A product launch strategy needs more than just organic buzz. It needs a paid ads strategy to boost awareness, engagement, and conversions at every stage of your product launch.
Before your product is introduced to the world, you want to build anticipation and consider creating an engaged waitlist. During the launch, you create urgency and shout from the rooftops about your offer. And after it’s all said and done, you can use paid ads to follow up with the people who may have missed out during the launch window.
Paid ads are an underutilized strategy, especially by small businesses, to make your launch even more of a success.
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The Benefits of Paid Ads in a Product Launch
I’m a fan of paid ads for all business owners looking to extend their reach, but ads are especially helpful as part of a product launch strategy.
You gain immediate visibility in a crowded market. I can almost guarantee there are other products out there similar to yours, and paid ads put yours above the rest of the competition. You’re more likely to earn more sales if you invest in paid ads.
One reason for that is that paid ads allow you to reach your ideal audience at the moment they’re ready to buy. Precision targeting maximizes your ad spend by only showing your ads to the right audience. There’s no need to waste money showing it to people who aren’t interested!
You can also test your ad messaging and creative in real-time, which improves your conversion rate. If something isn’t working, you know way before your ad budget has run out and can adjust.
Of course, there are other important organic marketing tactics involved in a product launch strategy, but paid ads should definitely be included.
Planning Your Paid Ad Strategy Before the Launch
Don’t run to Google Ads and throw up an ad before thinking through the goals of your product launch strategy and advertising campaign.
Do you want to:
- Bring awareness to your product?
- Increase the number of leads in your pipeline before launch?
- Generate pre-orders or sales?
Your goals will help you target the right people, write clear messaging, build a budget, and provide a benchmark when looking at conversion rates and other analytics.
- Build your audience segments (lookalike audiences, retargeting pools, email lists)
- Craft messaging that builds anticipation (teasers, countdowns, exclusive offers, or discounts)
- How much to spend at each stage of awareness
Considering these points before you start paying for ads will improve your ROI.
Pre-Launch Paid Ad Plan
What strategies work best when launching a new product? The goal here is to build buzz, grow your target audience, and ensure your official launch gets traction and sales right away.
Build an Early Interest List
Run lead generation ads with a “coming soon” angle to get an interest list going. You can offer early access to the product, a discount, or an exclusive offer for signing up early.
This is an amazing strategy because it gives you an idea of how successful your product launch will be and how you might need to adjust before your official launch.
A list of ten versus a list of two hundred tells two very different stories!
Run Teaser Campaigns
Use short, curiosity-driven ads to hint at what’s coming without giving away the full details. You want to tease and drive interest without fully launching your product yet.
Here are some examples:
- Blurred product photos
- Countdown ads
- Bold statements like, “Something big is dropping in 7 days!”
Retarget Warm Audiences
Retargeting ads can be helpful to re-engage people who have already indicated some sort of interest in your product. Maybe they visited your website, engaged with your teaser content, or joined your waitlist.
Send a reminder, sneak peek, or extra incentives to stay engaged throughout the pre-launch period.
Geotargeting (if local or event-based)
If you want to target local audiences, use geotargeting where your launch will have the biggest impact. This is the perfect pre-product launch strategy for local service businesses, events, or product rollouts.
Urgency Campaigns
In the last few days before your official launch, run ads with a countdown. It builds FOMO and keeps your launch top of mind, allowing people to make buying decisions before doors open.
Launch-Day Paid Ad Tactics
It’s launch day! Now, we want our paid ads to build excitement, create a sense of urgency, and convert.
Announce Loud and Clear
Run ads across all your key platforms to officially announce your product launch. Make your ad creative big and bold so it’s clear right away that your product is now available to purchase.
Leverage Your Pre-Launch Audience
Don’t forget about those people who were interested in your product before launch day! Retarget everyone who signed up for your waitlist, engaged with teaser ads, or visited your landing page. These people are most likely to convert.
Create Urgency
Use different urgency tactics to encourage sales right away. You don’t want people to sit around and miss out on your product or exclusive offer.
Here are some examples of launch day incentives you can use to encourage sales:
- Bonus gift
- Discount
- Free upgrade
- Exclusive content
Use Multiple Ad Formats
Different ad formats can resonate with different audiences. Use a mix to present your offer in different ways.
- Video ads: Showcase the product in action.
- Carousel ads: Highlight features or package options.
- Story/Reels ads: Quick launch announcements.
- Search ads: Capture intent-driven buyers searching for your brand on Google.
Boost Organic Wins
Remember when I said organic strategies were important during a launch period, too? It’s because you can use those as test campaigns before committing to paid ads outright.
If an Instagram Reel is doing really well, put $50-$100 behind it to extend its reach. If an influencer posts about your launch and it’s resonating with your audience, turn it into a paid ad. Screenshot positive comments from your organic posts and use them in boosted ads.
Get creative with how you reuse organic content!
Post-Launch Paid Ad Strategy
Your product launch has come and gone, but it doesn’t mean your work is over.
Run ads to people who clicked your launch ads or visited your site but didn’t purchase your product. You can re-engage them in your campaign by:
- Offering an extra bonus or discount
- Reframing the offer
- Sharing testimonials and reviews from your customers
- Highlighting complementary products or bundles
They might not have converted during the launch period, but you might get some extra sales for the people who have FOMO about missing your offer.
Using Ads to Support Your Product Launch Strategy
Paid ads amplify your product launch at every stage of the launch, from teasing your offer to following up with people who missed out during the launch window.
Do you have a big product launch coming up? Partner with Woods MarCom to manage a paid ads campaign to make your launch even more successful! Explore my paid ads services and inquire today.
FAQs About Product Launch Strategy
Product launches often fail because of a mix of strategy, timing, and execution issues. The most common reason is a lack of understanding of your audience. You don’t know who you’re talking to, the platforms they engage with, or why they would be interested in your product.
A product launch roadmap is a strategic plan that outlines the timeline, goals, and activities leading up to, during, and after a product launch. It keeps everyone on the same page, so a product launch feels coordinated and organized.
A release is the moment a product becomes available to the public. A launch is an entire marketing strategy surrounding the release of a product.
