The Influencer Insider: Edition 3

Our tried & tested playbook for viral product launches.

Bonjourno - Sam here. Let’s be real: most brands suck at launching on social. Get it wrong, and you’re throwing money, time, and energy down the drain. Get it right, though? You’re putting your brand in front of millions of new eyes, and it’s a total game-changer.

Today, I’m giving you the influencer seeding playbook we’ve used to turn product launches into full-blown events. Let’s make sure your next launch actually breaks through the noise.

Keep reading to discover the The 6-Step Playbook for an Influencer-Powered, Viral Product Launch.

// STEP 1: PLANNING & PREPARATION // This is where it all starts. Nail this step, and you’re setting up a solid foundation. Ask yourself:

• Who is your target customer?
• What are your brand values?
• How does your brand speak? (tone of voice)

This foundation builds your Ideal Influencer Profile, so you can actually find influencers who fit your brand vibe. (without this you’re just throwing darts in the dark)

// STEP 2: SHORTLIST INFLUENCERS // Now that you know what you’re looking for, it’s time to start building your dream team of influencers.

Here’s what to look for:

• Audience demographics: Make sure their followers match your target market.
• Past collabs: Check if they’ve worked with brands that align with yours.
• Values: You want influencers who “get” your brand on a deeper level.

Pro Tip: Make a shortlist of 3–5x the number of influencers you actually want to work with. Not everyone will be interested, and that’s okay. Having options is key.

// STEP 3: SEND OUTREACH MESSAGES // Alright, here’s where the magic begins. Reach out with a personalised message – tell them you’re launching something new and want them to be part of it. Make them feel like VIPs. This exclusivity factor ups your chances of them actually reviewing and posting about your product.

Quick tips for outreach:

• Balance personalisation with scale. Segment your outreach so every influencer feels like they’re getting a custom invite. Email software can help you hit the right balance here.

// STEP 4: SHIP PRODUCT // For those influencers who say yes, it’s go time. Send out samples, but make it an experience – not just a package.

Our benchmarks:

• Industry acceptance rate: 20%
• Our acceptance rate: 32.6% 😎

Want to level up their unboxing? Here’s how:

• Make the packaging so good it begs to be Instagrammed.
• Add a handwritten card (or use Cardly) to make it personal.
• Throw in a QR code that links to a personal video from your founder – it adds a touch of exclusivity.

// STEP 5: TRACK & COLLECT CONTENT // Congrats, you’ve now got influencers building hype, creating content, and giving your brand social proof.

Here’s what you need to track:

• Collecting content: Use tools like MightyScout or Archive to gather all that influencer-generated content. Be sure to secure usage rights so you can repurpose it across socials, websites, emails, ads – everywhere.
• Campaign tracking and ROI: We use a custom seeding tracker to monitor everything. Track the full influencer funnel, measure content performance, and calculate ROI.

Once the dust settles, flag your top-performing influencers – these are the people you want to build long-term partnerships with.

// STEP 6: LAUNCH // Now that the hype is building, it’s time to go live and leverage the buzz.

• Top of Funnel (TOF): Direct all the buzz to your website.
• Middle of Funnel (MOF): Keep audiences engaged by sharing influencer content across platforms.
• Bottom of Funnel (BOF): Layer on the social proof – show potential customers that everyone’s talking about you.

Remember: you’re only the “shiny new thing” once, so make the most of it.

What Does This Look Like In Practice? Here’s How Omvits Launched the UK’s First Vegan Collagen Product with a Viral Bang 🚀

Omvits came to us looking for a strategy to make their UK-first vegan collagen launch huge. They needed a plan to build serious hype both before and after the launch, and influencer seeding was the key.

Here’s the playbook we used to turn their launch into an event:

• Pre-launch seeding: We started influencer seeding one week before launch, driving audiences to pre-order or join the waitlist. This helped build anticipation and locked in orders ahead of time.
• Post-launch momentum: After launch, we used influencers to drive traffic to a viral giveaway, which boosted brand awareness and gathered new email sign-ups.

The results:

• 📈 30% of all DTC sales in the week prior to launch came from pre-orders.
• 🎨 100+ pieces of user-generated content (UGC) posted pre-launch built hype across social media.
• 📧 4,000+ emails collected through a viral giveaway post-launch.

By strategically timing influencer outreach and capitalizing on audience excitement, Omvits turned their product launch into a viral success.

Ready to launch like a pro? Book a call with Sam here.

Speak soon, Sam

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