If you want to launch a brand going into 2023, here's the playbook to set yourself up for success. This is a formula, and it works. Written out below, and I break it down fully in this TikTok video.​

1. Curate Before Launch

• Begin making content on Twitter, on TikTok, and via blog about your target niche
• If you're already a creator, you can skip this step versus starting from scratch, but it will be good to be angling your content more towards your target demographic for your brand launch and warming them up
• Develop an audience before you go to step 2, this will help the content you create catch traction

An example of curation to brand a fan dropped in my comments that's a perfect example of this: https://www.instagram.com/undercoverosh/​

Although the ultimate example is definitely https://poolsuite.net/ to Vacation https://www.vacation.inc/​

One could also consider Sporty and Rich essentially posting 80s magazine scans their way into Ssense... but that's a whole nother rabbit hole.

While my examples are all physical things... this works just as well selling info or software.

Note - while the examples are large, you don't have to be. If you focus on thousands of followers... you'll have enough of a base to launch small comfortably. If you take your time and grow larger... even better.

2. Document Your Process

• Showcase how you go about making the brand itself - concepts, moodboards, logos, design iterations, making your website etc
• Showcase the process of working with factories, vendors etc to finish the product
• This is an essential concept for new brands, and one that should continue from before launch through your process for new releases, collections, promotions, content etc. More on this on TikTok.
• Cover the process on all social media
• Broadcast from the rooftops that you are building this brand in public

3. Build Email

• Your call to action on curation and documentation should always be email or SMS subscribers.
• Your regular content to this list can be as simple as just aggregating the content you're putting out in an email format with slightly more detail

4. Launch Smart

• This is all about making a "moment" where you get as much attention as possible for your launch
• Post about when you plan to launch and tease it
• Go Live on your best social media platform for the debut (and promote the live)
• Email out your audience with the launch and the link to your Live
• Work with all your friends, influencers you may know or connect with, partners etc. to promote the Live and ideally join you and participate in it
• Document the event and make sure you get content pieces out of the launch as well
• Keep your best video - an excellent brand origin story from all your process documentation and use it at launch, get all help and call in all favors for everyone to promote it. Do this on TikTok.

Here's examples of this video in different types of industry. I don't care what your feeling is on TikTok, if you want to understand content that drives sales in 2022, watch all of these.

Cereal: (their first hire besides the founders was a legit creator, which is why this crushed):
​https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmUXUq3/​

Backpacks (i love this one because the story is super normal but they make it seem epic):
​https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmU7p9A/​

Healthy Soda (leverages their Shark Tank experience):
​https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmUuwn6/​

Cocktail Cards (amazing Creator origin story template):
​https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmUbr5c/​

*Pro Tip*

• If you have a brand already and just haven't gotten on TikTok... drop this kind of video when you do

5. Document the Attention

• Whether you are big or small, gather the stats from your launch - email opens, influencers that participated, video views, people on your Live, sales, website visits, whatever looks impressive, and put that in a presentation with your product info. This is the deck you can use to
  • pitch media for articles
  • pitch retailers to carry your products
  • pitch other brands for collaborations
• Continue to add to this with all the brand milestones and achievements. I've even seen one of these that is just screenshots of all the celebs and influencers that LIKED (not even sharing etc) a brands posts and it was helping them get into retail

6. Add Series, Repeat Your Message and Personalities

• Establish recurring content ideas
• Bring 1-4 personalities into your content that can put a face to the brand. Can be founders, team members, or hired creators.
• Tell your story again and again in different ways. I can't stress this enough that only a fraction of your followers (not to mention the world) see your content, however much you think you should post a message the real number is literally 10X what you think.

This kid is an amazing example of this. He repeats his process documentation and video ideas for each product release probably a dozen times, very creatively. A few examples below, plenty more on his profile

​https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmUbr5c/​

​https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmUw3Au/​

​https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmUw3Au/​

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Speaking of TikTok

You may have noticed this newsletter has shifted from text and web links to essentially half text half TikTok.

I find TikTok to be an amazing storytelling medium, I can complement my writing with a video with screenshots quickly and effectively. The more I use the platform, the more into it I am, and it is without a doubt an absolutely unparalleled platform for brand building.

There is no other way on earth to go viral and generate sales with the same level of intensity and commercial follow-thru (ie, sales) whether you have 100 followers or 1m followers as you can on TikTok. It is unlike anything we've ever had in a marketing toolkit in our lifetimes.

I've been getting into this deeply myself because this is the first time as a marketer where I have realized deeply that anyone that is not participating in this medium does not understand it enough to direct growth on it.

This is not the case on Instagram or on most ad platforms, you can bleacher quarterback there (to some extent). On TikTok? Everything you think you know is wrong unless you have grown accounts on the platform that you are doing tactically.

There is no way I'm not going to be savvy to this with what I work on week to week, and I'm learning by doing, and will take those learnings to help scale the brands and personalities I work with.

If you're interested in the journey, I break down my learnings so far in this thread:

Oren John 🛠,🛠 @orenmeetsworld 45 days of taking TikTok seriously: - 4500 followers - One video at 300k+ - 10 at 10kish - Most 2k+ I am focused in on a niche, just like I am on twitter, I'm not looking for 200k followers, I want people who want to build products. I am def finding them. What I'm learning: pic.twitter.com/0t3nLDaX48 September 27th 2022 15 Retweets 156 Likes

On a commercial note, Russell is new to threading on Twitter but he's dropping massive Amazon value. He breaks down how to act on the TikTok to Amazon opportunity step by step:

Russell⚡️ @RussellCHFry Found on TikTok: this shower curtain biz has >10m views w/ only 4 vidz. I love it. Here’s how they can take a $31m/yr Amazon FBA brands' lunch money 🧵👇 September 28th 2022 3 Retweets 17 Likes

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🔌 Factories 🔌

I've been getting asked a lot about cosmetics factory options, definitely checkout Kasey Beauty https://www.kaseybeauty.com/​

I also noticed they are on Pietra and have lots of low MOQ options listed in the platform.

Reminder, I do have a bunch of supplement vendors listed over on ProductWorld.

And lastly... cashmere?

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🛠 Toolkit 🛠

SEO deep dive:

Kam Jenkins 👋 @Kammie_Jenkins Learning SEO can have huge payoff, but it can be tough to know where to start. 10+ years into my SEO career, and these are 5 resources I still swear by for anyone looking to learn the craft 👇 September 19th 2022 546 Retweets 2,535 Likes

Brand home page structure:

Lillie 🪐 @Lillie__Sun My favorite sequence on a new brand's homepage: - hero SKU product (usually kit) - single products catalog - free shipping/ 30 day money back - what makes this brand different - collections catalog (bestseller, new etc.) - one liner mission/ quote - UGC banner - reviews - FAQ September 26th 2022 2 Retweets 39 Likes

Builder's Build - We're back with nice bite-sized episodes. This week we have a convo on bootstrapping vs venture: https://builders.build/bb30-bootstrapping-vs-venture-capital-s3e6/​

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I appreciate you reading, and stoked to see what you create!

– Oren ​

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P.S.

Check out 2 newsletters from my best friends James & Colin

NanoFlips - Learn the art of buying, growing and selling websites: https://www.nanoflips.com/​

Free Smoke - A Cannabis Business newsletter by Colin Landforce: https://freesmoke.xyz/​

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