From Idea to Launch… Party: Welcome Huntington Beach Days
One of the best ways to create buzz surrounding the launch of your new hyperlocal publication is to — you guessed it — throw a party and invite the whole town.
Not only is it great marketing for your brand, it also positions you as an authority. YOU are the one who knows everyone. YOU are the one who brings people together.
Huntington Beach Days Editor, Deanna, launched HuntingtonBeachDays.com in November on a Monday… and hosted her launch party that Wednesday.
She did it fast fast fast and got so many RSVP’s and YESS’s…
But the best part?
She did it for FREE.
It was hosted at Cleobella’s flagship location where the indoor-outdoor space was picture perfect for the event, giving off a very Surf City feel: palm trees, surfboards, and boho vibes.
Deanna pulled out all the stops and no detail went unnoticed — from custom HB Days labels on the champagne bottles, buckets of local IPAs, and a jaw-dropping charcuterie spread, to a photo booth full of fun props and a coloring station for the kiddos.
Small businesses from all over HB donated their services to the event and some of HB’s most influential people came to enjoy.
The aftermath succeeded just as we expected. The brands all shared and re-shared Stories and photos, HB Days’ follower count went up on social, and the website traffic surged.
While we partied, Huntington Beach Days established itself as Huntington’s coolest hyperlocal publication…
One that’s run by locals FOR locals.
In Module 9 of the City Living Network course we explore how to throw a launch party —
including brainstorming the best venues to reach out to, what party ideas we want to narrow down on, and how to secure vendors.
I share the tips and tricks that have helped many of our publications throw their own launch parties… including the exact email templates to send.
Because if a party is what we NEED, a party is what we’ll DO.
