The Power of Marketing – Growing an Audience Before You Launch
One of the biggest mistakes new brands make is waiting until launch day to start marketing. The reality? You need to build hype BEFORE you launch.
For Billow Beach, I spent a whole year talking about my product before it even hit the market. I didn’t just launch a beach bag—I built a community, a story, and anticipation so that when my product was finally ready, people were already waiting to buy it.
This blog takes you behind the scenes of how I marketed Billow Beach before launch, the challenges I faced, and the strategies that helped me grow my audience.
Step 1: Talking About Billow Beach (Before It Even Existed)
The first thing I did? I talked about Billow Beach non-stop.
Instead of keeping my idea a secret, I shared everything on my personal Instagram @wheres_ren for an entire year.
📌 Behind-the-scenes content – I showed my design process, sketches, samples, and even my failed oversized bag prototype.
📌 The journey of building the brand – From setting up my website to changing my branding, I brought my audience along for the ride.
📌 Authenticity over perfection – I didn’t wait for everything to be polished. I shared real moments, wins, and struggles.
🔹 The result? I built trust. People saw my passion, my persistence, and my excitement. They became invested in the journey—not just the product.
Step 2: Creating a Waitlist & Incentivising Sign-Ups
To capture interested buyers before launch, I set up a waitlist on my website.
💡 Strategy: I funnelled people to sign up for a chance to win my oversized Billow Beach bag (the failed prototype!).
👥 Total Waitlist Sign-Ups: 75 people
🔥 Even though 75 people may seem small, I felt accomplished. These were people excited about my product before it was even available and before they could really see how the design worked!.
Step 3: Overcoming My Biggest Marketing Challenge – Finding Models & Content Creators
One of my biggest struggles? Getting high-quality photos and videos while heavily pregnant.
I couldn’t be the face of my brand, so I had to find models and photographers willing to collaborate in exchange for content.
📸 How I Solved It:
✅ Built a network of 25 models, photographers & brands willing to trade content.
✅ Created a Facebook group – "Billow Models QLD" to communicate with them.
✅ Encouraged collaborations where everyone benefited (content for them, exposure for me).
🤝 Lesson learned: People love being part of something new and exciting. If you don’t have the budget for pro models, build a supportive creative team instead!
I am so grateful to:
Mitch, Safari, Banjo, Olivia, Julia, Victor, Ella, Yli, Tommee, Polak, Gabi, Julija, Leah, Teneille and Linoy.
Thank you to my Billow Models Qld group for their excitement for future collaborations and to my Collab and Connect girlies on Tiktok.
I have built real relationships with creative people and feel I have an amazing team behind Billow Beach. I will be sure to create a whole page about these people because I am so lucky and they deserve recognition!
Step 4: Crafting a Marketing Message That Solves a Real Problem
A product is only as strong as its why. I didn’t just want to sell a beach bag—I wanted to solve a beach lover’s biggest frustrations:
🚫 No pillow for comfort
🚫 Towels that are too small or always flying away
🚫 Not enough space in their beach bag
My marketing strategy revolved around this core message:
👉 “Say goodbye to uncomfortable beach days—Billow Beach is the only 3-in-1 beach bag, towel, and pillow that lets you relax wherever you go.”
🔹 Key takeaways:
- Show people how your product makes their life easier.
- Focus on the pain points your customers struggle with.
- Educate, don’t just sell—help them see why they need it.
Step 5: Building a Community & Growing My Audience Fast
One of my biggest breakthroughs? Leveraging my TikTok creator network.
🎥 I connected with a group of UGC creators who I sent Billow Bags to in exchange for ongoing content creation.
✅ We supported each other’s accounts—engaging, commenting, and sharing posts.
✅ This strategy helped me gain 400+ new followers in a few days!
✅ Unlocking TikTok LIVE – Hitting 1,000 followers allowed me to go live and showcase my product in real time.
🚀 Next steps: Now that I have LIVE access, I plan to go live a few times a week to showcase Billow Bags and interact with potential customers.
Key Marketing Lessons From My Pre-Launch Strategy
✨ 1. Start Marketing Early
Your audience needs time to warm up before they buy. Start sharing behind-the-scenes content months before you launch.
✨ 2. Build a Waitlist & Capture Emails
Social media followers don’t always convert. Having a dedicated waitlist ensures you have real leads ready to buy.
✨ 3. Leverage Community & Creator Collaborations
If you can’t do it all alone (like me when I was pregnant!), build a team of content creators & models who can help bring your vision to life.
✨ 4. Focus on the Pain Points
Don’t just sell a product—sell the solution to your customer’s problem. People need to see how your product will make their life easier.
✨ 5. Engage & Grow Your Audience Organically
Using TikTok creator communities helped me grow fast & unlock features like LIVE shopping, which I’ll now use for sales.
What’s Next? Visit Billow Beach
Get your own 3 in 1 Beach Bag With A Towel And Pillow Now!
If you not following our journey on Tiktok - FOLLOW HERE
<3 Shakas