Ready

ReadyTo Launch
To Launch
A Marketing Guide & Calendar To Plan Your Next Launch

Whether it’s introducing your new brand or

revealing your updated website, “launch time”
is a great opportunity to get an increase in
attention to your business.
But, in order to succeed in capitalizing on that attention, you have to
be prepared. I know just how overwhelming it can be to not only plan a
tactical launch, but also come up with a timeline for accomplishing each
necessary task before the big day.

It feels like there are a million little things to think of and hardly enough
time to do them. That’s why I’ve created this guide. To help you keep your
sanity while planning a thoughtful and effective launch strategy. Let’s
begin!

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This launch guide will not only lead you through how to develop a
marketing plan around your launch, but it will help you organize your
thoughts into actionable tasks and plan those tasks well in advance of
your launch day.

Here’s a preview of how you’ll use each section of

this guide:

Go through the marketing ideas list and determine which tactics you want
to implement to promote your launch.

Write out a comprehensive list of all the tasks associated with

each promotion strategy.

Prioritize each task and plot them out down to the day using the Launch
Calendar + Checklist Spreadsheet in this guide.

Start tackling those tasks and getting ready for your big launch!

My hope is that this guide brings you clarity and structure so you can rest
easy knowing that you’re taking every advantage of making your launch a
success! Now, let’s get started building your promotion plan!

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The first thing you’ll want to do before you plan

your launch is determine what kind of marketing
and outreach you want to plan for.

Throughout this section are various marketing ideas (with examples!) for
you incorporate in your brainstorm as you determine how you want to
build anticipation leading up to your launch. Your job is to pick and choose
what you want to include in your promotion plan.

Be cautious though, launches can often feel overwhelming, so don’t

feel pressure to do it ALL. Instead, be mindful of your time and choose
what feels right for your brand. Keep in mind that you want this to be an
enjoyable process!

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PERSONAL OUTREACH

• Email five peers/friends letting them know about your

launch.

Try sharing with them your brand board or a sneak peek of your website and ask
for their feedback or thoughts. If your relationship is close enough you could even
include something like:

“I can’t believe the launch is almost here! I’m excited and nervous for the website
to go live. If you’d be willing, I would so appreciate you sharing the link with your
community on launch day [Insert date here]. I’ve pre-written a tweet below to
save you the time, but feel free to put your own spin on it. If not, no worries. I just
appreciate the feedback and consideration!”

You never know, maybe one of them will respond asking you to guest post for them!

• Email five websites asking if you can write a guest post

for Launch Day.

If you’re just getting started and don’t have a large social media audience to promote
to, it might be a good idea to try and tap into brands with existing audiences. Think of
sites that a) take guest contributors & b) have an audience that aligns with your ideal
audience. Then, email pitch them a blog post idea (or better yet, go ahead and write
the whole post!) Let them know you’re a small business trying to get off the ground
and would they mind using your post on your launch date or shortly thereafter. You’ll
never know if you don’t ask!

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BLOGGING

• Write a “Sneak Preview” post sharing insights from the

branding process.

Do you have an existing blog? If so, the branding process is a great opportunity to
share with your audience in a meaningful way AND remind them that your launch is
coming up!

Which parts of the process did you find most fun? Which parts did you find most
challenging? Did the process spark any ideas about how you want to steer the future
of your business? These are all great things to share with your readers while you
promote the big launch.

• Cue up a blog post to share on Launch Day revealing

your new brand.

The point of this Launch Day post is less about bringing eyeballs to your new
site (because, hello, if they’re already reading your blog, they made it to the site!).
However, it does create an easy way for people to share your launch on social media
and it provides something interesting for people to immediately interact with when
they land on your new site.

Make sure to include a brand board image in this blog post because these types
of images tend to be popular on Pinterest! You might also want to include photos
throughout the process so your readers can appreciate the journey you went through
to get to your final brand!

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EMAIL MARKETING

• Announce your launch date in an email to your list.

Have an existing email list? Great! Incorporate your launch date into your already-
scheduled programming OR create an email campaign entirely around the upcoming
launch. Email subscribers are likely the most engaged faction of your audience, so
share with them why you decided to re-brand in the first place, how the process has
been for you, or what you hope to accomplish in the future.

• Create a new email template with your updated

branding to reveal on Launch Day.

If you use design features in your email subscription manager (like Mailchimp) then
it’s a good idea to update whatever graphics you have with your new branding so
that your email on Launch Day feels consistent with the new look. You can do this by
creating a new template ahead of time so that when it comes time to write and send
your Launch Day email, your new branding will already be ready!

• Write/schedule a Launch Day email.

