Crafting the Right Content for Your Next Product Launch

Provided by Rae Steinbach

A strong product launch requires a strong marketing campaign. From ensuring you’re using a verified email list to developing dynamic imagery for your new product, you need to ensure you’ll be putting your best foot forward when your product launches. If you’re trying to generate buzz for a new product, you need to determine what type of content to focus on in your strategy.

Your two main options are evergreen content and one-off content. Neither one is “better” than the other for a product launch. To determine which is best for your needs, you need to first understand the unique benefits each type of content offers.

One-Off Content Builds Buzz

One-off content associates your new product with the season, a timely event, or anything else that’s immediately relevant to a potential customer. For example, if you were promoting a new app for purchasing concert tickets, your content might focus on an upcoming festival that would likely appeal to your customers. This strategy builds enthusiasm for your product.

That said, it’s not without its weaknesses. One-off content is only valuable for a short period of time. Once that festival is over, any blogs, social media posts, or videos relating to it will no longer be relevant.

Evergreen Content Offers Ongoing Value

Evergreen content is designed to remain as valuable to customers a year from now as it is today. For instance, if you’re launching a new kitchen product, a listicle showing off simple recipes someone could make with it will stay relevant for a long period of time. Evergreen content is also easier to backlink to than one-off content. Link building is an important element of an SEO strategy.

Unfortunately, evergreen content isn’t very effective at generating buzz for a new product. That’s not to say you should definitely focus on one-off content when planning a campaign. Keeping certain factors in mind makes choosing between the two easier.

How to Decide Which is Right

The best content marketing strategy for your product launch will essentially depend on your capabilities and goals. Specifically, you need to assess the following:

*The Work Involved - You need to work hard and efficiently to design and implement a relevant one-off campaign. That said, the amount of work available for your team will reduce substantially in a short period of time. This might be a better task for freelancers who won’t need additional tasks once the project is over. Evergreen campaigns, on the other hand, involve sustained work, which may require a dedicated marketing team.

*Financial Matters - You’re more likely to generate high sales in the early months following your product launch with one-off content. The problem is, sales will drop off in a big way in the near future. Evergreen content won’t yield as many sales in the early months, but will likely yield more overall sales in the long run. Consider the nature of your product when deciding which to include in your campaign. If you can’t honestly say your product will stay useful for a long period of time (this is common in consumer tech, for example), one-off content might be the better choice.

*Driving Momentum - One-off content is more effective than evergreen content at creating a sense of urgency for customers. This feeling has been shown to boost sales. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t identify ways to use urgency in your evergreen content. Promoting special deals and reminding customers they won’t last forever is still possible in a blog or email that’s otherwise evergreen.

Clearly, there are compelling reasons to choose either type of content. These points will help you make the right choice for your goals. Keep them in mind the next time you’re planning a product launch.
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"Rae is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue curating quality content. Rae is passionate about travel, food, and writing, of course."

Twitter handle: @araesininthesun

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