There’s nothing like an event to create buzz around a product. Of course, trade shows have always been a thing, most notably the International CES tech show. But Apple redefined such events for an online audience with its series of high-profile iPhone and Mac launches throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, often watched by up to 1.8 million people.
It’s unlikely you’ll reach such engagement levels, but there are nevertheless lessons to learn, whether you’re using an event to launch a product, service, or new business.
Why use online events?
- Build anticipation. Use social posts ahead of the live event to create buzz about what you might be launching. Consider the way Apple teases small details of its new iPhone, such as a photo of small section of the device, in the days before.
- Showcase your product. If you’ve dedicated your live event to one product, then that product will be the focus of people’s attention. Use that attention to tell stories about its features in the same way Steve Jobs once did for Apple products.
- Stimulate conversation. Run a live stream of the launch, push out a press release and create a hashtag of the event to get people talking about your product. Consider how Apple uses hashtags like #AppleEvent to trend on Twitter.
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