After working with 100+ startups, I have seen . . .

• A SaaS get 10,000 users in 1 day
• A DTC hit $1.5M in 3 days
• A Book hit #1 on Amazon in 48 hrs

Here are the launch tactics that changed everything for these companies.

1/ Work backwards from the launch date

Setup your strategy into 3 phases: 1/ Pre-launch Strategy 2/ Launch Strategy 3/ Post-Launch This framework is outlined in @JeffWalker book Launch.

2/ Design a Thunderclap Launch Plan

Time all of your efforts to hit at once making a “thunderclap”. From PR and podcast interviews to your launch day email and ads, all of your resources are concentrated on launch day.

3/ Build a Waitlist BEFORE Launch

Your launch is only as good as your waitlist. Whether it’s ProductHunt, Kickstarter, or your own website, create a waitlist 3 months pre-launch. Tip: Nurture this list leading up to the launch.

4/ Engineer List Growth with Referrals

How to turbo charge your waitlist? Turn your potential customers into marketers with referrals.

Some examples: Harrys had tiered referrals

• Invite 5 friends = Get shaving cream
• Invite 25 friends = Get Winston Shave Set

4b/ RobinhoodApp Launched with Scarcity & FOMO

4c/ Girlfriend Collective Gave Away Their Product at Launch

When Girlfriend Collective launched they asked you to share on social in exchange for free leggings.

This tactic got picked up by places like Refinery29, VOGUE, etc.

4d/ The Growth Marketer’s Playbook Referral Giveaway

When I launched my book, I did a giveaway valued at $4k. People could increase their chance of winning by posting on multiple channels.

This helped me get my book to #1 on Amazon! 

5/ Run a Giveaway Valued at Over $500

Yes, Giveaways are annoying but they work. They can be a great way to grow a list.

TIP: Make the value over $500 to drive interest. Also, make the rewards aligned with the product so you get quality emails.

6/ Seed Product with Partners

Whether it’s a SaaS or shoes, give your product to evangelist pre-launch. They can promote your company to their network.

• 50 customer evangelists
• 50 partners / Influencers
• 50 friends

Love @LeandraMedine collab w/ @OutdoorVoices

7/ A Launch Email Sequence for The Big Day

One framework to test out is the Soap Opera series from @russelbrunson

TIP: The money is in the reminder email!

8/ Fine, Lets Make a Viral Video

Yes, you want to go viral. Yes, you want a video. Yes, it’s hard.

Here are my favorite examples:

Bala Nursing Shoes: This helped them hit $1.5M in 7 days of launch. (Everyone in this video is a real nurse.)

8b/ Tommee Tippee Wipes

They did engineering as marketing where you make a product designed to make noise and sell other products. Their “Advice Wipes” product did just that. @tommeetippee_UK

8c/ Dollar Shave Club We have all seen this one.

It’s a classic and worth a rewatch.

9/ Amplify Launch Day with Paid Ads

You’re options for ads:

• OPTION 1: Make ads that go for the sales or the sign up. The ad should be direct w/ your offer.
• OPTION 2: Make ads that ask for the share. The shareable content should be something people want on their own feed.

10/ Leverage Launch Platforms Aggregators

Here is a list of 100 places to launch your startup thanks to @IndieHackers

11/ Activate Media Partners

Can you partner with another company, blog or organization w/ a big following to accelerate your reach on launch day.

Universal Standard was able to partner with Buzzfeed’s insane list to pull this off.

12/ Podcast Tour

From small podcasts in your niche to the biggest on that’ll take you, start your podcast tour 3 weeks before the launch so they all land on launch week.

Here is a guide on how to pull it off.

13/ Offline Activation

Want to pair your online launch with offline events then go for it. That could be a pop up, crashing a conference or a publicity stunt.

WarbyParker did a guerrilla marketing stunt at NY Fashion Week.

14/ Create Open Space on Launch Day to Be Engaged

As much as you can, have everything scheduled ahead of time and delegate manual tasks. You want to be able to react to customers or ride any momentum that can come from launch day.

15/ Need a Launch Checklist

From outlining a launch strategy to building your first 12 month growth strategy, here is the playbook VC-backed brands use to launch and scale.

• Outline of a Launch Plan
• 12 Month Growth Calendar Hope it helps!

Hope it helps!

That’s a wrap! If you enjoyed this thread:

1. Follow me @JimWHuffman for more of these
2. RT the tweet below to share this thread with your audience

The right launch strategy can make you millions.

After working with 100+ startups, I have seen . . .

A SaaS get 10,000 users in 1 day
A DTC hit $1.5M in 3 days
A Book hit #1 on Amazon in 48 hrs

Here are the launch tactics that changed everything for these companies.

(See 🧵)

— Jim Huffman (@JimWHuffman) August 2, 2022

Please also make sure to check these articles:

• 7 Successful Product Launch Examples That’ll Inspire You
• How We Launched A Product with a 12% Conversion Rate