The case for a slower launch

Everyone pictures launch day the same way: a countdown, a queue around the corner and a cork hitting the ceiling.

What we usually see instead is a typo in the headline, a contact form that emails nobody and a founder refreshing their inbox at midnight. There is a calmer way to do it.

What a soft launch is

A soft launch means opening the doors quietly, to a small group, a week or two before you tell the world. The site is live, the shop is taking orders, and only your friendliest customers know.

What goes wrong in week one

Something always does. After more than 60 launches, we can nearly predict the list:

• A link that points at the old website.

• A photo that looked fine on a laptop and enormous on a phone.

• A payment step nobody tested with a real card.

• An opening time that changed last month.

None of these is a disaster when fifty kind people spot it. Each one stings when five thousand strangers do.

How we run one

Our soft launches follow the same three beats, whatever the size of the business.

Week one: friends and regulars

Invite the people who already like you. Send them a personal note, not a newsletter, and tell them they’re seeing it first.

What to ask them

Keep it to two questions: “Did anything confuse you?” and “What did you look for and not find?” You’ll learn more from those than from any survey.

Week two: fix and listen

Mend what they found. Resist adding new ideas; this fortnight is for repairs, not renovations.

Then: the big day

Now send the announcement, pop the cork and enjoy it. The queue can form, because you already know the doors open properly.

Quiet first or straight to loud?

Here is how the two approaches compare.

You still get your party

Launching slowly doesn’t mean launching sadly. The big day arrives a fortnight later, and you get to enjoy it instead of firefighting.

Planning a launch of your own? Book a 30 minute call and we’ll help you pace it.