Fundamentals of the Viral Launch

The first rule of viral is of course that you must build something that other people would actually be interested in for one reason or another.

Normally, you’ll want to
(1) let visitors know what you’re doing, then
(2) spark some interest, finally
3) make use of that interest by giving them a chance to subscribe to your news updates, doing so with a bright call-to-action button.

Lately, so-called stealth start-ups have become quite popular because of the interest they are able to generate. They typically won’t tell you what they’re doing, which means they’re ignoring step (1), but somehow they still manage to grab your attention.

Here are the basic elements a launch page should have:

1. A clear value proposition that interests people. (What problem will you be solving?)
2. If your strategy is stealth, then why should people care?
3. A notification form, with a bright call-to-action button.

Additional Elements That Can Make A Launch Page Go Viral
In addition to the basic elements covered above, start-ups have recently been using some of the following elements to make their landing pages more enticing:

• Viral loop,
• Exclusivity and scarcity,
• Glimpses of the beta,
• Social proof,
• Viral content.

You will find all of these in the examples below. Many of the elements are often combined in meaningful ways.

Examples of Basic Launch Pages That Spark Interest