Coming soon posts: teasers that build a launch

A coming soon post tells people something is on its way and makes them want to know what. The best ones reveal a little, not nothing and not everything: a colour, a silhouette, a name, a date. On their own they're easy to miss, so plan them as a short teaser series, each post adding one new clue, ending in a reveal that pays off. That rhythm works for a product, a menu, a shop opening, an app or a new service.

Plan a teaser series, not a single post

Think of the series as a story with four beats. Each post should stand alone for someone seeing it for the first time, and add something for the people who've been following.

Between the beats, use stories. A daily story frame keeps the launch in view without crowding the feed. Story countdown stickers let followers tap to be reminded when the time comes; the companion guide on countdown posts covers that final stretch.

What to show in a coming soon post

The clue is the design. Choose something that's intriguing on its own and makes sense once the reveal arrives.

• A colour: the new packaging or collection colour, alone, full frame.
• A crop: a tight detail of the product, a corner, a stitch, a handle.
• A silhouette: the shape in shadow against your background.
• A word: the product's name, or one word that describes it.
• A sound or a process: a short clip from the workshop, kitchen or studio.
• A question: "Guess what's coming?" with a quiz sticker, revealed later.

Services and events need clues too, just different ones. A salon adding a treatment can tease the tools laid out on a towel. A café launching a winter menu can show a single ingredient on the counter. A studio opening a second room can post the empty space with fresh paint on the walls. An app can show one cropped corner of a new screen. In every case, the clue should be specific enough to spark a guess and honest enough that the guess turns out roughly right.

A colour teaser works especially well when the colour later appears on the product, the launch posts and the packaging. Followers recognise it on launch day, and the series feels deliberate. Behind the scenes content can double as a teaser too, as long as the frame stops just short of showing the finished thing.

Design the teasers as a set

Every teaser should look unmistakably related: the same background, type and layout, with only the clue changing. Then the reveal uses the same look again, now with everything shown. That continuity is what makes people connect the dots.

This is where a distinctive background pays off. If your teasers sit on a generic preset gradient, followers can't tell them from anyone else's. A look that is clearly yours makes a near empty "Coming soon" frame recognisable at a glance. In Gradiently, a claimed Mark is that look, and no other brand can export with it. Design the set once, and with Pro one resize step gives you the story and feed sizes from the same design.

How to write coming soon captions

Short captions suit teasers. Say just enough to make the clue land, then give people an action: turn on the story reminder, join the waiting list, or follow so they don't miss it. If you have an email list, send the same teaser there; it's the one audience you don't have to hope an algorithm reaches.

Launch day: land the reveal

1. 1

   Post the reveal early

   Be ready before your launch hour. Pin the reveal post to the top of your profile for the week.

2. 2

   Show it properly

   Clear photos, the name, the key detail and exactly how to get it. This is the post people have been waiting for, so don't hold anything back.

3. 3

   Follow up in stories

   Link stickers to the shop page, then reshare customers' first posts, with their permission.

4. 4

   Close the loop

   Thank everyone who followed the series. A short "you made this launch" story goes a long way.

For the reveal itself, see new product announcement and product launch graphics. Opening a physical place? Grand opening posts cover the extras, such as address, hours and map.