Step-by-Step Guide to Run a Pre Launch Email Campaign

Launching a new product is a journey filled with anticipation and surprises, with challenges mounting at every step leading up to the launch day. The discourse around product launches is generally overhyped.

Inspired by Apple’s iPhone and Tesla launches, people tend to perceive every product launch is a grand event, requiring massive media coverage, participation from influencers, and exponential budgets. Perhaps the concept may hold true for high net-worth enterprises or brand announcements, there are other more subtle yet effective ways to accomplish it - but you must start in advance.

If you or your marketing head has been associated with the industry over the last decade, you’d rely on email marketing to kick off your marketing campaign. In the pre-launch stage, strategically directed email sequences can land a fortune for businesses in terms of higher engagement and conversion rates.

From building email lists to drafting compelling email text buzzing the launch and automating sending, we’ve pinned down a complete step-by-step strategy to run a flawless pre-launch email campaign.

What is a Pre-launch Email Marketing?

In days nearing the launch date, businesses often take to email marketing to spread the news of their arrival, educate their audience, and encourage them to take part in the event. It's an exclusive announcement sent to a company’s existing user base and prospective customers, with the purpose of raising awareness and invoking interest.

An email marketing campaign is a company’s planned effort to use emails as a means of broadcasting and communication with a specific audience to achieve its business goals.

Great product launch email sequences are primarily directed toward people who have shown an interest in your product or service, registered their email address, or signed up for the newsletter.

Types of Product Launch Email Campaigns

Based on what you’re offering and what the marketing plan is, the email body may vary. The following types of emails are widely shared during a company’s product launch campaign:

Pre-release Emails

When emails are sent to tease customers about your next product launch before its official release. Besides announcing a new product, it sets the tone with prospects about your brand and educates them on what’s to come. Writing a product launch email right will get your prospects to pre-order the product before it's released to the public.

Alt Text: Harry’s pre-release product launch announcement email.

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Promotional Emails

Emails prove to be a cost-effective advertising channel that helps companies broadcast their new product line to entice prospects to convert or existing customers to upgrade their packages, especially when labeled with a special offer.

Alt Text: Modernica promotional email highlighting a special offer.

Image Source

Launch Event Invitations

Direct invitations to media houses, influencers, and industry experts in the form of emails are likely to be reciprocated. Since the communication is purely personalized, businesses can even drive anticipation for prospects.

Why Should Emails Be Part of Your Pre-launch Campaign?

Even though the public responds positively to influencer shoutouts and friendly recommendations, you cannot neglect the importance of emails. It’s not about preference, the track record speaks for itself.

The global email marketing revenue is expected to reach $11 billion by the year’s end. But what makes it more valuable than other marketing strategies is the high ROI. Email campaigns produce an average ROI of $36 for every dollar spent on advertising.

Emails set a direct and personal line of contact with the target audience which helps shape their purchase decisions. Here why email marketing should be a priority in your pre-launch campaign:

Build Anticipation

Sending pre-launch emails generates excitement and anticipation among your audience. It teases what's coming and gives them a sneak peek, building curiosity and interest in your product. Apart from standard email templates, the genre has room for creativity, allowing marketers to tailor it in a way that makes the most impact.

Boost Website Traffic

Embedding a link to your coming soon landing page in your emails can be an impressive way to channel new leads. You can share your social media posts along with snippets of your highly-ranked articles to lure interested subscribers. Make sure there’s a call-to-action button linked in your pre-launch email to improve website traffic.

Gather Feedback

Pre-launch emails can be an excellent way to collect valuable feedback from a trusted audience and learn more about their behavior. You can ask for opinions, and suggestions, or even conduct surveys regarding the quality of your product to make plausible changes before the official product release.

Generate Early Sales

Emails present your offerings in front of the right audience while you try and experiment with other promotional tactics to boost revenue. If your pre-launch campaign includes limited-time offers, discounts, or early-bird access, emails can help drive those early sales.

Subscribers who are genuinely interested in your offering would want to take advantage of these offers, further amounting to the overall revenue.

Build Relationships

Carefully targeted emails during the pre-launch stage help nurture relationships with your audience. It's not just about selling; it's about communicating, engaging, and keeping your audience informed, which can foster long-term customer loyalty.

How to Build an Email List During Pre-launch Marketing?

Before crafting content for your pre-launch emails, you need to compile a list of prospects from your target audience. Due to the high possibility of spam emails, not every recipient is obliged to open your email in the first place.

As a marketer, you cannot just bombard a random audience faction with your launch emails, but rather pinpoint ones who will actually pay heed to your message. People who’re following you on social platforms and have registered their emails deserve a top spot in your email list, but they alone won’t be enough to carry out a stellar product launch.

We’ve shared some effective strategies to build your pre-launch email list that ensure a higher conversion rate:

Set Up a Landing Page: Design a captivating landing page that provides a glimpse of what you're launching and encourages visitors to subscribe for product updates. Keep the page simple, with a clear call-to-action to smoothen the onboarding experience.

Place Opt-in Forms: Signing up on your website isn’t a visitor’s prime agenda. It’s your job to compel them into registering their emails either through enforcement using opt-in forms and pop-ups. But ensure they aren’t intrusive and damaging to your website experience. Add them strategically so they are only triggered through specific actions.

