🚀 Your Ultimate Q4 Product Launch Checklist is Here!

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Q4 is here, and we all know what that means—peak season for product and promotional launches! With the competition heating up, it’s essential to have every detail in place to ensure your launch goes off without a hitch. Whether you're gearing up for a product debut or a big holiday promo, I've pulled together a checklist that covers all the bases, from your site experience to email, social, and paid media strategies.

Let’s make this Q4 your most successful yet! Ready to dive in?

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Product/Promotion One Sheeter

This document becomes what each stakeholder (creative, developers, etc.) can refer back to with all the information about what is going on. This doc also contains links to the relevant graphics, fonts, etc. so no one gets held up because of missing assets.

This will include:

• What is the promotion or product

• Who is the target customer

• What channels will be activated (paid, earned, website, etc.)

• Launch date & end date (if applicable)

• The goal of promotion (email sign-ups, purchases, subscriptions, etc.)

• Who's in charge of what

• Important dates

Site Experiences

• Make sure there is tailored copy and content blocks for the site to message the product or promotion clearly

• For promotions, make sure that coupon codes all auto apply at checkout, even if someone forgets the cod

• Make sure the collections or product page being featured has been developed with site speed in mind

• Is there enough content to teach someone how to use their products as soon as they receive them? Did we answer the common customer service questions on the promotion or product page?

• Do we need to set up a lander? If so, are we testing 3 different offers or promotions?

• Has the email collection been updated, if needed?

• Is the homepage updated with copy and creativity that reflect a new product launch or new sale? I’d like to talk about Black Friday separately soon, but below is an example of what I mean when I say, if the homepage is updated with copy and creativity that reflect a new product launch or new sale?

Email & SMS

• Is the copy punchy enough, but also explains what the hell this event is? (we sometimes assume the customers to just know without mentioning it)

• Make sure the coupon code auto applying to the URLs, that’s being sent out for emails and texts

• Have a clear launch email and text, 1-2 follow-ups (focused on product education), depending on the period, and a last chance email + text

• Update banner within automated flows to flag the new product or promotion, if needed

Social Media

• Create vanity URLs so they're easy to remember, and looks cleaner as well. On Shopify, you can set up URL Redirects, so you have clean links in your social media bio & IG stories

• Any influencers who are promoting on launch day should also have their own vanity URLs, so you can track their numbers individually

• Have a clear post and caption announcing what the new product or promotion is, and where they can go to learn more. So many people use TikTok and Instagram as search engines today!

• Add a highlight or post with a Q&A for the promotion or product launch

• Be ready to monitor comments if there's paid social spend behind the promotion or product launch

Paid Media

• If you're launching with landing pages, make sure you have those ready to go. Ideally, you have one for existing customers, and at least one for new customers

• Develop a video and static assets to run on your paid channels

• Update branded search copy to reflect the new product launch or site promotion

• Export and update CRM audiences across relevant platforms

• Write some punchy ad copy

Earned Media

• Affiliates, ambassadors, influencers, and editors should all be made aware of an upcoming product launch

• For site promotions, you can tap the affiliate channels of sites like Business Insider, BuzzFeed, etc. to be included in their deal round-ups

• For any UGC/unboxing, make sure each recipient has a card with the main benefits of the product

• Use vanity URLs!

Apps & Software

• Make sure any relevant info is uploaded into Gorgias for customer service inquiries (or other CX app, if you use one)

• Make sure the product is able to collect reviews and that emails are being triggered

• Double-check any Shopify scrips to make sure they're all working as they should for promotions/discounts/etc

• Place multiple test orders in different states to ensure everything is working as it should be from Shopify to the arrival of the new product

In-Store Promotions (the inverse)

• If you have a promotion activating at retail stores, you should support these promotions with light ads online

• Build a landing page where you go deep on the education of the product or sale, what's included, and what store they could find it at. Optimize a conversion campaign for the store locator button!

Packaging

• If it's possible with existing orders going out to customers, drop a postcard announcing the new product or promotion. There's no better touch point than an excited customer who's unboxing your product!

With this checklist, you'll be ahead of the curve and ready to navigate the busiest quarter of the year with ease. Whether it’s a product launch, a promotional push, or preparing for Black Friday, this guide has you covered every step of the way. Let’s turn those ambitious goals into reality and close out the year with a bang!

Keep this checklist handy—and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need some extra guidance. Here's to a wildly successful Q4! 💥

Cheers to smashing it!