Yesterday, designer Shanna Murray launched her new collection of decals, and the news quickly spread around the Internet. Links to the collection and positive praise bounced around Twitter. Big name blogs wrote glowing posts. In short, it was the kind of product launch that most designers dream about. It doesn’t hurt that Shanna is an extremely talented designer with a beautiful aesthetic (and one of the nicest people I know). But more importantly, Shanna understands how to make a new product launch into an event – something special that everyone wants to be a part of.
It can be really easy, especially if you sell someplace like Etsy, to design a new product or two and just put them in your online shop whenever you finish them. But if this is your typically method for launching new products, you’re loosing a huge opportunity to generate press. Instead, why not think of your new designs as a collection and hold off listing new products until you’ve got a nice little grouping. Then, when you launch the new products, you have a reason to create some fanfare. You can tease people with the idea of new products before the launch. You can shout it on your blog, Facebook page, and Twitter when the new products go live. You can email all the bloggers and press on your mailing list.
When you roll at a product or two at a time, it’s easy for those products to be lost in the sea of stuff online. But when you have a collection, your can turn that launch into an event. And that’s something to write home about.
Congrats, Shanna, on your new collection, and thanks for giving us such a great model of how to launch new products in style!
Megan!!! What a sweetheart you are!
I must say, I was left speechless at the end of the day. The many kind words and lovely posts were such a sweet surprise, and made the day so festive! I’m humbled, and so appreciative of this wonderful community. Thanks for carrying the awesome feeling of yesterday into today with this post!
It was great to share the joys and struggles of putting this collection together with all the great people on twitter, and with the wonderful folks who read and comment on my blog. Not only has social media helped make launching products easier, places like twitter and facebook, and of course blogs make it so much more rewarding. When you have a community to share all of your hard work with when the happy day finally comes that, to me, is what it’s all about!
Love, S
i just want to say, “what megan said.” lol – such a key lesson from the corporate world that “we” can do soooooo much better!
I really needed this post today. I’m working feverishly toward my own product launch, and this reminder gives me the encourgement I need. Thanks!
I tend to do it both ways…following the fashion industry, I have two major collections a year, once in the spring (March) and once in the fall (September), and then I just randomly put out things during the rest of the year as I come up with them.
My problem is that I spend so much time making the stuff for the collection (and taking the photographs…and editing them…and building the web pages….you get my drift) that I don’t think I’m very strategic about the actual *launch* itself. Any tips on how to make the most of the launch, once you have your collection ready to go?
valerie – i think that’s a really great question that deserves a post of it’s own! i’m getting right to work on something for later this week on maximizing your product launch!
Oh wow, that will be great! I’ll look forward to that then!
This is a great article! I love both the tips as well as the comments. It’s something we all should know, but often time forget in our marketing efforts.
Ironically, I’ve got a product that I’m very proud of that I have been holding off on until I get all my ducks in a row. It’s something not listed in my Etsy shop, and I had planned on offering it as a preorder item to my newsletter list. I’ve also been pitching it to media as a great Mother’s Day idea. However, it didn’t occur to me to make it a full on event. I guess its what I was sort of already doing, but didn’t know what to call it.
Awesome!
hey chrystal! i’m very interested in this mystery product! if you’d like to see it on scoutie girl, drop me a line: scout@scoutiegirl.com
Great post.
I totally agree with the ‘save it as a collection’ advice.
I personally feel that one of the reasons that indie producers are being copied so much, especially on Etsy, is that they release their collections in little drips instead of flooding the blogosphere on launch day and there by ‘owning’ the product. If no body notices your new releases its very easy for someone to come along and pinch them. ‘Own them’ I say.
Such great advice as usual – thank you megan!
I don’t know how I found your site, but this is such good and relevant info! Have you had any info/postings on creating contacts with the media? I’d like to send out samples of some of my items, but then I’m not sure from what sources to generate a mailing list, and whether you need to send samples or just really good quality postcards with great photos. Ahhh….the mechanics can be so overwhelming…need a plan…NEED a plan! HAHA
This never even occurred to me! Thanks for the tip- I’ve been adding new products here and there but without fanfare.
Hi Megan, I do art prints, magnets and cards. I usually create things in groups or series and post them all together on Etsy, my own website and flickr. I create a buzz about it on my facebook fan page, twitter about and facebook on my regular profile. I recently did some work for the Enormous Tiny Art show and posted prints of the work in the usual fashion but it didn’t meet with much fan fare or customers. I sell great in person but have been working on my online sales for some time now. Any tips would be greatly appreciate!
Thank you for this article Megan!
I really love this idea. I tend to get so behind posting new work on etsy or my website, that it never occurred to me to save it up and make it special. It’s hard when you’re making one of a kind items, but I could see doing a themed collection, and posting them all at once. I’ve always been so impressed with artists like The Black Apple who have people ready to snap up new work the second it goes up on etsy.
It seems so obvious when I read your post, yet I usually put my artwork up when it’s finished, even though I am working on a series or group of images.
I think my issue is that it takes me a while to create new artwork, (I usually work at night once the kids are in bed) and I feel guilty when I haven’t added anything new to my site for a while.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Ali
Megan,
Wonderful food for thought here and something to add to my “need to do” list.
Great post!
The very heart of your writing while appreaing reasonable at first, did not settle perfectly with me after some time. Somewhere throughout the sentences you actually managed to make me a believer but only for a while. I still have a problem with your leaps in logic and one might do well to help fill in those breaks. In the event that you can accomplish that, I will undoubtedly end up being fascinated.
I’ve read a few discussions on the Etsy forum regarding “collections” vs. random items being listed. I think you made such a valid point! It makes great sense to wait to have little “collections” posted more as a grouping. I think I’ll try and do this every couple weeks; have a theme of items.
I just don’t know if I can be that patient! haha I get so excited to post, sometimes! 🙂
Pingback:getting the most out of a new product launch « craftMBA.com – business thinking for designers & makers
megan, thank you so much for sharing so many great business tools. i recently purchased your e-book on wholesaling and found it very insightful. i love this idea of creating a collection. i actually thought about doing this in preparation to approach a store to carry my prints. i have been creating pieces that i thought would best fit the store, and i never thought about releasing them all at the same time. my question for you is how do you create buzz for a collection when you are barely starting to make a name for yourself? i think that if you already have a creative community that you are a part of, it is easy to do this. but what do you if you don’t have a community or a following yet?
Great post here! Keeping it in mind heading forward with my own collection I’ve been holding back from posting. Just have to take the leap. 🙂
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This is really helpful info. I appreciate the ideas and advice. Hope to eventually put it into practise.
Thank you
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