How to Launch Your Next Product on Instagram (1/2)

Welcome to the ultimate guide on “How to Launch Your Next Product on Instagram.” In today’s digital age, Instagram has become a powerful platform for product launches, offering a vast audience, engaging features, and innovative tools to build anticipation and excitement around your new offerings. Whether you’re an established brand or a budding entrepreneur, mastering the art of product launches on Instagram can significantly impact your success and sales.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through step-by-step strategies, best practices, and insider tips to ensure a successful and impactful product launch on the world’s favorite visual platform. Get ready to unleash the full potential of Instagram and take your product launch to new heights!

Why Instagram Is the Ideal Social Media Platform for Product Launches

For a successful product launch without paid marketing, you need a social media platform with excellent organic reach and engagement. Instagram stands out with relatively high median rates for both. According to RivalIQ’s 2022 Instagram Stories Benchmark Report, Instagram stories reach about 5% of your total followers on average. Smaller accounts perform even better. The median engagement rate on Instagram is 0.67%, higher than other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. To engage your audience effectively, utilize Instagram’s various features, such as Reels, Stories, and interactive stickers. While an Instagram shop isn’t mandatory, it can boost sales.

#1: How to Launch a Product Using Native Instagram Tools

One of the most significant mistakes brands make during product launches is neglecting to create anticipation beforehand. Failing to build hype until the product is already available in stores means missing out on numerous opportunities to excite prospective customers about your new offer. That’s why the initial and crucial step in preparing for a product launch is teasing it.

To tease and amplify a product launch on Instagram, employ these tactics to engage your audience and generate buzz for your latest digital or physical products.

Announce New Products in Instagram Broadcast Channels

One of the latest strategies to create excitement for upcoming launches is to announce them through broadcast channels. This approach offers unique advantages, as content delivered directly to subscribers’ DMs tends to receive a higher percentage of views compared to feed or Stories announcements.

While subscribers can’t comment on broadcast channel updates, they can still react to the content and share it to their stories. This encourages sharing of the new products you unveil, helping to spread the word and grow your channel.

However, it’s worth noting that as of May 2023, broadcast channels’ availability remains relatively limited. They have been introduced to a select group of creator accounts, such as @zuck, who frequently utilizes his Meta channel to share new projects and tease upcoming features.

Tease Product Launches With Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories serves as the perfect format for teasing new products due to two key reasons. Firstly, stories automatically archive after 24 hours, eliminating concerns about non-evergreen content on your grid. Secondly, story stickers offer a wide array of interactive options to create engaging content for your upcoming launch.

A successful tactic utilized by my social media clients involves using Instagram’s poll and question stickers to initiate conversations about the forthcoming products. For instance, poll stickers are employed to inquire which features (e.g., flavors, colors, or other qualities) followers desire for the brand’s next product.

To ensure effectiveness, all poll choices should represent options or features you plan to launch. This way, no matter which option followers choose, they can still anticipate the new product.

While poll stickers are excellent for gauging interest, question stickers allow for more in-depth interactions with your audience. By using question stickers, you can prompt followers to inquire about new features or make guesses about the upcoming product. Responding to the best responses with new stories further amplifies excitement and buzz around the launch.

Build Anticipation With Instagram Countdowns and Reminders

Instagram Stories offer valuable support for product launches through reminder and countdown stickers. These tools are among Instagram’s best for building anticipation. With reminders, you can create in-app events, like product launches, and promote them across Stories and the feed. Users can opt to receive alerts about your launch date, increasing their likelihood to participate and make a purchase.

To set up reminders, you need to create a feed post with an attached event first. Once the event is created, you can add a Scheduled sticker to an Instagram story and choose from the events you’ve set up. This allows anyone who views the story to tap and get a reminder about your upcoming launch date.

On the other hand, countdown stickers work similarly to reminders but with some distinctions. They don’t require setup via the feed, making them exclusive to Stories. Not only can users opt for notifications, but these stickers also encourage them to share the countdown on their own stories. This makes countdowns an excellent way to spread the word about an upcoming launch.

For effective cross-promotion, you can use both Stories and the feed, as demonstrated by the @shopbando story and reel combination. The story utilizes a countdown sticker to boost interest and awareness around the launch, allowing users to tap for an in-app reminder and share it on their own stories.