How to Make a New Product Launch Announcement

As game-changing as they might be, product launches are massively resource-intensive. Refining the product to perfection, laying the groundwork for a successful release, and preparing the audience with a flawless product launch announcement it’s pivotal for a company’s brand image.

With so much at stake for an enterprise, there’s hardly any room for error. However, despite the best efforts, too many great products have succumbed to failure due to lousy release. As the Harvard Business Review article explains:

“Companies are so focused on designing and manufacturing new products that they postpone the hard work of getting ready to market them until too late in the game.”

Many marketing experts blame shoddy announcement messaging for being the primary cause. It either lacks creativity, overlooks the most crucial details, or is simply at odds with the prevalent market trends.

While there’s so much to learn from successful product announcement email examples, this blog is set up to help you communicate a flawless product launch announcement.

New Product Launch Announcement: Understanding the Basics

On a broader scale, a product launch announcement is a set of marketing activities aimed at introducing and promoting a new product to the market. The announcement focuses on marketing messages companies disperse to inform people about your upcoming business endeavor or product release.

The goal is to generate excitement, build anticipation, and capture leads from the target audience weeks before launch. By revealing product USPs to the audience, marketers offer an insight into how the new product launch will benefit current and potential users performing tasks.

Here are a few reasons why you need to pay more attention to conducting a launch announcement email:

• Generating Awareness: A product launch announcement creates awareness in the target audience about releasing a new product or service.
• Creating Suspense: By strategically planning and executing a launch announcement, businesses can build anticipation and make potential customers eager to learn more about the new offering.
• Establishing Credibility: By sharing information about the product, showcasing case studies, and presenting supporting evidence, businesses can build confidence in their offering and demonstrate their expertise in the industry.
• Attracting Media Attention: A well-executed announcement can ensure media coverage - an exposure that can lead to valuable mentions and interviews, further amplifying the reach product launch.
• Creating Marketing Opportunities: Businesses leverage social media, email marketing, content marketing, and other promotional activities to promote their launch announcement to a broader audience.

Pre-Launch Preparation

Often the success of your launch depends more on your pre-launch marketing practices than the product itself. The pre-launch phase sets the foundation for a flawless launch and maximizes the impact of the subsequent announcement activities.

By diligently preparing for the product launch announcement, businesses can optimize their chances of capturing the attention and interest of the target audience. Here are some important aspects of pre-launch preparation:

Define Your Key Messaging

Align your product management, marketing, and sales staff to articulate the core messages conveyed in the product launch announcement. Identify the product's unique features, benefits, and value proposition that set you apart from the competition.

Figure out ways to communicate your value propositions to the target audience effectively. The messaging should align with the overall brand strategy and resonate with the needs and preferences of your audience.

Set Clear Milestones and Objectives

Establish and communicate your goals and objectives with the company stakeholders that you need to achieve during the launch phase. The process might include completing product development, finalizing marketing materials, securing media coverage, or building a pre-launch email list. Clear milestones help track progress and ensure all necessary tasks are completed within the defined timeline.

Develop a Compelling Story

Conduct thorough market research to understand the competitive landscape and consumer trends. Craft a compelling narrative around the product that engages the audience and evokes their emotions.

Highlight the underlying problem your product will address and communicate how it will improve customers' lives. Employ storytelling techniques to make the announcement more relatable, memorable, and impactful for the public.

Organize a Launch Timeline and Sequence

Create a detailed launch timeline outlining the activities leading up to the product launch. You may need to schedule content creation, media outreach, social media campaigns, and internal team coordination to execute a flawless launch. As the marketing head, coordinate the content of the timeline to the concerned departments for a streamlined effort.

Prepare Marketing Collateral

Equip your announcement email with marketing collateral such as product images, videos, brochures, press kits, and website content that support your propositions. Ensure the marketing collateral is aligned with the key messaging and effectively showcases the product's unique selling points.

Selecting the Announcement Format

While many startups and organizations conduct email marketing campaigns to announce their products, other, more systematic ways exist to propose your offering. The ideal announcement format for your product launch depends on the nature of your product, the target market, and the goals of your product launch plan.

Companies have diverse segments of audiences, and each consumes information differently and through different channels. To put into perspective, a technology-focused product might benefit from a digital marketing campaign, while a luxury product may require a more personalized and exclusive launch event.

By utilizing multiple announcement methods, businesses can increase the likelihood of reaching their respective audience on a broader scale. Not to mention, you personalize your product launch email to suit the unique characteristics and preferences of their specific product and audience.

