Apr 12

Strategies to Create Buzz Online: Teasers


How do you get people talking online about your product, service or program?

As a small business owner, you need to leverage every resource you have available to create buzz online.

First, consider that you should not try to create buzz too often. You can wear out your audience with constant hype. It is best to build buzz during a marketing cycle and then let things return to normal.

This is especially true on social media sites. People tire of constant hype and will “unlike” your business page or unfriend you on Facebook. Or they will unfollow you on Twitter.

Teasers Encourage Curiosity

A teaser often works best at the beginning of a marketing campaign as a way to signal something cool is coming.

It may stimulate interest with people asking what you are going to share. You are building anticipation.

The movie industry does this well. When they are first announcing a movie, they will often release short trailers that serve as teasers. They will often reveal some mysterious details without context. It can cause a stir in fan communities as people try to interpret what they just saw. Star Wars does this really well.

Methods to Release Teasers

You can do this on a website through the use of banner ads which build interest and anticipation.

You can accomplish this through email by announcing something that is coming soon.

You can also follow the concept of a movie trailer and release a video.

Build Anticipation with a Teaser

The traditional Product Launch Model relies heavily on the use of video to build interest and anticipation for the launch.

A teaser should focus on the needs of audience. What problem are they trying to solve. You can call attention to this need in your marketing without revealing the product you are offering.

In a future post, I will share some examples of ways to create teasers. So, check back soon for details.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Rick Cooper

Rick is an Author, Speaker, and Coach. He is author of Seize your Opportunities, Marketing Magic, and Extreme Excellence. Rick works with small business owners who want to generate more leads online and increase sales on the internet.He specializes in working with Coaches, Speakers, and Experts. He helps them leverage their expertise to attract clients online. He has provided marketing consulting and support to some of the top speakers in the world.

15 comments

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    • dtl on April 12, 2017 at 11:54 am
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    Thanks Rick, I got some cool ideas from this post. Maybe a good way to launch my new business venture and to create some SM buzz and social proof of this ideas effectiveness. FYI… Not so crazy about the opt-in requirement to submit comments below. ~ Dennis

    1. Hi DTL. Thanks for the comment! There is a value in creating curiosity and building interest in your message over time.

      WordPress comments do not require an opt-in.

    • Carl holzwarth on April 14, 2017 at 8:04 am
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    Hi Rick. Great post. Thank you for sharing the idea. Looking forward to the future post with the examples.

    1. You’re welcome Carl! Teasers are an effective method whether using social media, email or even your website.

  3. Rick, you really inspired me to pay more attention to creating buzz with teasers, most likely using a combination of videos and emails. Looking forward to seeing your teaser examples. Wait!!! I just realized this blog was a teaser!

    1. You’re welcome Elizabeth! And yes, I did end with a teaser!

  4. Rick, what’s your take on Facebook posts that say “stay tuned…” – it gives a snippet and then… “stay tuned…”

    To me, that is USUALLY trying to create curiosity where none really needs to be. It’s the business version of “I’m so MAD right now” – with no details. To GET people to ask for more (and then be denied or get into some rant that has nothing to do with anything!)

    1. It all depends on your audience Kim. If your Facebook friends are naturally cynical, they will probably reject any form of perceived hype. Avoid “salesy phrases” and choose an authentic teaser instead.

    • Gail on April 15, 2017 at 10:32 am
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    I agree that a great teaser can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful marketing campaign. Looking forward to future posts on this important topic.

    1. Thanks for sharing Gail! Planning is key to success. Not every message has to hit people over the head with a hammer. Sometimes you just have to pique their curiosity.

  6. Great tips Rick and timely too. I’m getting ready to launch a challenges. Looking forward to your post with examples

    • padme on April 16, 2017 at 10:42 am
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    Nice blog Rick! How do you suggest finding a balance between teasing your customers in an uplifting way and manipulating them so they’ll buy from you? This seems like an important distinction to me.

    1. Hi Padme. That all depends on your audience. Each audience is different. You need to learn to communicate with them in a way that is authentic. A great first step would be to simply ask a question. For example, you could ask your audience, “Would you like to explore the wilderness?”

      That would engage them and get them thinking about your topic.

  8. This was a really good reminder that creating a teaser is important before I actually launch a new product. Thank you!!!! It actually feels good because I don’t always like to be constantly ‘pitching’

    1. Absolutely Brenda! Teasers are a simple way to get people thinking with pitching your product. The best marketing has people seeking out your product before they even here the details.

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