Hi Friends,

Hectic week! We launched a really fun and splashy campaign at Yotpo and are gifting some custom AWAY suitcases. As a newsie reader, you gain some special access. Click here to here opt in!

For this week, I’ve got an interesting topic that has come up in a few conversations I have had lately: product launches.

We pour endless effort into developing great products—tweaking and refining formulas and features, negotiating costs—only to YOLO them into the market, hoping the buzz follows. 

This week, I’m breaking down how to launch a product properly from a CX and retention angle. 

We’ll talk about identifying who your new product is really for, integrating it seamlessly into the existing customer journey, and making sure your CX team is armed with answers before anyone even asks.

Let’s dive in.

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1. Start With a Retention-First Mindset

Most brands launch new products focused on acquisition—How many new customers can we snag? How big can we go on Meta ads? 

But think about the loyal customers you already have. They’re often more valuable, spend more over time, and trust your brand enough to test new products. 

Launching with retention in mind means looking at your existing customer base and figuring out exactly who would appreciate this new product the most.

If you already know from surveys or quizzes that a segment of your audience has dry skin, and you’re about to launch a new ultra-hydrating moisturizer, why not start there? 

Tailor your messaging to them first, and you’ll score a higher conversion rate right out of the gate. 

At Jones Road, we knew a huge chunk of our customer’s skin types. When we launched a new bronzer ideal for oily skin, we went straight to that segment with unique messaging, and it crushed.

How to Make It Happen:

• Segment Before Going Wide: Identify your core, loyal segments who will “get” why this product exists. Pitch it to them first.

• Use Data You Already Have: If you’ve got quiz results, browsing history, or past purchase behavior, put it to work. Talk directly to those who are most likely to benefit.

• Map a Timeline: Know at what point in a customer’s journey the new product makes sense. If they’ve been using your hero product for a few weeks, now might be the perfect time to suggest that complementary add-on.

2. Define Its Place in the Customer Journey

Just because it’s new and shiny doesn’t mean every customer needs it right now. Think about where this product sits in the natural flow of how people discover, try, and return to your brand.

How to Make It Happen:

• Map the Lifecycle: Is this product an entry-level item designed for first-time customers, or is it an upgrade for those who already love your brand? For instance, if your hero product is a skincare essential—a cleanser that everyone starts with—your new product might be a serum that customers should be introduced to after trying the cleanser for a month or two.

• Time Your Intros Strategically: Hold off sending a promo email the moment a customer’s order ships. Maybe wait until you see they’ve reordered or left a five-star review before introducing the new offering.

• Use CX Input: Your CX team talks to customers daily. They know what customers often ask for next. Let their insights guide your launch timing so it feels like a well-timed suggestion rather than a random sales pitch.

3. Create a Master Product Doc (and Decide What Goes Where)

Your CX team shouldn’t scramble after launch, trying to guess answers to basic questions. Instead, bring them in early. 

The product and R&D team likely has all the tech specs, but they probably do not have that info in a customer-friendly format. 

Your CX team’s job is translating and anticipating what real customers will ask.

How to Do It:

• Draft a Base Document: Start with the product team’s info. Weight, dimensions, usage instructions, compatibility with other items—whatever you have. Lay it all out.

• Involve CX Early: Have your CX team comb through this doc and ask every question they think a customer might ask. Treat it like a Q&A session where no question is off-limits. “Is this cup dishwasher-safe?” “Does the alpaca scarf irritate sensitive skin?” “Can the new carry-on luggage fit in overhead bins on most airlines?”

• Turn Q&A Into Assets: Once you have this FAQ sheet, decide where each answer goes. Some belong on the product page (dimensions, materials), some in the launch email (standout benefits, key USPs), some in a post-purchase flow (usage tips, troubleshooting), and some as internal macros for the CX team to handle inbound questions easily.

• Collaborate on Placement: The product team, CX team, and growth/retention folks should decide together what goes public and where. Does the special water-resistance rating make more sense in the PDP’s bullet points or as a highlight in your launch SMS campaign? Are certain details too niche for the marketing copy but perfect for a quick macro response if a customer asks?

4. Personalize Using Zero-Party Data

You don’t need me to tell you the importance of personalization; it is prob coming out of your ears already.  But here are some easy ways to do so for a new launch. 

How to Do It:

• Segment by Preferences: If your quiz data says Customer A prefers lightweight products and Customer B prefers more hydrating formulas, highlight relevant features in your messaging. For Customer A, your new product’s featherlight texture is front and center. For Customer B, emphasize how nourishing the formula is.

• Tailored LPs: If you send out emails with dynamic blocks, you can show different images or copy on landing pages to different segments. A one-size-fits-all product page might still be fine, but the email that gets them there can speak their language.

• Use That Data Everywhere: Don’t just personalize in the launch email. Carry it through to your post-purchase flow. Once someone buys the new product, follow up with tips that match their needs. That oily-skin customer who grabbed the bronzer might love a follow-up with a quick tutorial on achieving a matte summer glow.

5. Align CX & Retention for a Seamless Launch

Your CX team is sitting on far too many insights you probably don’t know about. They know the questions customers asked last time you launched something new. They know what confuses people and what excites them. Bring CX into your pre-launch huddle with retention and marketing. 

Ask them: “What did customers keep asking about last time? What details did we fail to mention? Where did we lose people in the funnel?”

Armed with this intel, your retention team can adjust messaging to tackle these issues head-on. Meanwhile, CX can prepare macros and quick replies so that if any hiccups arise, they’re ready to respond with clarity and empathy from day one. It’s a good synergy from which I have massively benefited at every job in my career. 

How to Make It Happen:

• Pre-Launch Workshops: Get CX, retention, and growth teams together to anticipate FAQs and confusion points. Use that to refine your ads, PDP, emails, and flows.

• Prepare Escalation Paths: Have a backup plan if a supply chain snag or shipping delay pops up. CX should know exactly what to say to keep customers informed and chill.

Also, consider your CX team’s bandwidth. If you know you’re about to drop a product that might spark a surge in questions or comments, plan accordingly. Maybe you need extra hands on deck. 

Folks like this week's sponsor, CreateCX, can help by providing trained, on-demand CX staff to absorb the temporary spike in inquiries. This proactive move ensures customers never feel neglected during the most critical phase of your launch.

That’s it for this week!

Cheers, 

Eli 💛

P.S. Looking for inspo on your next email/sms campaign?

I know you will love this.