Ask for Emails on Your Website: Newsletter subscriptions won’t build you a sizeable subscribers list unless you offer something valuable in return. Try offering discounts and upgrades or free downloadable resources related to your product in exchange for signing up on your platform.

Start Referral Programs: Friendly endorsements can do more for your business than you can imagine. Start a referral program compelling your existing customers to refer your brand to their friends and family in exchange for special gifts. If put to good use, word-of-mouth referrals can double your email list within days.

Leverage Social Media Promotions: Rely on social media platforms as your prime lead magnets. Publish product teaser emails with strong visuals to generate interest and drive traffic to your sign-up page.

5 Steps to Run a New Product Launch Email Campaign

Any promotional deal or offer you make via email has a 6x higher chance of getting click-through than embedding it in a social media post. But to truly tap a strategy that boasts the highest ROI than any other channel, you need a comprehensive email marketing strategy.

Outline Your Campaign Goals and KPIs

Every business has different priorities following its product launch. A startup might want to ring up its name and popularity in the market whereas, an enterprise would eye for increased sales and revenue.

Figure out what you want to accomplish with your pre-launch email campaign. Is it to generate buzz, build anticipation, collect feedback, or drive early sales? And curate your product launch plan accordingly. Based on what your prime motivation is, keep an eye out for relevant KPIs. For instance, if your goal is to build anticipation, focus on:

• Email Sign-Up Rate: Measure the rate at which website visitors or social media followers subscribe to your email list.
• Open Rate: Track how many recipients open your pre-launch emails.
• Engagement and Feedback: Assess the quality and quantity of engagement within your emails, including replies, comments, and survey responses.

On the other hand, if your goal is early and increased sales, watch out for;

• Conversion Rate: Measure the percentage of email subscribers who take the desired action, whether it's making a purchase, providing feedback, or sharing your content.
• Revenue or Sales: Track the revenue generated directly from your email campaign.

Segment Your Email List

Don’t treat your prospects with the same promotional message when everyone has a slightly different motivation or interest for signing up with you. Categorize your subscribers into smaller, more targeted groups based on the factors that best align with your pre-launch marketing goals.

Carry out a brief background check on your subscribers and segment them based on their purchase history, engagement level, and preferences regarding your niche. Knowing who values what in your email list, helps you craft relevant and effective messages that resonate with those motivations.

Design a Compelling Email

Around 35% of emails are left unnoticed or get filtered into spam boxes before they get a chance of conversion. If your email has any chance of getting clicked through it needs to stand out - and a catchy email subject line is your best shot at accomplishing that.

Email designs should use catchy headlines that help you get noticed from the clutter, but that’s not all. Back it up with an offer that craves attention. Use attractive imagery that encourages recipients to read through the entire message.

As for the copy, writing your email should be concise, informative, and equally compelling in getting what needs to be done - signing up or making a purchase. Here’s an impressive product launch email example by Lush that captures attention by associating itself with the Halloween theme.

Personalize Emails

Repurpose your email templates for each audience segment that you are targeting. The more relevant your email feels to a recipient the likelier that is to convert which directly translates to higher sales. But even though personalized emails is the number one goal for most marketers, 36% of them find it challenging to tailor emails to an individual’s taste.

Here are some tips to effectively personalize an email campaign:

• Start with greetings. Address each recipient by their first name in the email's salutation that makes recipients feel acknowledged.
• Personalize the email content to the recipient's purchase history or inclinations.
• Offer a higher discount or a special deal to subscribers who abandoned their shopping carts.
• Send them a personalized email reminding them of the items they left behind along with an incentive to complete the purchase

Automate

You cannot manually craft and send emails to every individual subscriber at every milestone when you have other more important tasks to handle. Automating your email marketing procedures, however, will ensure every subscriber receives an email message curated to their preference exactly when it matters most.

Prefinery automates email delivery triggered by the recipient’s behavior and keeps them in the loop for more offers. It allows you to target subscribers with response emails without manual intervention:

• Welcome Series: When someone joins your email list, you can set up an automated welcome series that introduces your brand and builds rapport with the new clients.
• Drip Campaigns: Subscribers will receive an initial email teaser, followed by more detailed information about the product, and finally, a reminder of the upcoming launch.
• Behavior-Based Triggers: Set up marketing automation to respond to specific subscriber behaviors such as signing up, making a purchase, or abandoning their cart.

Closing Note

The number of email users around the globe has gone past 4 billion - about half the world population - indicating a brighter future for email marketing. A well-crafted email can be your strongest ally in shaping your clients' behavior, motivating them to purchase, and keeping them in the loop for future offers.

Sign up with prefinery.com to start building your email lists and structuring the pre-launch campaign today. The software sets you up with numerous email marketing templates you can personalize to your business and recipient’s requirements, making your brand more recognizable.

FAQs

What is a pre-launch email marketing campaign?

A pre-launch email marketing campaign is a strategic approach to engage with your audience before introducing a new product, service, or event. It involves sending targeted emails to build anticipation, nurture relationships, and develop interest in your new product ahead of the launch.

How can I collect email addresses for my pre-launch campaign?

Some effective ways to collect emails before launching are:

• Creating a dedicated pre-launch landing page.
• Offering incentives like discounts or exclusive content.
• Promoting it through social media and partnerships.
• Featuring valuable content that encourages sign-ups.