Ready to turn your next product launch into a smashing success?
Buckle up because we’re diving into the world of list building and why it’s the secret sauce for a successful product launch.
In this article, we’ll explore 7 reasons why list building is essential when launching a new product and why email subscribers are one of the most valuable assets for your business.
Stick around, because by the end, you’ll be armed with tips to supercharge your list-building efforts, great product launch email examples, and advice on how to craft compelling product launch emails to set the stage for a successful launch.
Let’s get started!
7 reasons why list building is essential
First, let’s dive into the crucial reasons why list building holds the key to successful product launches.
1. Social media algorithms steadily decrease your reach
The science behind social media algorithms is hazy. Their overly complex data interactions are hidden by the platforms and have given rise to a multitude of theories and snake oil solutions.
What’s left for us as marketers is to join the data points of our individual campaigns, watch the trends, and draw correlations.
But it’s been almost a decade that the trend is sloping downwards.
In an attempt to decelerate the virality of promotional content, both Facebook and Instagram have steadily been degrading organic post reach. This way, they can draw in more advertisers to harness greater revenue.
After all, it all boils down to money. This may very well be a logical move for many, but it leaves us marketers in a sad situation.
All those carefully selected target audiences may never even get to see our brand!
Guess what remains one of the best channels to reach out to potential prospects? Email.
2. Email has a higher return on investment
When it comes to ROI, email marketing greatly exceeds social media and just any other digital marketing channel you can think of.
According to Campaign Monitor, on average, email marketing generates $44 for every $1 spent. That’s a whopping 4,400% return.
It’s no surprise why almost 90% of marketers opt for email marketing as their principal lead generation tool.
Would you ever have thought that email is 40x more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined?
On top of that, with people’s emails at hand, you own your audience. Not Facebook. Not Twitter. Not even Google.
If the social media scene evolves and people stop using those platforms, those audiences will disappear. But people use email for life, so if you’ve built a good list, you’ll always have your target audience within direct reach.
3. Email is permanent
Everyone has an email!
Your potential clients might not be on TikTok or Instagram, but email is essentially guaranteed. This is probably because it is so simple, pervasive, and grounded.
Email is static—it doesn’t really change or evolve—making it one of your business’s permanent assets.
If your email campaign takes a wrong turn, it’s usually not because of some out-of-your-control decision by the email companies. Instead, it’s something you can fix. And its learning is cumulative—as you gain more knowledge, your future email campaigns will improve.
The challenges of email marketing campaigns are many, but they’re easy to learn and overcome. Because, remember, the medium doesn’t change.
4. Email is still powerful
In the vibrant landscape of digital marketing, email never seems to lose steam. It’s still one of the most powerful ways to cultivate a meaningful relationship with your potential clients and keep them entertained until the launch date and beyond.
While the temptation may be great, don’t give in to the salesyness trap.
Make sure your prospects can take something away from every email campaign, instead of angrily closing your weakly-crafted overly promotional message.
Your email sequences should be a fine mix of promotional and valuable content, which will take your relationship with your target audience to a deeper level.
For one of our recent crowdfunding campaigns—a mechanical titanium watch—we wrote an entire ebook on how to choose the right watch. Amongst the valuable advice, we found an accurate position for the watch we were promoting. The ebook was promoted through email and played a part in raising over $1.5 million on Indiegogo.
For another, we explored the philosophy of minimalism through a minimalist all-silicone electric toothbrush.
Interspersed with promotional material, the email sequence offered true intrinsic value. It educated an interested audience on the positive aspects of decluttering their lives, the ethos behind minimalist design, and some famous examples of purposeful minimalism.
Tell stories. Offer insights. Give value. Your audience is people, put yourself in their shoes and think about what they’d like to receive in their inbox.
5. Email is more engaging than social media
Email is a two-way street. It’s not a billboard on the street that advertisers put up, people glance at and nobody knows what its results are. According to GetVoIP, email allows you to engage with your customers and hear their thoughts as well.
