It’s time we PR people stop the babble about “the launch.” This is the definition of self-importance. The cavemen didn’t even talk about something new as though it were the end-all and the only celebratory aspect of their bleak lives. We should know better.
Enough, please! Everyone realizes the Beta does not exist –it’s an old-hat marketing ploy. To get something done, and seen, you must show it to folks along the way and make people feel a part of the process. So with no further pre-rambling, here is a list of ways to launch in what is now late 00s.
It’s just a launch. You got to know by now that no one really wants to hear that you have something new. Once the value sets in, please, by all means, shout out. But until then act like it’s already available and you just want it known to the world as the piece you’re proudest of.
Tell folks – subtly - you are testing something (Hello, Alpha!) Let them in on it. Remember, this is an open source world.
Don’t worry about the competitors—anyone and everyone should know you did a good job. Scare the crap out of them too. Everyone talks about competitive advantage and losing market share; in this case you are the first mover and I hope the best one. Let them try and copy you; no one will be better. It’s up to you to be resolute. Pump your chest out and stand behind your evolving, beautiful thing!
You are one of 10 million ideas being released into the stratosphere; don’t forget: you cannot invent the wheel, sliced wheat bread, or the next Google. (Or, aha, even the next Bad Pitch Blog. Oh!)
The date is so not important. Not ever. Never. No. Nyet! Dates are a man-made phenomenon. It’s just a date. Maybe your investors need to know by when will I be able to see this new contraption…but, alas, the world does not care about your date. They just want to know it’s ready for consumption. We had a client in 08, of all years, who said no way could we even tell a blogger until the day it launched, as if on that day the stars and moon would collide in honor of the big day. Gees. So just remember to…
Share. (See #2.) Do it some more. When people feel involved with a property they want more of it. I once met a Broadway producer, he who raises lots of money every day, and he said: “If you want people involved, never tell them it’s done. ‘The show is still being worked on.’ They’ll want to share the process.”
Two words: "Tell me." Ask folks what they think; get surveys, start chats. Get input. Give away prizes. Whatever it takes to make folks get all WOM-y here.
Stop pretending it will be “ready and then we’ll market it” – no one believes that theory we used to use all the time: You are marketing it the second you talk about it to the strato/twitter/Face/blogosphere.
Once you do have people who love it, then brag about what you’ve done. There’s nothing wrong with it. I said be subtle above; but like Sondheim said, “Don’t put yourself down—let others do that, they usually do.” Anyway, if you don’t brag no one else will. Give folks the adjectives to use (do I have to tell you people only say what they heard someone else say?). Keep in mind it’ll get better; give away some ideas of what features are coming.
Repeat, rinse, repeat. You did something new – well guess what? “Here: 2.0” is something you care about. No one else can see the diff. So don’t, please don’t, make a big deal out of every little nook and cranny you change. Remember that the people you are promoting are the ones who INVENTED hype. They will roll their eyes and laugh out loud. And that laughter will reverberate.
The story of the fake Beta is something I’ve been ranting on for a while. I mean, Google Alerts (BETA)? Come on! Everything is in test mode and it’s time people stopped using that term for every “new idea.” Just don’t use beta cause we all know it’s just a slogan for new and improved. Introduce things as something new, how totally innovative.
Peeps, it’s true: "the launch" is the past. Some fabulous Web destination, your new gizmo, a tremendously colorful cover of a book – they all go up one day and are here tomorrow! And the next day. And the next. Don’t attach dates like kids do with midnight on New Years Eve—the fireworks and all—just make sure what you have out there is what you want to show, even if it’s not quite perfect. Correction: especially if it’s not perfect.
I know distributors want to hear you have a date, so okay make one up. But TELL EVERYONE it’s here – that’s it - and you’re happy and clapping your hands. And most of all, you want their advice on making the neo-launched idea the best that it can be.
Happy Tuesday!
Twitter @laermer
Launching something in "Beta" isn't just a marketing ploy...it's also an invitation for people/users to comment on the service/website and offer suggestions for improvement. It's a way of saying: we're open to your ideas and we're listening to your needs. It's a way to show that there's always room for improvement - and to invite others to participate in the perfecting of a product.
ReplyDeleteBeta is ok for software to indicate that maybe a loyal customer is trusted and valued enough to get a sneak peak at something new. Pre-release, whatever. But the reality is that all software is one big beta test. There are always bugs, therefore it's never really done.
ReplyDeleteNow you could never have beta testing in say, the auto industry. "We hope to remove the kinks in the steering during the next update." Or medicine "Sorry about the rectal bleeding- we'll have someone start troubleshooting that and hopefully a patch will come out in the next release."
I agree that in an open source world, launches are a thing of the past. I always believe in launching early, telling everyone, and adapt on the fly. I've seen many an idea I had done at some point by someone after I thought of it. There's really no original ideas anymore, or at least none that someone won't think of eventually. Success is really in the execution and making every part of the idea fire on all cylinders.
I'd love to see a follow up post about how NDA's are complete BS also. I generally refuse to sign them because I've never seen anyone who really had an idea need one - usually it's when someone has a crappy idea they need to "protect" themselves.
Launches and NDA's I'm sure go hand in hand. I always tell people that I'm too busy to steal their ideas, so just tell me or leave me alone.
That model is all and good in the traditional startup mind set. But is next to impossible for public companies to follow from a PR perspective. Either the product etc… is public knowledge or it's not.
ReplyDeleteRegFD throws a wrench in the "PR 2.0" model that a lot of people don't think about. Being able to "launch" a product or feature yet still follow RegFD and keep the SEC happy require walking a fine line.
I beg to differ. First, those of us in the music industry have used "launch" weekly. We called it "out of the box" referring to when radio stations received your "record" and you soared up the charts (=$$$$).
ReplyDeleteSecond, I helped U S West (now Qwest) market the nation's first DSL in Phoenix. This was a beta before being rolled out throughout the nation.
The problem, Richard, is that a lot of PR firms are set-up for launch. They really don't know what else to do except launch things -- they move from one launch to the next. That's why we get launches for Version 2.35879 - which is basically a launch of patches to fix all the bugs.
ReplyDeleteBut I like you're thinking. Here's the new motto: There's really is no free launch.
So timely for me -- I am about to launch a new site and I've struggled a lot with how to handle these issues -- beta or no beta? (going with beta for the reasons Termeh stated) wait for perfection or just get it out there? (waiting for near-perfection) lay low at first or go out big right away? (leaning toward the latter)... Loved hearing your opinion on these issues.
ReplyDeletePart of the 'launch' concept was the idea that there was a mass media vehicle for delivering your message from one-to-many overnight.
ReplyDeleteThat model is crumbling fast.
A hard and fast launch might make sense for a niche B2B product and it might be necessary for publicly-traded companies or those who require FDA approval etc. But it is time to re-think the launch. Great blog post.