This might go without saying, but you should definitely send out an email to your
mailing list on Launch Day letting them know your new site is live. Find a way
to capture the authentic excitement of Launch Day if you plan to pre-write and
schedule this email. Give your readers a visual image that conveys the look and feel
of your new site, but make sure the most prominent part of the email is an obvious
call to action (big button or link) that sends people over to check out the new site!

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L A U N C H D AY E V E N T S

• Plan a Launch Day event or giveaway.

If you decide you want to come up with a launch party (whether real or virtual), there
are definitely going to be some to-do items involved in preparing for that. That’s why
you want to brainstorm any big Launch Day ideas well ahead of time.

Remember, the goal is to get people excited for your brand and get them spending
time on the new website. Sit down and brainstorm some ideas on how to accomplish
all that, and then write a separate task list so you can knock things out one by one.

Instead of a launch party, my friend Morgan did something really smart and on-brand
for her website launch. She did a “Swear Word Scavenger Hunt” giveaway. Morgan is
a small-and-sassy designer who is unapologetic about her love of cursing (which is a
great example of being radically authentic to attract her ideal customers!). So when
her new website (alittlecreative.net) launched, she ran a scavenger hunt to see if
her audience could locate every swear word on her site (7 or so in total). The winner
received a prize pack full of colorful and irreverent paper goods/accessories.

Talk about a brilliant way to make sure that a) people explore every page of your site
and b) that the RIGHT people are the one’s engaging with your site. Take a note from
Morgan and let the creativity fly when it comes to your own launch!

• Write out a Launch Day social media posting schedule.

On Launch Day, you’re going to want time in your schedule to interact with all the
fun new people coming to your site AND to fix any mistakes that pop up. You don’t

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want to be worried or frazzled about posting to social media all day. That’s why I
recommend sitting down and scheduling out your tweets/Facebook posts OR at the
least writing down a “schedule” for the day and creating events in your calendar with
reminders so you don’t even have to think about when and what to share!

Speaking of social media... that seems to be one of the most overwhelming parts
of any new brand/website launch for people. With a little pre-planning and fun
though, you can ensure that this important part of the launch process does not get
neglected.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Arguably the biggest way for you to get new audience members to take notice of your
big launch is to get your social media followers excited.

In this section, I’ve provided 14 posts worth of ideas, providing you with unique ways
to talk about and get your audience excited for your launch.

Feel free to use the suggested captions as a base template, but remember to rewrite
them in your own authentic brand voice.

You might want to post once a day for the 2 weeks leading up to Launch Day, or
space these posts out according to the frequency that you normally post. Do what
feels comfortable to you, but either way I’d recommend having dates in place for each
post leading up to the big launch.

Post Ideas:

Something’s Coming...

• Photo: A graphic or photo vaguely

indicating something is coming soon.

• Example Caption: “Big changes are on

the horizon for [Insert Brand Name.] I can’t
wait to share more as things progress,
but I’m incredibly excited for this next
chapter!”
@golivehq

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Official Launch Date Reveal! (Launch Day

Fun Optional)

• Photo: Calendar or graphic with launch

date and/or launch day details

• Example Caption: “Mark your calendars!

The new [Insert Brand Name] website
will officially be live on [Insert Launch
Date.] Join me during our Twitter party
(#brandnamelaunch) where I”ll be giving @caitlinpowelldesign

away one free course! Can’t wait!”

Hard At Work

• Photo: A personal photo of you in your

“creation zone.”

• Example Caption: “My days are looking

more and more like this lately, but it will
all be worth it once the new [Insert Brand
Name] is launched. I can hardly wait to
share it with you guys. Dreaming up lots of
new and helpful goodies for you!” @laurenelizhook

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Color Palette/Mood Board Sneak

• Photo: A clever way of revealing bits of

your new color palette. Could be Pantone
swatches, a screen shot snippet of your
mood board, etc.

• Example Caption: “Here’s a sneak peek

of the new color palette! I love how [tone
word #1] and [tone word #2] it feels. I can’t
@golivehq
stop staring! Hope you guys love it as
much as I do. Looking forward to [Launch
Date] when I can reveal the whole picture!”

Mission/Benefit/Brand Belief Statement

• Photo: Share a tagline, your mission, or

a benefit that your new brand provides.
Bonus: make it feel branded in your new
colors/fonts!

• Example Caption: “So much of this

branding process has been about getting
clear on why I started my business and
what I want to share with you guys. This @sianricho

helps sum that up. I believe [Insert Belief

Here]… “

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Website Sneak Peek (or Splash Page

Reveal)

• Photo: Screenshot of your Splash Page or

a snippet of your website.

• Example Caption: “It’s almost here! My

digital home is about to get a fresh coat
of paint. Until [Launch Date], this page will
have to do!”
@pinegateroad

Tone Words/Brand Values

• Photo: A creative way of capturing

your tone words or values on paper, in a
graphic, or in a notebook.