Press Release

A press release, in the context of a product launch, is a written statement or announcement distributed to media outlets, journalists, bloggers, and industry publications to provide information about a new product.

Product launch press releases provide a formal means of sharing information about the product, its features, benefits, and launch details to the general public. The purpose is to generate media coverage, interest, and awareness among the target audience.

Social Media

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube are popular channels for product launch announcements. Companies can create engaging posts, videos, teasers, or live streams to build excitement and maximize their reach.

With better engagement ratios and user penetration, such platforms facilitate real-time interactions and help companies leverage the power of sharing and virality.

Email Marketing

Product launch email campaigns provide a direct and personalized means of reaching existing customers, subscribers, or targeted leads. Companies can send dedicated new product release emails announcing their upcoming product launch, including detailed information, visuals, and compelling calls to action.

Email marketing is an effective medium for building the initial sales momentum after the launch day. A study suggests that 50% of consumers make a new purchase every month based on the type of email copy. Email marketing allows segmentation and personalization based on customer preferences and behaviors, increasing the likelihood of capturing their attention and driving action.

Website and Landing Pages

Creating a product launch landing page or dedicated section on the company’s website is a popular way of announcing a new product to the market. A landing page offers detailed information about the new product and persuades visitors to take a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for updates, or requesting more information.

These pages can include engaging visuals, detailed product information, videos, testimonials, and a call-to-action button. Furthermore, companies can leverage SEO optimization to drive organic traffic to new websites days before the launch.

Events and Webinars

Hosting live events, webinars, or virtual conferences provides an interactive platform to introduce new products and services. Businesses showcase the product's new features and demonstrate its functionality to prospective customers by organizing webinars. Live events enable direct audience engagement, Q&A sessions, and can generate buzz through attendee participation and word-of-mouth marketing.

Crafting the Perfect Product Launch Announcement Email

An effective launch announcement ought to include relevant and complete information about your product to convert readers into buyers. Insufficient or sparsely placed information could frustrate prospective customers, let alone build an emotional connection with your brand.

While you may have put your blood, sweat, and tears into building a revolutionary product, the fact is your audience doesn’t care - unless you give them a reason to. Customers are inherently selfish, especially when it comes to buying a product they’ve never heard of.

As the latest candidate in the market, you must craft a new product announcement email that piques their interest in your product, reinforces their belief through evidence, and compels them to purchase.

Crafting a perfect product launch announcement is a detailed and intricate process, so stick through till the end.

Start with a Catchy Headline

A catchy headline is an ice-breaker - the first point of engagement between you and your potential audience, determining whether they will continue reading your announcement.

The product launch email subject line grabs readers' attention and urges them to read more about the product launch. It must stand out among other competing announcements to make a lasting impression. For a compelling headline, you should:

1. Be Clear and Concise: Keep the headline concise while conveying the essence of the announcement. Communicate the main message and avoid excessive jargon or technical terms that may confuse the audience.
2. Focus on the Benefits: Highlight the product's primary benefit or unique selling point in the headline. Communicate how the product will solve a problem, meet a need, or improve the reader's life or business.
3. Use Compelling Words and Phrases: Incorporate attention-grabbing words and phrases that evoke emotion or curiosity. Words like "revolutionary," "game-changer," "unveiling," "exclusive," or "limited time" can create intrigue and urgency, compelling readers to take notice.
4. Create a Sense of Urgency: Mention the limited availability, early bird offers, or time-sensitive benefits to make your proposition sound urgent and create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).

Layout Product Features and Benefits

Once you capture the reader’s attention, it’s time to capitalize on that. The idea is to effectively communicate the value and appeal of the offering to the target audience, letting the customers know how your product can meet their needs and address the problems they face.

Position your product as the only viable solution for your customers. By emphasizing what sets the product apart, its innovative features, superior performance, or additional value, businesses can attract customers looking for something uniquely valuable.

Gain a deep understanding of the target audience's needs and audiences, and optimize your sales pitch accordingly. Prioritize the key distinctions of your product that appeal more to the audience. Avoid explaining the features in complex terminology that might confuse or alienate the audience.

Pro Tip: Use bullet points, subheadings, or columns to make the information visually appealing and accessible.

Highlight Unique Selling Points

When entering a crowded market space, highlighting your product’s USPs gives your brand a unique identity. Whether it's a specific feature, technology, or performance, businesses can communicate their competitive advantage and attract their ideal customer base.

Start by clearly stating how your product update solves a problem, improves efficiency, saves time or money, or enhances the customer's experience in a language that’s easy to understand.

