Creating an innovative and exceptional product is the first step to success, but those without effective messaging and a high impact product launch are likely to struggle to reach target audiences and revenue goals. PR plays a crucial role in every successful product launch and can help deliver media coverage, attention from target audiences, and turn up the volume on everything and everyone surrounding your new release.
In this article, we explain the role and value of PR within a product launch strategy, alongside five of our top tried-and-tested PR tips to ensure a successful product launch in the aesthetics, beauty, and wellness industries.
The value of a product launch plan
A product launch plan defines how you will position your product in the market, engage target audiences and create a strong first impression among press, influencers and customers. The PR coverage you secure will help educate target audiences on your product’s benefits and why it’s different – aka why should customers choose it!
The beauty, aesthetics, and wellness industries thrive on NEWNESS and you only get to launch a brand once, so make it count! The success of a product launch is often measured by immediate sales, however your launch also plays a key role in setting foundations for future long-term success – generating a memorable brand requires multiple consumer ‘touchpoints’ and experiences, across various channels, so it is very much a marathon not a sprint.
The role of PR in a product launch strategy
A PR team has a huge responsibility within a product launch strategy in the aesthetics, beauty, and wellness industries. Our main objective is to secure coverage and attention for the new product in a highly-competitive and crowded marketplace. An agency’s role is to prepare a detailed PR launch plan which is perfectly synchronised with the new product hitting the market and aligned with other marketing channels – including social/digital, advertising and in-store/clinic merchandising. An effective PR launch plan will cover 3 pivotal moments:
- Building pre-launch anticipation
- Generating a buzz for launch
- Maintaining momentum post-launch with on-message coverage and customer engagement
Timing is everything when launching a new product. For example, if you start promoting your new product too soon ahead of the ‘on-shelf date’ , some potential customers may have forgotten about it by the time it’s available to buy. An accomplished PR team, like Kendrick PR, will devise a perfectly balanced PR launch plan aligned to your overall product launch strategy, timeline and goals.
How to lead a successful product launch PR plan
A successful product launch involves lots of moving parts and deadlines, so coordination and communication between all stakeholders is essential. Select your product launch team and ensure you have a representative or specialist from key areas in the business such as product/technology, operations, manufacturing, marketing and of course, PR!
Once you start to discuss ideas and build out your tactics with your team, keep the following points in mind:
- Have an in-depth understanding of the product and the market: this information is central to every product launch plan. You need to fully understand your product’s features and benefits, how it compares to others, the problem it solves and what people feel about it’s product category.
- Evaluate the impact of the product: will your product have a big impact in the market or to your company? Bigger impact products will warrant a bigger PR launch plan, supporting tactics, and budget.
- Know your customers well: learn as much as possible about your potential customers and target audiences – always consider your product needs and benefits from their perspective.
- Stay flexible: plans will change so be prepared for delays, it’s important to listen and be open to change to achieve your deliverables.
Tip! A synchronised product launch plan is typically one that delivers success.
5 PR tips for a successful product launch in the beauty industry
Understanding how to use PR to launch a product in the aesthetics, beauty, and wellness industries is key to ensuring long-term success for your business through increased sales, a loyal customer base and an expanding product portfolio. Below are our top 5 PR tips for a successful product launch in our hyper-competitive market:
1 Set a realistic budget
The PR budget for your product launch must cover your short-term launch activity and long-term maintenance activity. Whilst your PR launch is likely to generate the most coverage, it’s recommended to sustain an element of press engagement to remain relevant and establish your long-term market position. Focus your launch budget on media that engages your target audiences and spread your budget across a few different activities to maximise your chance of success. A product launch budget doesn’t have to be huge but if you have big goals to hit, then the amount you invest into your PR launch activity should reflect this.
2 Define your target audiences
Create clear profiles of your target customers or audiences as early as possible in your PR launch plan, as they will determine where to focus your PR efforts and which PR tactics to deploy. Be careful not to make your target market too narrow as you risk limiting your ROI, but also bear in mind that going too broad means your messaging is likely to get lost in the noise of our crowded industry. Bring each target customer to life with an avatar and describe their likes/dislikes, problems, habits, favourite brands etc. Memorise this information and keep each profile front of mind during any product and PR planning session.
Finally, list all of the places online and offline where your product needs to be featured to get the attention of your target audiences.
3 Define your messaging & stick to it
Once you’ve defined your new product’s USPs and messaging, use this consistently across all platforms and channels, online and offline. This omnichannel and “always on” presence will support your product positioning and help to instil trust and confidence in your brand amongst all target audiences, including customers and the media. For example, consistent messaging should be shared in your PR materials such as press releases, event invitations, and social media influencer campaign briefs.
4 Plan the perfect campaign timeline
The whole product launch process can be as long as a year, so get planning well in advance to ensure that your PR campaign hits the market at the right time. Once you have defined the date (or month) that your product will go on sale, it’s time to get planning your all-important PR launch plan. Whilst you will want to generate buzz ahead of your product launch date, it’s important to achieve maximum impact in the first weeks that the product arrives and get those sales rolling in. Remember, timing is everything!
5 Invest in professional PR support
The success of any new product launch hinges on differentiation and a robust approach to market entry led by an experienced, passionate team. You only get one chance to launch your product into each market and without the right skills and network your product is at risk of going unnoticed at its most critical time. At Kendrick PR, our bespoke product launch strategy service is designed especially for premium brands who want to find their place of value in the aesthetics, beauty, and wellness industries.
Book a PR discovery call with Kendrick PR
Our accomplished brand strategists understand how to get your new brand or product into the market and ahead of the competition – we have proven expertise in B2B launches for the aesthetic market, as well as a breadth of experience in B2C beauty and wellness brand launches. An effective product launch strategy is critical for future business success, so if you’d like to work with us on a high-impact launch for your new product or brand, please do get in touch!