• Example Caption: “These are the things I

value and what I’m hoping the new brand
will demonstrate in this next chapter. If
these values resonate with you, then I
@sianricho
know you’re going to want to check out
the new site when it goes live [Launch
Date.]”

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Taking a break

• Photo: Share something interesting that

you’re doing on your “off hours” as you get
ready for the launch.

• Example Caption: “Been working hard to

get ready for the big launch but taking a
break today to enjoy nature and recharge
my batteries. I’ll be back at it tomorrow,
but for now I’m going to soak up this rest.” @sianricho

Final touches!

• Photo: Another website screenshot

(maybe more of a glimpse of the home
page.)

• Example Caption: “Putting the final

touches on the site. The big launch is only
days away and I can’t wait to share what
I’ve been working on!”
@pinegateroad

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Countdown

• Photo: A branded photo with the number

of days until launch.

• Example Caption: “Just two more days

until the new [Your Brand Name] site
is revealed. Be sure to check back here
on Instagram for details on the launch
giveaway! #getexcited”

@cinnamonwolfephotography

Site is LIVE!

• Photo: Creative way to say “it’s LIVE!” or

“Launch Day!”

• Example Caption: “It’s finally here! I’ve

been waiting so long for this day to arrive
so I can finally share with you the brand
new [insert website.]!! I’m so proud of the
final brand and website, and I hope you
enjoy it too. Visit the blog for regular posts
@prairielettershop
on [insert your blog topic or tell them what
they can expect on your site/why they
should check back…]”

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General Excitement/Celebration

• Photo: Champagne, confetti, party

emojis…whatever you want to convey
excitement.

• Example Caption: “If there was ever a

reason to bust out the champagne at
11am - it’s today! Partying it up in the name
of Launch Day shenanigans. Mosey on
over to [Insert website] to check out the @golivehq

brand new digital home of [Your Brand

Name.]”

Website Reveal on Tablet

• Photo: Tablets are fun to use as photo

props because you can share a cool
backdrop around your website design.

• Example Caption: “Have you checked out

the new [Insert Website] yet? One of my
favorite features is that it’s equally easy to
read on tablet or mobile. Hope you like it,
especially [insert your favorite part of the
@promisetangeman
new site.]”

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Brand Board Reveal

• Photo: A snippet of your brand board

with new logo/color palette.

• Example Caption: “I’m thrilled with the

final updated look and feel of the [Insert
Name] brand! Here’s a look at the new
brand board (on the blog.) I wanted the
color palette to feel [x, y, z] and reflect the
@laurenelizhook
personality of [Your Brand Name.] Hope
you guys like it too!”

In general, try to alternate between the brand identity itself, showing the process,
and keeping things personal. You not only want to tease your new brand visually,
but you want people to connect with you on a human level and understand just how
genuinely excited you are to share your brand!

Remember, while all of these are examples of what other brands have done to
promote the launch of their brands, ask yourself how you can put your own spin on
each idea. Also, don’t be afraid to space these posts out and include other interesting
posts unrelated to the launch. You want to stay top of mind but you don’t want to
sound like a broken record. The key is sharing in a way that feels authentic to your
brand voice!

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Now that you’ve decided how you’re going to

generate buzz and excitement around your
launch, it’s time to get an idea of how to take
action and make your plan happen!

In order to do that, I recommend going back through the last section

and breaking each promotion idea down into its tiniest actionable
parts. Use the worksheet template on the next page to fill in every
small step involved with each promotion tactic. Print out the following
page and fill it out for as many ideas as necessary. Once you have a
comprehensive list, use the Launch Spreadsheet template to list out
your to-dos and schedule them according to your launch schedule.

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Promotion Idea: Promotion Idea:

Task List: Task List:

Promotion Idea: Promotion Idea:

Task List: Task List:

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Now that you have a much better idea of all the tasks involved, click below to
download this Launch Calendar + Checklist spreadsheet template to schedule and
keep track of your progress leading up to your launch date. (This is the only way I stay
sane during the launch process. It allows me to see everything at a glance and get all
the tiny details out of my head and onto “paper!”)

GET THE GOOGLE SPREADSHEET

G E T T H E E XC E L S P R E A DS H E E T

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Are you ready, Freddy? I think you are!

Now that you know how you want to promote your launch and you
know what to do to make it happen, the only thing left to do is put in
the work and get ready for the oodles of love and support you’re going
to receive once your new brand is out into the world. (And if for some
reason you don’t get oodles of support, you know where to find me. I’ll
happily congratulate you on a job well done!)

I hope this mini-guide has left you feeling a little bit less overwhelmed
and little bit more in control of your upcoming launch. Remember, YOU
GOT THIS. Happy launching!

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