that matter to your brand and followers. Keep the conversation lively and ongoing to maintain a vibrant community presence.
HOW CAN MCIVOR MARKETING HELP YOU WITH A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
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