Nail Your Product Launch in 2025: A Step-by-Step Guide

Launching a new product is no small feat. With so many moving parts, the journey from concept to market can feel overwhelming—especially if it’s your first time.

Success comes from in-depth research, tight planning, and marketing to the right audience.

In fact, 95% of launches fail to hit their commercial targets, according to a recent analysis by Zero100. That’s why building a strong foundation for your product is key to standing out and driving real results.

Ahead, you’ll learn six steps for a product launch that helps you sell out on day one. 

What is a product launch? 

A product launch is the process of taking a validated product concept to market, turning a finished prototype into something ready for consumers. It brings together teams across product, marketing, sales, and operations to create a go-to-market strategy that builds demand and sustains momentum beyond day one. 

Any time you release a new product into the market, you have an opportunity to connect with people, whether they’re new to your brand or have been loyal for years. A well-executed product launch engages existing customers, attracts new ones, and creates urgency. 

Why is a product launch important?

A successful product launch isn’t optional anymore. With rising competition and AI helping companies uncover product opportunities faster, how you launch can make or break your product’s success.

Here are four data-driven reasons to treat your launch as a high-impact initiative:

• Risk is high. As mentioned, most product launches fail. A proven product launch checklist can improve the chances of releasing a commercial hit.
• Competitive pressure is becoming more intense. Almost all (95%) of consumer product executives say that introducing new products is a top 2025 priority, as per Deloitte’s 2025 Consumer Products Industry Outlook. Your product launch has to break through a crowded market. 
• Budgets are growing. 80% of those same executives plan to increase spending on product innovation in 2025. A weak launch wastes resources and money. 
• Misalignment kills momentum. 85% of go-to-market teams report frequent misalignment between sales, marketing, and R&D. This leads to slower launches and lost revenue, which can easily be avoided with a clear product launch plan. 

Planning your product launch

Different types of products call for different go-to-market strategies, but the planning fundamentals stay the same. 

Nail these pillars down upfront to build a launch plan that goes live on time and outperforms your goals. 

Soft vs. hard launches

Product launches fall into two categories:

1. Soft product launch

A soft launch releases your product to a limited group, like VIPs or beta testers, to gather early customer feedback. It’s a great way to iron out any flaws and refine messaging before going wide. 

For example, a retailer might introduce a new product line to loyalty program members first, then tweak the packaging and product attributes based on reviews. 

2. Hard product launch

A hard launch goes live to your entire target market or customer base on day one. Ads, press releases, promotional events, and influencer collaborations help create hype for the release.

Think of Apple’s iPhone launch every September: a global event followed by an all-out product advertising media blitz—TV spots, billboards, YouTube ads, and more.

Timing your product launch

Launching at the right time is essential to your product’s success. Here are a few factors to consider:

• Seasonality: Some products are in demand at specific times of year. For example, launching a new swimwear line in early summer can help maximize sales compared to winter.
• Consumer trends: Products need to align to what the market wants. Remember Google Glass? The wearable smart glasses launched in 2013 but missed the mark, and Google discontinued them only two years later.
• Market conditions: Economic uncertainty and increased competition can impact how a product performs at launch. If consumers are hesitant to spend, even a great product might struggle.
• Product category: If you’re entering a brand new category, like mixed-reality fitness mirrors or advanced wearables, expect to spend extra time on education and positioning.

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for timing a product launch. Conduct market research to understand what customers want and when they’re most likely to act. 

Knowing when you’re ready to launch

Unsure if it’s the right time to launch a new product? Here are a few signs you’re ready:

• You’ve done your product research. You’ve found the match between your offering and what customers want through product development. A competitor analysis shows your strengths outweigh other brands and you have a good opportunity to launch. 
• You’ve tested your minimum viable product (MVP). Your MVP, a simple version of your product, is in the hands of early users and feedback shows it works as intended.
• You have a product marketing plan. You know what it takes to market your product, including prelaunch activities, launch day tactics, and post-launch strategies to keep the momentum going.

How to launch a product successfully: a step-by-step guide

Here are the essential steps to bring your product to life and into the hands of eager customers.

