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- 20 Pre-Launch Strategies We're Actually Recommending to Brands Right Now (PART 1)
20 Pre-Launch Strategies We're Actually Recommending to Brands Right Now (PART 1)
The strategies we're sharing with founders who don't know what they don't know yet.
Brandon Blum
November 02, 2025
We’ve been on a lot of calls lately with brands who are about to go-to-market (GTM) and/or are still in their pre-launch phase.
It’s undoubtedly an exciting time but - and I remember this vividly when we were launching For Others - you simply don’t know what you don’t know.
So I prompted our notetaker app, Fireflies (use that link for 10% off all plans) to help compile a list of recommendations we’ve talked through on these aforementioned calls.
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👋 Hey, I’m Brandon Blum. I’m the Founder and Managing Partner at New Edition - a boutique creative agency based out of Brooklyn, New York that helps emerging e-commerce brands create content.
By the way, if you’re pre-launch or about to GTM, hit us up! We’d love to see if we can help.
BUT FIRST, TWO NEW EDITION EVENTS TO PROMOTE IN NOVEMBER …
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SOME RECOMMENDATIONS …
1. AFTER SPEAKING TO A SEXUAL WELLNESS BRAND…
NETWORK AUTHENTICALLY
Get out there, even before you officially launch. Build relationships. Attend events. Host events. Join founder communities.
Founder visibility and word-of-mouth connections can and WILL jumpstart your early momentum.
START GIFTING MICRO-INFLUENCERS AND UGC CREATORS
Don’t underestimate the power of smaller creators (<10K followers).
Directly DM micro-influencers and offer product gifting in exchange for content and feedback.
The learnings you’ll have from this will be huge. You need feedback at this stage, and this level of creators is more likely to respond and get excited about free product.
BUILD YOUR CONTENT BANK BEFORE LAUNCH
Start building a library of content—product renderings, lifestyle shoots, flat lays, interviews—even before your product ships.
Creative fatigue - both in performance channels and organic channels - is a real thing and comes at you fast.
Stay tuned for the remaining TWO takeaways in next weekend’s newsletter :)
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2. AFTER SPEAKING TO A CANNED COCKTAIL BRAND…
MAKE IRL EVENTS “CONTENT MOMENTS”
Don’t mail these moments in.
Invite your network, generate a sense of urgency, and aim for these to be gathering moments that store owners and customers look forward to.
It’s a creative spin that maximizes conversions and builds real-world buzz about your product right out of the gate.
Remember, IRL events are your secret content weapon!
TELL YOUR FOUNDER STORY ON SOCIAL
Even before investing in paid media, share your founder journey (the “why” and the “how”) on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
I always go back to THIS clip (below) from Tyler The Creator on this subject. Couldn’t agree more.
@vsgentertainment #tylerthecreator Don’t be afraid to promote your music like your life depends on it. Are you someone who doesn’t like to promote your art? 🎥 @converse
Stay tuned for the remaining THREE takeaways in next weekend’s newsletter :)
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3. AFTER SPEAKING TO A CPG BRAND…
INVEST IN YOUR BRAND, EARLY.
CPG is one of the hardest categories to win in. It just is. It’s SO competitive.
I hate to be negative here but if you don’t have some money to spend, it’s going to be an even more uphill climb than it already is.
Invest in the brand early. I’m talking about top-tier branding. Looking the part will attract serious investor attention and set you apart in a very crowded market.
ORGANIC CONTENT IS A LONG GAME BUT CRUCIAL MIDDLE-OF-FUNNEL CONTENT
Get your brand on TikTok and Instagram. Start telling stories. Try different kinds of content. The right efforts will build buzz.
Don’t rely solely on paid ads.
Nobody did this better than Marcus Milione and Minted New York, as we discussed back in May when we had him on our Ugly Talk panel.
START BUILDING AN EMAIL LIST
The brand we spoke to had an ambitious goal of achieving a 10,000-person waitlist before launch. This is not easy, but there’s a lot of ways to attack this goal.
Host events and parties. Start running lead gen paid ads. Post organically across social. Every brand is different, and 10,000 subs is A LOT, but reach for the stars and you’ll land on the clouds.
Stay tuned for the remaining TWO takeaways in next weekend’s newsletter :)
4. AFTER SPEAKING TO A SKINCARE BRAND…
LAUNCH WITH PAID ADS, EVEN AT LOW BUDGETS
Relying solely on organic content for initial growth is a long game. Even if you’re bootstrapped, allocate a portion of budget to paid ads (even $1000/month).
At the very least, paid ads will lead to a ton of learnings.
You’ll have more traffic on your site, you’ll see what kind of messaging people respond to, and you’ll start to understand your own creative process and bottlenecks..
BUILD PROCESS
It’s not enough to have a big-picture marketing strategy; break it down into daily, actionable steps.
Define your content pillars, create detailed influencer outreach lists, and establish clear asks in your briefs so execution can happen smoothly and isn’t a bottleneck.
Stay tuned for the remaining THREE takeaways in next weekend’s newsletter :)
Pre-launch brands face unique challenges across every category.
From sexual wellness to canned cocktails, this newsletter reveals the first 10 (of 20) strategies we've discussed on real calls—covering grassroots marketing, content creation, community building, and early traction tactics.
If you're heading to market, these insight will help.
Respond to this email if you have any questions.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this newsletter next Sunday ✌️