Types of Product Launch

In this section, we'll discuss the different ways a venture can introduce (or launch) its product to its users. Understanding these launch types is like having a toolkit for your product's success. Each launch type is unique and can help you identify the one that suits what you are building and what would resonate with your target audience.

By the end of this section, you'll be familiar with these launch types and understand when to use them. Let’s explore the different types of product launches and identify which one best aligns with your product and resonates with your target user.

📺 Watch the following video on the best way to launch your startup.

This video has a lot of nuggets. Here are some that we’ll highlight here:

• Most founders overthink their first launch. They think they have just one shot at launching publicly, and no one will ever buy or use their product if they get it wrong the first time. But this is not true. Airbnb launched three times before anyone even noticed. Look at where they are now!
• When is the best time to launch? Now! The best time to launch is now. The reason why it’s important to launch now is because, as an entrepreneur, you have such strong convictions about your solution and product, but it is all theoretical. Until you put your product out there early and someone is willing to use it, you will not know if you are solving a relevant problem.
• If you launch too early, what’s the worst that can happen?
• Remember that launching is not a one-time event. It is a continuous thing you do.

❓ Did anything else stand out for you from the video? Share in the padlet below.

Nine Types of Launches

In the Y Combination video, Kat Mañalac mentioned that there are nine types of launches. Let’s discuss each one:

Silent Launch

With a silent launch, the intention is to have your users discover your product organically. This kind of launch does not need any grand announcements or events. Instead, your users discover you by landing — this could be by landing on your website or store. This kind of launch can create a sense of exclusivity and, in most cases, all you need is a domain name, your company name, a short description of what you are building, a contact form, and a call to action (e.g., “subscribe now” or “get in touch.”)

Friends & Family Launch

You know when something exciting happens in your life, for example, getting high grades or winning a competition. Usually, the first people you want to tell are your friends and family. This kind of launch is like this. In this case, the exciting thing is your product. With this kind of launch, you are giving an exclusive preview of your latest creation to your close network. For example, when Facebook launched, it was first only available to some students at Harvard University.

This is one of the easiest launches you can do because you know it is with people who will encourage you (your Kibo community, for example). One issue with the friends and family launch is that your friends and family might not be your target users. That being said, they will be able to test your product and give you feedback on the functionalities at least.

Stranger Launch

This type of launch is the flip side of friends and family. Here, you are reaching out to people who are not familiar with you or your product. Ideally, they would be your target users. One advantage of this type of launch is that you’ll get unfiltered feedback about your product. This is a great way to know what you are doing right (or wrong).

Remember the Lugg example in Kat’s video? Lugg is a platform that connects people who want to move anything (e.g., furniture, luggage, appliances, etc.) with movers and trucks with the push of a button. When they launched the first version of their MVP back in 2014, their founder stood outside a furniture store to speak with people to encourage them to download and use the app. These people were strangers, but he knew that if they were outside a furniture store with their recent purchases, they were potential target customers. He was able to get signups and also get instant feedback from this stranger launch!

Online Community Launch

Here, the product is launched within specific online communities or forums relevant to the product niche. It leverages the existing user base and engagement within these communities to generate initial buzz and gather feedback. As mentioned in the video, you can plan a launch for every community you’re on (e.g., Discord, Twitter, Instagram, Slack, etc.) Other community examples include: startup school, product hunt, hacker news, Reddit, Facebook groups, and alumni groups. You should share: An introduction to your company, What you are building, and Who you are building it for and why.

Social Media Launch

Share online, be everywhere. This helps you to create hype around the product. Some companies also provide early product access to influencers in exchange for reviews, endorsements, or social media mentions.

Pre-order Launch

With a pre-order launch, customers are given the opportunity to purchase the product before it's officially released. This helps generate revenue and gauge demand while building anticipation for the product's release. E.g., kickstarter, indiegogo, gofundme.

Waitlist Launch

Interested customers are invited to join a waiting list to gain early access to the product once it's available. This creates a sense of exclusivity and anticipation among customers while also allowing the company to manage demand and prioritize access. Waitlist launches are often used for products with limited availability or during beta testing phases, helping to build a dedicated user base before the full launch. However, note that the longer you wait to launch and onboard people, the harder it is to convert people.

Press Launch

A press launch involves reaching out to journalists, media outlets, and industry publications to generate press coverage and publicity for the product. Companies may hold events or send out press releases to announce the product and its features. However, as an early-stage company, it’s hard to land press stories; even if you do, it’s not a silver bullet. They can’t be counted on for sustained growth.

New Feature/Product Launch

This is a standard launch in which a new product or significant feature update is introduced to the market. It typically involves a combination of marketing efforts, such as advertising, PR, and promotional events, to generate awareness and drive sales.

📺 Watch this video to see some more examples of the different types of launches.

Fictional Case Study: How AfriTech Solutions Launched

AfriTech Solutions is a fictional education technology (Edtech) company founded by Aisha Nkosi, Kwame Adjei, and Ngozi Eze. Their mission is to improve the education sector in Africa by introducing a personalized learning platform.

AfriTech Solutions just finished building the first version of their minimum viable product (MVP) and wants to test and iterate by launching it to their target users.

To gather initial feedback, AfriTech shared the link to their closed beta website with a few friends from their university with whom they share a Telegram group. They also shared it on their siblings' and cousins' WhatsApp groups for them to try it out. These groups were able to try the platform for free as long as they shared their feedback. This approach helped AfriTech get the initial feedback they needed to improve their MVP.

Encouraged by this initial feedback, the AfriTech team took it a step further — they decided to take their website live and remove it from the closed beta. However, they did not share this website link anywhere publicly because they wanted to make sure the website was stable enough to handle high-traffic visits. A curious person was on Google one day and searched for “Edtech companies in Africa.” This search showed them the AfriTech website as one of the results, and this person clicked on the website link. They were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a platform providing personalized learning! The person was able to sign up on the platform and subscribe to get updates.

Once the AfriTech team started getting a few more subscribers on their website, and as they felt more confident about their website stability, they decided to take things a step further. So, they searched for education forums on LinkedIn and Facebook, joined them, and started posting their website links there, including an introduction of the founders and the mission of the company. They also offered a discount code to the first 20 signups. This not only increased the platform's visibility but also generated discussions and word-of-mouth referrals within the target audience.

🧩 From this example, what type(s) of launch did AfriTech Solutions use?

• Press launch
• Silent launch
• Friends & Family launch
• “Request access” launch
• Online community launch