1. Set a launch date
2. Choose your launch channels
3. Develop launch messaging and assets
4. Promote your new product (pre-launch strategies)
5. Launch the product (launch day activities)
6. Track and review the results (post-launch analysis)

1. Set a launch date 

Your launch date anchors your plan. It’s what you’ll work backward from as you develop marketing copy, create assets, and map out key milestones.

Create a reverse timeline starting from launch day:

• T-12 weeks: finalize positioning and creative brief
• T-8 weeks: approve MVP for beta/soft launch
• T-4 weeks: approve product assets and copy
• T-1 week: begin press releases, cue paid ads

Use a shared project tool like Asana so all stakeholders can track deadlines and see status updates in real time.

Choosing your launch date carefully helps you avoid lost momentum, repeated delays, or, worse, never launching at all.

2. Choose your launch channels 

Your product launch channels include the platforms you already use to connect with customers and make sales, as well as any other channels where your target audience hangs out or expects you to be.

Use your most active marketing channels to launch your new product. Some channels to consider:

• SMS: If SMS is a channel you’re active on, its immediacy can cut through the noise of crowded inboxes and social feeds.
• Email: Email offers a direct, personal way to tell the story behind your product. It’s measurable, letting you track engagement and interest. A well-timed announcement email linked to a preorder page can be a simple yet powerful launch tool.
• Social media: Which social media channels are you most active on? Where does your audience expect updates from you? These are your best bets for creating buzz and building momentum. 
• In-person events: Hosting a booth at a local farmers market or street fair creates personal, memorable interactions. It gives people the chance to experience your products firsthand and engage with you directly.
• Influencer marketing: Working with influencers extends your reach and builds trust. It also helps people visualize your products in real life, which can eliminate barriers to purchase, like how big it is and what it looks like in natural light.

3. Develop your launch messaging and assets

Before you start creating marketing materials, answer the following questions: 

• How will you position this new product within the market?
• What tone will the taglines and copy take?
• How will messaging vary across channels?
• How many emails, text messages, social media posts, and blog entries are you planning?
• Do you intend to invest in advertising?
• Are your product descriptions catchy and exciting?

Once you have the answers to these questions, the next step is high-quality product photography. 

If you don’t want to spend the money on hiring a professional, you can absolutely take some great images yourself. Just remember, they’re often the first impression potential customers will have, so make them count.

Choosing the best visuals and writing compelling copy will take time, but it’s worth the effort. The right assets can dramatically impact your launch’s success, capturing attention and driving action. 

🚀 It’s your turn! Put together your launch materials, including social media posts, emails, paid ads, SMS messages, flyers for in-person events, and YouTube videos to start drumming up excitement for your upcoming product launch. 

Use Shopify Magic to help write the copy for these assets. The AI commerce assistant pulls data from your store and generates branded materials in minutes.

4. Promote your new product (pre-launch strategies)

Time-limited launches create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, two powerful drivers of interest and sales. Here are a few tactics to promote your upcoming product drop.

Build anticipation and buzz

• Tease, don’t tell. Post blurred or close-cropped images, cryptic captions, or countdown stories to spark speculation.
• Time-boxed reveals. Announce a specific drop window (e.g., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT next Friday). Limited editions can sell out because fans know the clock is ticking.
• Multi-channel reminders. Schedule a drip campaign via SMS, email, and social posts at intervals like 14 → 7 → 3 → 1 day(s) out. Reveal a new detail with each message (price, feature, exclusive bonus) to keep the excitement growing.

Olipop is good at building buzz for its product launches. 

On Instagram, this brand builds curiosity and anticipation by partially obscuring the product with a pixelated blur. It also uses excited customer comments to create hype without confirming what’s dropping. 

Leverage social media and influencer marketing

• Work on pre-launch activities with creators. Like Healthish, ship samples to niche influencers and encourage unboxing experiences that show the product in real life.
• Repost UGC on your social profiles. Publish genuine influencer reactions, behind-the-scenes photos, and any media mentions as social proof.
• Use live formats. Host an Instagram or TikTok Live Q&A 48 hours before launch. Let viewers ask questions and sign up for your waitlist on the spot.

