Your launch party
isn’t just a fun night of drinking and schmoozing with friends, family and
potential customers—more importantly, it’s your startup’s first
impression. And like the old adage says,
you only get one first impression.
Your startup’s launch party is one of the most important
days of your business’s life. It’s
technically your startup’s “birthday” and it’s a chance to find potential
customers, interested investors and brand advocates.
So how can you make your startup’s launch party truly stand
out? We’ve got six important tips for
you to get it right the first time!
1. The Perfect Location
No launch party is complete without a kick-butt
location. But just because a location is
modern and swanky, doesn’t mean that it will fit your business’s voice. Some startups need to launch during the day
at a local coffee shop, others are more fitted for the bar scene, and still
others should look into modern business-oriented
event spaces in the area. It all
depends on what you want your startup’s message to be and the vibe that you
want to give from the start.
Looking to save some cash?
Many startups opt to throw their launch parties at nonprofit locations
or schools. These options often have the most reasonable
pricing opportunities.
2. Marketing
No one will show up your launch party if they don’t know it
exists! That’s why marketing your
startup launch party is critical to its success. Blast out an email to your contacts about
your launch party, add it to your startup’s website, Tweet it, Facebook it,
blog it! Do whatever it takes to get
word out about your startup’s launch.
Another great marketing tip?
Get in touch with online calendars (like through your city’s newspaper)
and add your launch party to the list.
Newspapers reach a large amount of people, and oftentimes, adding events
to their calendars is free!
3. The Right Guests
Speaking of marketing...it’s important to get the right people to your startup launch—more
specifically, potential investors, potential clients and media. Therefore, when marketing, make sure that
you’re using the correct platform to get the right people. One of the best ways to guarantee that the
right people will show up is by using a tool called EventBrite. It’s a social-media-friendly event management
site perfect for any launch party.
Another tip? Send out a media
advisory to important media resources like local newspapers, television
stations and bloggers.
4. Entertainment
Keep in mind that sometimes, it takes a little more than
rockin’ music and an open bar to keep launch party guests entertained. You want to keep guests engaged not only in
the party, but in your product as well.
We recommend featuring a live demo of your product or service as one of
the main focuses of a launch. Other
great ideas? Live bands, contests, keynote
speakers and raffles (plus, if you ask for business cards during a raffle, you
automatically have some leads!).
5. Swag
What launch party is complete without swag? Every guest loves swag, especially when they
may not expect it! Swag could be as
simple as a few pamphlets about your startup, a stress ball with your startup’s
logo or a discount coupon. A lot of the
time, you can get another partner to sponsor your launch party’s swag! And that brings us to number six...
6. Generous Sponsors
Donations are life-savers for startups...especially during
the beginning phases. Sponsors can play
a major role in your startup’s launch party—from providing food and beverage to
purchasing swag to donating event space.
Get in touch with the movers-and-shakers in your city and try to get
your startup’s launch party sponsored!
What are you waiting for?
Now that you have the six tips to blow your launch party out of the
water, it’s time to get planning! Best
of luck, not only on solidifying your startup’s inception, but also on throwing
a party that potential clients and investors will never forget!
