Soft Launch – Meaning, Origin & Usage

Most people have heard the word “launch”, but if you haven’t heard of a soft launch before, you are not alone. However, you don’t need to worry because this article is going to break it all down for you. We will  start with the meaning and origin of the term before comparing and contrasting a soft launch with a traditional one.

We will also cover the key benefits of a soft launch and how to plan one before addressing common misperceptions around soft launches. We will top that off with a section where we answer your most frequently asked questions on the subject, and by the end you’re sure to feel like an expert on the subject.

And without further ado let’s get straight to it.

What is a ‘soft launch’?

A soft launch is basically a pre-planned event or release of a product or service to a limited audience before its official launch to the general public.

Sometimes, people also use the phrase ‘soft launch’ to make it known that someone has a potential love interest before making it more official by providing their name or a photo of their face.

What’s the origin of the term ‘soft launch’?

The earliest recorded written use of the term ‘soft launch’ as a noun was in 1978, while the earliest known use of ‘soft launch’ as a verb came along in 1985. 

The concept of a ‘soft launch’ originally comes from the hotel and catering industry, where they differentiate between a “grand opening” and a “soft opening”. A grand opening of a hotel or restaurant might feature the likes of a glamorous opening ceremony, press, advertising and VIP guests. In contrast, a soft opening, or soft launch is a quieter event intended as a trial run to optimise the business before becoming more official.

Soft launch in business contexts

A good example of a ‘soft launch’ might be to release a product to an already acquired fan-base before making it available to the general public. This way, organic digital marketing for the product may take place, and create a ‘buzz’ for the product, so that when the product does eventually see its full launch, there will already be a market to receive it.

It can be compared to an unofficial trial run, to see how the product or service will go down in order to learn lessons for the ‘hard launch’ or the grand opening.

What are the key benefits of a soft launch?

The benefits of a soft launch are as follows:

• You can gauge market reception, gather feedback on the user experience, and even make improvements to the product or service based on user feedback. 
• It’s also very cost effective. You can save money by allowing you to focus on what’s important and avoid developing every feature simultaneously. You can also optimise your resources by allowing you to focus your marketing efforts on building a bigger user base in your key market. 
• You can test out different marketing messages, channels, and promotional strategies.
• A soft launch can also help you generate early excitement and curiosity about your product, which can be amplified for the full launch. 

What is a ‘soft launch’ vs. a ‘hard launch’?

This was mentioned earlier, but it bears repeating here. A soft launch is basically the release of a product or service to a limited audience before its official launch to the general public, which can be described as a ‘hard launch’.

The main difference between the two types of launch is the level of audience and the amount of marketing involved. A soft launch involves minimal or no marketing, and is best for gathering feedback and making changes before releasing the product or service to the general public. A hard launch on the other hand can be described as a full-scale release to the public involving significant marketing and promotion efforts. Hard launches require more resources, time, and money than a soft launch.

Examples of successful soft launches in the business world

Some examples of successful soft launches include: Google Maps, Slack, Dropbox, and Pokémon Go. Dropbox underwent a soft launch in 2007 when it was made available to a small group of users through invitation-only beta testing. This allowed the company to gather feedback and make improvements to the software before its full launch in 2008.

How to plan a soft launch for your product

Before you embark on a soft launch, it is crucial to set clear objectives and define your target audience. This will help guide your marketing and promotional efforts during the soft launch period. You can then determine the channels and platforms you will use to reach your audience, and put together compelling content, and plan promotional activities around it.

Common misconceptions about soft launches

Let’s bust some of the common myths around soft launches. A soft launch may be similar to beta-testing in many ways, but they aren’t always the same.

Also, soft launches don’t have to be expensive. The end cost will depend on your goals for the soft launch.

And crucially, how well the soft launch goes isn’t necessarily going to be an accurate representation of how the product or service will be seen by the general public, especially if the trial run is given to a very strong or biased fan base.

Final word

So, to sum up, the term ‘soft launch’ is most frequently used to refer to a pre-planned event or release of a product or service to a limited audience before its official launch to the general public.

There are several benefits to a soft launch in business. You can save money and resources. You can test out a prototype before going official and gauge the market for the product and service and respond to feedback from potential customers.

It’s worth repeating at this point that people also use the term ‘soft launch’ to how they would ‘quietly’ ‘put the word out’ that they are in a new relationship.