Gymshark is excellent at leveraging social media influencers. Fitness partners like Whitney Simmons promote drops for the Adapt product line. 

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A post shared by Whitney Simmons (@whitneyysimmons)

Run pre-orders or waitlists

• Collect payments before launch. Open pre-orders with a clear shipping date or a deposit-based wait list to validate customer demand and help fund your inventory.
• Reward early buyers. Offer perks such as limited-edition packaging, a small discount, or name engraving for the first 500 orders—it’s a simple way to build loyalty and boost momentum. 
• Consider a crowdfunding campaign. Build hype and raise money for your launch at the same time. Use an app like Crowdfunder to collect small contributions from backers, and offer exclusive perks in return. 

“Anybody who is running a rapidly growing inventory-based business knows that getting ahead of cash for new product lines that have a significant investment can be hard to catch up,” says Sarah Resnick, founder of Gist Yarn, on a Shopify Masters episode. “It’s hard to make the cash flow that you need to launch something new. It’s expensive. Preorders have let us do that. It’s our customers investing in us and getting yarn back.”

💡 Check out Shopify’s collection of preorder apps.

5. Launch the product (launch day activities)

The moment you and your audience have been waiting for is here: It’s launch day and time to start making sales. 

Release your launch day content—social media posts, email campaigns, and SMS messages—anything that lets your followers know your product is live and available to buy.

Before (and during) launch, check your sales pages on both mobile and desktop. If you’ve enabled Shop Pay, shoppers can breeze through checkout with pre-filled information and one-tap payment—making conversions faster and easier. 

Did you know? Shop Pay boosts conversion by as much as 50% compared to a guest checkout, outpacing all other accelerated checkouts by at least 10%, according to a recent study by one of the Big Three consulting firms.

6. Track and review the results (post-launch analysis)

After launch, dive into your platform analytics to see what worked and what didn’t. These insights will help you fine-tune your strategy and inform future product launches.

Key product launch metrics to track

The following metrics tie into your launch goals. They show whether you’re attracting attention and converting interest into sales, and which levers are driving conversation. 

• Traffic and sessions. Show how effective your pre-launch buzz was. If traffic is low, boost paid spend or re-send your SMS/email messages. 
• Conversion rate. Reveals whether your page, offer, and checkout flow are persuasive. If your rates are low, rework your copy, add social proof, or use Shop Pay for checkout.
• Revenue per channel. Indicates which launch channels made you money. You can shift budget to top performers during launch week. 
• Social engagement (likes, shares, comments). Gives an idea of how well your launch is resonating with your audience. 
• Customer acquisition costs (CAC). Provides an early signal of product-market fit and customer satisfaction. 

Analyzing performance and gathering feedback

Take a peek at the numbers on your social media apps and track engagement across posts. If you use a social media tool like Sprout Social or Buffer, you can generate a report to see what performed best. 

Review the results from any email or SMS marketing campaigns. What were the click-through and open rates for launch emails? Which subject lines performed better than others? 

Then, look at how many sales you made during the launch. If you’re on Shopify, you can dive into your shop’s analytics and measure success directly in your Shopify admin. For traffic insights, you can consult Google Analytics to see how many people visited your shop on launch day and where they came from.

Iterating based on results

A product launch leaves you with a ton of product and customer data. Refine your strategy based on early results. 

For example, say your post-launch analytics show 35% of shoppers bail after seeing variable shipping fees. Consider rolling out a flat-rate option and a free shipping tier so there are no surprises at checkout. 

From the product side, say your return rate jumps past 8% after launch. The main reason customers cite is that the “item felt flimsy.” Maybe your materials or product design don’t match perceived value. You could also tweak the product based on this information, then call it out on your product page. 

4 examples of product launches

Our Place

Our Place launched its cookware label in 2019—and in just five years, it has grown from offering only its multipurpose Always Pan into a global kitchenware brand. 

