Tinned fish is the latest food item taking over social media, and there’s one brand leading the charge. Fishwife co-founder and CEO Becca Millstein became inspired during the COVID-19 pandemic to make a big splash in the canned food industry by offering ethically sourced, premium seafood in beautifully designed tins.
Becca was able to pull off a successful launch, gain hundreds of thousands of fans, and land features in publications like Vogue, and The New York Times. None of this would have been possible without her resourceful launch strategy.
Ahead, Becca shares how you can have a big impact with your launch—even on a limited budget—and build a brand you’re proud of.
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5 tips for planning a successful launch
1. Find a design partner who understands your vision
Becca wanted to find a graphic design partner to make sure the brand’s visual identity spoke to her target customer. “I looked at a bunch of illustrators on Instagram and surveyed friends and family to see who they felt most drawn to,” Becca says. She ultimately chose a designer who had a deep understanding of her vision.
Next, Becca created a curated inspiration board to share with her designer. “The board had a very narrow focus, which I would encourage people to strive toward,” Becca says. Creating a small, powerful board will keep your designer on track, making the iteration process smoother.
2. Run a beta test
One of the best decisions Becca and the team made before the official launch was to run a beta test online. “We created the visuals and brand name and had all these samples from canneries we were developing products with, and we did this tiny launch of 100 beta boxes,” Becca says.
The test sold out in less than an hour. It gave her insights into how people felt about the brand, and gave the team confidence that they were ready for an official launch.
3. Lean on friends and family
To get the word out, Becca initially asked her own community to spread the word about the launch. “Keep a micro-community-driven approach at the start of your launch because it will be impactful,” Becca says.
The more people Becca asked for help, the faster the brand grew. “People will begin sharing it, and it’s going to end up in the hands of a journalist or an influencer,” she says.
4. Use influencer seeding to spread the word
Aside from her own community, Becca invested as much as she could into influencer seeding.
Fishwife sent small samples to creators who could attract a new kind of customer for the brand. As a new business, this approach fueled the launch and kept new customers coming to the website. “There’s so much value in getting your product into the hands of folks that have influence,” Becca says. If your product is too large or expensive, Becca suggests finding a snackable or sample size version to send out to influencers.
5. Remember: it doesn’t have to be perfect
Even though you launch your business one way, it doesn’t mean it has to stay that way forever. There’s plenty of time and space to tweak your brand and improve different aspects along the way.
“We are constantly evolving the brand,” Becca says. This can serve as a reminder that done is better than perfect. Sometimes you have to stop picking apart the details and just put your brand out there. Expect change, and have confidence that your brand will only improve after its launch.
To learn more about Becca’s strategy for marketing on a tight budget and the creative branding exercises she used to nail down her brand’s look, tune into the full Shopify Masters episode.
