New Product Launches 101: Midwest Makers Guide
Launching a new product is SO exciting! You get to tap into your creativity as a maker- new scents, new packaging, new themes to explore, new stories to create.
But on the other side of the coin...there is a lot of pressure from everything else that quietly stacks up behind the scenes.
Without clear direction, a new product launch can quickly cause confusion, self-doubt, or just cause you to dread the entire project altogether. So, if you’ve ever found yourself wondering “what am I even doing?” right before a launch, you’re not alone.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the full process in a way that feels manageable- like a checklist you can return to whenever you’re building something new!
Let's get started!
The Foundation: Fragrance Selection + Product Testing
Let's start at the very beginning...you've been inspired to launch a new product- yay!
Whether this launch is for a brand new product you're adding to your line, or its a new themed or seasonal collection of the products you're already known for, we can start in the same place...fragrance selection.
With endless options of what fragrances you can choose from, it might be intimidating to narrow it down to just a few- but we usually recommend choosing 3 - 6 scent options for a new launch.
If you're struggling to decide on your fragrances, we have a few resources that really help with this!
Crafting Curated Collections: The Secret To Products That Sell
The Midwest Makers Podcast: A Scent Strategy To Scale Your Maker Business
Market Season: What You Need to Know (for makers that primarily focus on markets!)
As you work through your options, always check the IFRA documents for each fragrance to make sure it's safe to use in the product you're making.
After you've decided on your fragrance selection, it's time for product testing.
Testing is arguably one of the least fun steps for creating new products, but it is THE most important for you and your customers' safety.
Some products are easier to test than others, but products like candles, reed diffusers, and body care take a lot more time and effort. (for good reason!) It's extremely important to do thorough testing with each fragrance to ensure they all perform to standard.
To make testing a little easier, check out these guides:
IFRA & Fragrance Calculator
Midwest Makers Guides & Tutorials
- Wax Melt Fragrance Testing Guide
- Tips to Improve Your Hot and/or Cold Throw
- How To Make A Room Spray: Step-by-Step Guide
- Reed Diffusers 101: Midwest Makers Guide
- Foaming Hand Soap 101: Midwest Makers Guide
- How To Use Our Lotion Base: Step-by-Step Guide
Don't forget- we have plenty more guides and tutorials similar to this! If you are looking for more information, look through our resources and filter by the product you're making!
Bringing it to Life: Naming + Packaging
Once your scents are chosen, naming them is often the moment things start to feel real. A name can completely change what a fragrance is or the story behind it, and the right name that connects to your audience can really impact your sales in a positive way!
What it boils down to is this: listen to your customer base and lean into what scent names they gravitate towards. Some makers have a lot of success with fragrances names such as 'White Tea + Lemon', 'Sandalwood + Sage', or 'Pineapple + Mango'. And some makers also sell out with more cheeky, funny names that make customers laugh!
What we have discovered with not only Midwest, but our candle company as well, is that our customer bases heavily leaned towards names that represented a feeling, set a certain mood, or told a story.
There’s no one right approach here. What matters most is that your names feel natural to your brand and easy for your customers to connect with!
Needing some inspiration for scent names? We have resources with a lot of helpful information!
Crafting Curated Collection: The Secret To Products That Sell
Midwest Makers Podcast: A Scent Strategy To Scale Your Maker Business
Naming Inspiration Guide: Featuring Vanilla Skin (type) and Heavy Cream (type)
Now that your product is created, it's time to decide on product packaging. It's important for a few reasons: how your product looks, how it fits your own branding, how well it holds up in shipping, and how much it costs per unit. Finding the perfect packaging can take trial and error- and that's okay!
If you have access to product testers, this is also a natural point to gather feedback while you work on perfecting your labels. Even a small round of input can highlight things in the product and packaging that you may not have noticed on your own.
After choosing the perfect name and packaging, it's time to start creating a label for your product! Designing your label is often really fun, but it's also important to keep a few things in mind while working on them.
- What specific information needs to be on the label for this product?
- Does this product require ingredients or directions to be listed on the label?
- What size label do you need to use? (this heavily depends on packaging!)
- What label finish will you choose? (matte, glossy, waterproof, etc)
All of this truly depends on the product you're making. Body care products need to have ingredients and company address on the label. Products that will come in contact with water need to have waterproof labels. Most products, but most notably candles, need a label for safety warnings.