The Always Pan landed on Oprah’s “favorite things” list and racked up a wait list of 30,000 eager shoppers before it even shipped, as reported by Forbes. 

That early demand helped the cookware startup reach profitability within six months, with its hero product finding a home in the kitchens of celebrities from David Beckham to Selena Gomez.

Stur

After primarily selling through Amazon and national retailers, hydration brand Stur saw a surge of user-generated #WaterTok videos in early 2023. 

Many of the clips featured TikTok users mixing two Stur flavors into “mermaid syrup” drinks, contributing to roughly one-third of the hashtags’ billions of views. This gave Stur the perfect opening to treat TikTok Shop as a launch channel for new products. 

To move quickly, Stur’s parent company, Dyla, built an in-house R&D lab capable of turning an influencer’s flavor idea into a finished, shippable product in four weeks—one for sampling, two for production, one for fulfillment. The facility bottles thousands of units per day and ships them directly to customers from its on-site warehouse.

Stur also sent out more than 100,000 free samples to creators—everyone from micro-creators to accounts with 20 million followers—fueling a steady stream of UGC, according to ModernRetail.

Stur now surpasses $100 million in annual revenue, a milestone the founder attributes in part to its TikTok momentum.

The Honey Pot

The Honey Pot is a sexual health and wellness brand specializing in feminine care. It has built a reputation for having honest and real conversations about sexual health, creating meaningful connections with customers. The brand partners with creators who share its values.

When launching a new product, The Honey Pot takes a thoughtful approach to influencer marketing, going beyond traditional beauty influencers. 

“How about an esthetician, or someone who is experiencing hard skin conditions [who] can naturally segway into talking about products?” asks Giovanna Alfieri, VP of marketing at The Honey Pot.

Listen to Giovanna discuss influencer strategy, event marketing tips, and how to use storytelling to expand your brand’s reach on the Shopify Masters podcast.

Hearth Display

Susie Harrison and her team led the product launch strategy of Hearth Display with a deep, research-driven prelaunch process. Their goal was to understand and address real family challenges around scheduling and chores.

To validate the product idea, the team conducted 30-minute interviews with potential customers. These conversations directly influenced product design, offering invaluable insight into customer pain points and unmet needs. Hearth then ran two campaigns to demonstrate market demand:

1. An Indiegogo campaign that raised more than $600,000
2. A preorder campaign on Shopify that helped raise $2.8 million from investors

💡 Read Hearth Display’s story. 

Common product launch mistakes and how to avoid them

Want your product launch to be a massive success? Make sure to avoid these mistakes during your campaign:

• Not having a clear value proposition. Poor positioning and targeting can derail even the best product. Create a value prop and A/B test different messaging during your soft launch. Only the top-performing copy should make it to your hard launch.
• Not validating the market. If there is no viable market for your product, your launch won’t be successful. Know exactly who will buy your product and at what price.
• Don’t go straight to a hard launch. Run a limited launch or crowdfunding campaign to validate the market. Set a target of 300 orders or sign-ups before green-lighting a hard launch. 
• Don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Product differentiation can help bring attention to your product, but don’t inflate claims. Joan Schneider and Julie Hall, two accomplished product management executives, recommend delaying your launch until the product is really ready. Undergo product testing to make sure your claims hold up and actually sway buying decisions. 
• Not planning for scale. If your product takes off, have a plan in place to ramp up production. You never know when a TikTok trend can strike and deplete your inventory. 
• Don’t launch and leave your product. Just because your product is live doesn’t mean your launch is over. Schedule a 24-hour retrospective with your team, ship a seven-day improvement plan, and connect with early buyers to get product reviews. 

Boost your sales with strategic product launches

Launching your new product involves much more than just unveiling a new item in your shop—it’s an opportunity to grab attention, connect with your customers, and boost sales. It all boils down to how well you know your audience and how creatively you tell your product’s story.

So, as you gear up for your next big launch, remember: those thoughtful touches in planning and marketing can make a difference. After all, you’re not only launching a product, you’re also setting the stage for your brand to flourish and grow.