To fortify your stance, support each USP with evidence or examples demonstrating its effectiveness or real-world application. Combine them with striking visuals and case studies to establish yourself as a credible player.

Incorporate Case Studies for Credibility

Most online purchases are influenced by customer testimonials, case studies, and user reviews. People are more inclined to purchase from a brand that showcases real-life case studies and testimonials. Around 72% of consumers rely on positive reviews to build trust in a business.

Case studies serve as proof points that validate the effectiveness and value of the product. They provide concrete examples that potential customers can relate to, allowing them to envision how the product can benefit their situations. Here are a few tips to effectively incorporate case studies in your product release email.

• Choose case studies that align with the target audience's needs, pain points, and use cases.
• Use specific data, metrics, or statistics to outline the measurable results and benefits the customer achieved with the product.
• Incorporate direct quotes or testimonials in your email template, highlighting the customer's satisfaction, adding authenticity and credibility to your proposition.
• Set a context about the customer’s preferences and why they sought a solution. Describe how your product helped address those issues.

Grab Attention with Visuals

Large blocks of text are meant to bore readers. Visual elements such as images, videos, infographics, and graphics enhance the overall appeal and engage the audience in a way that plain text alone cannot.

Instating eye-catching visuals in your teaser email design or press release breaks up the monotony of text, drawing the reader's focus to the important elements. Besides, visually represented information, like graphs and pie charts, is more likely to appeal to and educate readers.

Visuals help in improving comprehension and retention of information. Studies have shown that people tend to remember visual content better than textual content. For higher engagement, incorporate videos that demonstrate product features and user testimonials in a dynamic fashion meant to engage the audience.

Emphasize the Launch Date

Once you hook the audience, build in them a sense of urgency and anticipation for the main launch event. Clearly integrating the launch date encourage readers to take action, whether it’s to sign up for the newsletters or register for the pre-launch waitlist.

Make the launch date stand out in your announcement draft so users know what they’re looking for. Use larger font sizes, bold or italicized text, or vibrant colors to draw attention to the date. Consider placing it at the beginning or end of the announcement or in a prominent section to ensure it catches the reader's eye.

Include email sign-ups, push notifications, or social media alerts to enable customers to set reminders or subscribe to newsletters about the product’s latest developments. Most businesses set a countdown timer or a dedicated “coming soon” page to maintain user excitement.

Set in a Clear Call-to-Action

Capitalize on the hype and convert the audience’s interest into valuable leads with a well-placed CTA. A clear CTA provides a clear directive to the audience, guiding them on what actions to take. It can be to visit a website, sign up for a newsletter, pre-order the product, schedule a demo, or make a purchase.

CTA clicks and conversion ratios serve as effective performance metrics to measure the success of a product launch. By monitoring how many people clicked the CTA or completed the desired action, businesses can optimize their marketing strategies and make informed decisions for future campaigns.

Encourage immediate action by incorporating urgency in the CTA. Use phrases like "limited time offer," "act now," or "available for a limited quantity" to create a sense of scarcity or exclusivity.

Timing and Execution of Product Launch Email

A product launch announcement executed on time will attract the audience’s attention and capture leads for the launch event. Select a time that ensures higher visibility, aligns with the current market trends, and minimizes competition from other major events or feature announcements in the industry.

Before finalizing the announcement, ensure the sales and customer support teams are prepared to handle inquiries, assist, and process orders. Closely collaborate with these teams to equip them with the necessary training and resources.

Plan a comprehensive schedule for social media posts, email campaigns, webinars, and other promotional activities to support the product launch announcement. Streamline your marketing strategy with a content calendar and product launch email sequence that outlines when and where each piece of content will be published or distributed.

Closing Note

While a timely release is pivotal to the product launch campaign checklist, businesses nowadays pay even more attention to getting their announcement right. When operating in a competitive field, building hype and excitement around your upcoming product or feature is fundamental to generating leads and maximizing sales.

Set clear objectives and goals, develop a compelling story around your new product, create a content calendar, and craft a launch timeline to execute an effective product launch announcement. Luckily, you don’t have to do it manually. Register with Prefinery.com to streamline your product launch-related tasks.

FAQs

How do I determine the best timing for my new product launch announcement email?

Consider factors such as market trends, competitor activities, seasonal influences, and customer behavior to maximize the impact of your new product launch email. Conduct market research and gather customer feedback to identify the most appropriate time to capture the audience's attention.

How can I generate buzz and excitement for a launch announcement?

Employ teasers and sneak peeks in your product launch email templates to pique the curiosity and interest of the audience. Engage with the audience through interactive contests and giveaways, and leverage influencers to amplify your announcement message.