Arguably one of the most rewarding benefits of list building—due to its impact on your business development—is the feedback from your prospects.
It can open avenues you hadn’t even thought of, new markets you never considered, and add functionalities you never knew your customers needed.
For best results, start when you’re still early in the email marketing stage. Include questions that will let you draw insights into your consumer preferences and their ideas. What colors do they want? What features of your product do they like most? What more features would they like to see?
It can be hard to get people to respond to your emails, after all, they’re busy with their work. If you find it’s not working, think of offering additional discounts or little rewards to those who make the effort to give you some valuable feedback.
And listen to them. See what makes sense and adopt the changes. Market research and business advice, again, essentially for free!
6. Email gets you sales before your product launches
Getting going early is one of the most important aspects of a product launch. You have to know you can hit the ground running.
And if you mastered the art of email marketing, you’ll have dozens if not hundreds of excited people looking to get their hands on your product first.
Warm the audience up as you near the launch, let them know you’re still around, and remind them of their interest.
If you can get the ball rolling from the start, you’ll have overcome one of the biggest challenges. That’s why we use a series of lead generation mechanisms and advanced list-building strategies prior to launch and consistently reach our funding goals in under 24 hours.
One of them is OptiMonk. Thanks to their seamless integration and eye-catching appearance, OptiMonk’s popups have been a game-changing lead magnet in our every campaign.
They always capture an ample fraction of our page visitors—whom we’d have otherwise just lost—and convince them to drop their emails to stay in the loop.
The successful email marketing afterward allows us to hit our funding goal within the first day, signaling trust and credibility to new leads and boosting the chances of future conversions.
7. Email raises brand awareness
Sharing things on social media may have overtaken email’s “Forward To” mechanism, but this just speaks to people’s love of sharing value with their friends.
That’s why email is still one of the most effective tools to move the masses. And one of the easiest ways to do this is through strategically managed referral campaigns.
Encourage your current leads to share your product launch with their friends and family to earn further discounts or even cash back. Before you know it, you’ll have a huge new audience of subscribers adding their friends as well. This strategy costs essentially nothing.
Besides driving a stream of conversions, referral programs help spur buzz around your product and create brand awareness while it’s still at an early stage.
How to build an email list?
Looking to turbocharge your list-building game before your big product launch? Popups will be your new best friend!
If you have a landing page or website where you’re driving traffic, you can use popups to offer your audience something enticing in exchange for their email, like a useful ebook…
…a discount:
…or exclusive access:
For product launches, sometimes all it takes is a simple promise to “be the first to know.” It’s like giving them a VIP pass to your party!
So, set up those popups strategically across your website, and watch your email list grow.
Product launch email examples & tips
Now let’s take a peek into the world of product launch email examples to see how the pros do it. Crafting a compelling product launch email campaign is an art, and when it comes to launching a new product, every word counts.
Our first product launch email example is from Moment Botanical Water. This email is a masterpiece in both design and strategy.
Image source: Really Good Emails
At first glance, its aesthetics are captivating, drawing the recipient in with its visually stunning layout and engaging imagery. The use of vibrant colors, crisp photography, and clean typography creates an irresistible allure that begs to be clicked.
But it’s not just the visuals that make this email shine. It’s the carefully crafted copy that truly seals the deal.
The copy, “Very limited stock available,” hits subscribers with a sense of urgency right off the bat. This clever use of scarcity taps into the fear of missing out (FOMO), compelling recipients to act fast before it’s too late.
Now, let’s shift our focus to another stellar product launch email example, this time from the luxury brand Jimmy Choo.
Image source: Really Good Emails
Jimmy Choo knows how to speak directly to the desires and aspirations of their audience. What sets Jimmy Choo apart is their ability to evoke emotion through the product description.
The product images are also captivating, showcasing their latest collection in all its glory.
Let’s round out our exploration with a great example from Our Place.