It is important to research what label requirements are for your area and the product you are making. If you need help on where to begin, we highly recommend asking the makers in our community group! No matter what product you're making, we have others that make the same thing and are more than happy to point you in the right direction.
We also have a very helpful label guide for our foaming hand soap base, along with a free Canva template! Check it out!
Behind-The-Scenes: Website Listings, Pricing, and Shipping
When it comes time to actually list your product on your website or online shop, your photos and descriptions are a huge part of what actually sells them!
Clear, well-lit photos entice customers and give a more professional, upscale look, and you don't have to be a professional photographer to take beautiful product photos.
Using natural light and a clean, intentional backdrop with basic props to fill space (as long as they don't draw attention from your product!) can produce amazing product photos that look like a pro took them!
For product descriptions, detailed descriptions answer the questions they may not think to ask. This is where you can explain how to use the product, describe the scents, and include any important safety information or disclaimers.
If you like adding small visual touches, like size comparisons or even photos/videos of the products in use, this is a great place to include them. They can make your listing more appealing to customers and further entice them to purchase.
Product pricing is another factor that stumps many makers. And while there is no one-size-fits-all for this, there are a few things for you to consider when deciding on price:
- What is your cost of goods for the product? (calculating how much it takes for you to produce one product) Most makers sell at 3 to 4 times their COG.
- What price points do your target audience tend to buy at?
- What do other makers tend to price this product (or products similar)? A good place to check here is Etsy- search your product and filter by 'most popular'! This will show you the top sellers and the price points they are being sold for.
Now, let's look into another key point here: what happens when a customer actually purchases your new product on your website? Shipping!
You’ll want to take note of your product packaging and what size box it will fit in, box weight once it’s ready to ship and factoring that into your customers' shipping costs, and what materials you need to keep it protected in transit. Practicing packing an order with your new product in a box can help you test out what works and what doesn't!
And, if you don't already- a good 'shake test' helps you know if it's packaged securely. Just close the flaps on your box and give it a shake- if you feel or hear movement, you need to add more filler so everything is secure and won't be thrown around in the box during transit.
Another little note: if you’re offering multiple sizes, make sure you adjust shipping costs depending on the weight for each option. This could lead to customers overpaying (or underpaying!) for shipping.
The Finishing Touches: Launching + Marketing
Before your launch, it's smart to put together your marketing plan and decide what you want to post.
Your marketing can be simple or it can be detailed, but overall, it just needs to be intentional.
Share about your new products, of course, but most importantly, what makes your products special. Behind-the-scenes work, how the launch came together, the story behind the fragrances, and let your customers form a connection with your new products before they even buy them, or before they're even released!
Need some ideas for marketing? We have plenty of resources to help you!
Midwest Makers Podcast: Marketing For Makers That Actually Grew Our Business
Marketing Your Handmade Business Without The Overwhelm
Once you launch your product, your marketing should become an ongoing conversation rather than a one-time announcement. Ideas for this might include highlighting individual scents, sharing customer feedback, or posting small behind-the-scenes moments.
Another little tip about marketing: try to avoid creating posts that scream, "I'm selling this and you should buy it."
Instead, try to focus on posts that show how the product enriches your daily life and how other customers love it- basically, let them decide on their own that they need it in their life. More sales happen when customers don't feel pressure to buy!
And That's How You Launch New Products!
As all of you know, launching a new product can be a lot...but it doesn't have to be! Just follow this guideline and try to not overthink it.
Some parts will feel creative and exciting, others a little more technical, but they are all necessary to produce the best possible products for your customers- and in turn, you'll be rewarded by more sales flowing!
Take your time, test diligently, allow yourself to be fully creative, and you won't believe how far that can take you.
And when your launch day comes around, we’d love to see what you’ve created! Make sure you tag us at @midwestfragranceco on Instagram or post in our MWFC Community Group on Facebook!
Happy making!
Hi! I'm Kenna!
Co-founder of Midwest Fragrance Company, business builder since 20, fueled by coffee and grounded by yoga. I’ve learned (mostly the hard way) what it takes to grow a maker business, and I share those lessons here… the real ones, not the highlight reel.
At MWFC, we sell all the supplies you need to create scented products that truly shine ✨
Want to keep following along? Find us on Instagram @midwestfragranceco
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