Image source: Really Good Emails
In their product launch email, they take a slightly different approach, leveraging the power of social proof to build trust and credibility with their audience.
In this email, you’ll find a chorus of glowing reviews from satisfied customers. Each review sings the praises of their latest product, highlighting its quality, functionality, and transformative impact on everyday cooking experiences.
These 5-star testimonials serve as a powerful endorsement, reassuring hesitant shoppers and instilling confidence in the brand’s offerings.
Now that you’ve seen some great product launch email marketing campaigns, here are a few tried-and-true strategies to try for your own product launch email sequence:
- Get your target audience buzzing with anticipation by sending out a teaser email. Offer a sneak peek of what’s to come without giving away too much. Build curiosity and excitement to ensure they’ll be eagerly awaiting your big reveal.
- Reward your existing customers with an exclusive preview email. Give them early access to your product or a special demo before it’s available to the public. This makes your customers excited, and they will also feel valued and appreciated.
- Create a sense of urgency with a countdown email. Let your subscribers know exactly when your product will be launching and build excitement as the countdown ticks away. Encourage customers to mark their calendars and be ready to snag your new product as soon as it’s available.
- Showcase the key benefits and features of your new product in a dedicated email. Focus on how it solves a problem or improves the lives of your customers. Use persuasive language and compelling visuals to drive home the value proposition and convince subscribers why they need your product.
- Share customer testimonials, reviews, or case studies in an email to build credibility and trust. Highlight real-life experiences from satisfied customers who have already tried your product. Social proof is a powerful motivator and can help alleviate any doubts or hesitations your subscribers may have.
- Create urgency and encourage action with a last chance email. Let subscribers know that time is running out to take advantage of special launch offers or discounts. Remind them of the benefits of your product and why they don’t want to miss out.
FAQ
What is a product launch?
A product launch is the process of introducing a new product (or product line) to the market. It involves various marketing and promotional activities aimed at generating awareness, excitement, and demand for the new product among potential customers. A successful product launch can significantly impact the success and long-term viability of the product in the market.
How do you write a product launch email?
Begin the email by introducing the new product, highlighting its key features, benefits, and unique selling points. Provide additional details about the product, such as pricing, availability, and any special offers or promotions associated with the launch. Incorporate high-quality images or videos of the product to give readers a clear idea of what to expect. Include a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) that prompts readers to take the desired action.
Who is the target audience for a new product?
The target audience for a new product depends on various factors, including the product category, features, benefits, and intended use. However, in general, it typically includes individuals or groups who have a need or desire for the product and are likely to derive value from it.
This may include:
- Demographic segments: Age, gender, income level, occupation, education, etc.
- Psychographic segments: Lifestyle, interests, values, attitudes, personality traits, etc.
- Behavioral segments: Buying behavior, usage patterns, brand loyalty, purchase intent, etc.
How do you plan effective product launch marketing campaigns?
For an effective product launch campaign, you’ll need a product launch checklist. Some of the steps on this checklist are:
- Conduct thorough market research to understand your audience, competitive landscape, industry trends, and consumer preferences.
- Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that outlines the key messages, channels, and tactics to be used during the product launch.
- Determine the marketing mix, including advertising, public relations, social media platforms, email marketing, and other promotional activities.
- Build anticipation and excitement for the product launch through teaser campaigns, sneak peeks, countdowns, and exclusive previews.
- Engage with influencers, industry experts, and brand advocates to amplify the message and reach a wider audience.
Wrapping up
Careful list building can take time and resources. But don’t let this stop you.
Instead, treat email list building as an investment that will launch your business onto a new wave of success and make it thrive even during the hardest of times.
They are your permanent assets, and no competitor will ever take them away from you.
Just remember, use them wisely.
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Written by
Ani Ter-Margaryan
I’m a Copywriter at The Crowdfunding Formula. Fascinated to watch and act while AI shakes up today’s marketing landscape. Have my keen eye pointed at the latest trends and love creating engaging digital content.
Reach me at ani.tm@tcf.team
