Build Brands Backwards
Build the audience and story before launching the product
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 7
- Confidence
- 99%
Building brands backwards means developing the marketing, language, community, and emotional story before the finished product launches. Start talking about the concept immediately through platform-native posts, mood boards, questions, and early prototypes. Invite potential customers to shape details such as flavors, benefits, imagery, and vocabulary. Reinforce online findings with small real-world gatherings where participants can interact naturally with the prototype while the team observes their words, expressions, photos, and sharing behavior. Once a resonant story emerges, publish a coming-soon page that captures email addresses and gives supporters a reason to refer others. This reverses the conventional sequence: the audience is not acquired after launch; it participates in creating the launch and already feels invested when the product becomes available.
Origin
Michelle Cordeiro Grant says she used this community-led approach for both Lively and Gorgie. Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show.
Core principles
- 01Marketing begins when the idea is shared
- 02Customers can help create the brand before launch
- 03Emotional resonance precedes product detail
- 04A launch is stronger when the community launches with it
- 05Observable behavior matters more than compliments
How to run it
- 1
State the unfinished idea
Share the customer problem, emotional promise, or concept before the finished product exists.
Pro tip Use simple iPhone content that feels native to the chosen platform.
Watch out Do not pretend an unfinished concept is already a completed product.
- 2
Invite visible participation
Ask followers to choose attributes such as flavors, ingredients, benefits, words, or visual directions.
Pro tip Use specific alternatives that make responses easy to compare.
Watch out Do not ask for feedback if the team is unwilling to act on any answer.
- 3
Test emotional assets
Show target cohorts several images and phrases, then identify which combinations repeatedly attract attention and enthusiasm.
Pro tip Run sessions with different cohorts to detect shared patterns.
Watch out Do not select creative solely because the founder personally prefers it.
- 4
Observe the idea in real life
Create a relaxed gathering where people can try or discuss the concept without turning the event into a formal sales presentation.
Pro tip Watch the language, smiles, photos, and posts that arise without prompting.
Watch out Founder enthusiasm can obscure weak reactions, so evaluate the room honestly.
- 5
Capture the emerging community
Launch a simple coming-soon page with the strongest imagery and language and begin collecting email addresses.
Pro tip Make the invitation about joining a movement rather than receiving corporate updates.
Watch out Avoid overloading the page with product details that have not been validated.
- 6
Create a sharing loop
Give supporters a clear thank-you page, referral link, or tiered reward for inviting others.
Pro tip Model the mechanics on a proven open-source referral campaign when appropriate.
Watch out Calculate reward redemption economics before traffic accelerates.
- 7
Launch with the audience
Bring the product to market with the people who helped shape, discuss, and share it.
Pro tip Recognize early contributors so their emotional ownership continues after launch.
Watch out Do not abandon the feedback loop once sales begin.
In the wild
Lively tested imagery and language with groups of women, selected the fire-escape image and the phrase “Today bras and undies. Tomorrow the world,” and placed them on a referral splash page based on Harry's open-source campaign. Starting with about 250 emails, the campaign generated roughly 133,000 sign-ups in 48 hours.
→ A pre-launch community formed before customers knew the product's price or materials.
Gorgie posted iPhone-shot mood boards and a basic liquid prototype, asked followers about flavors and ingredients, and hosted a 20-person happy hour with samples, postcards, and stickers before the final can existed.
→ The team refined the product and brand story while building an initial audience.
Common mistakes
Waiting for a finished product
Delaying marketing until launch forfeits months of learning and leaves the company without an invested audience.
Overproducing early content
Expensive production can make experimentation slow and emotionally costly. Early content should be easy to change.
Ignoring natural behavior
Direct praise is weaker evidence than people voluntarily photographing, sharing, tasting, or referring the concept.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for consumer founders who can expose concepts, stories, visuals, or prototypes before manufacturing is complete.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for confidential inventions, regulated claims, or products whose early disclosure would create material risk.
From the transcript
“The idea is that you build the marketing and the story with your community first, and you actually start marketing right away.”
“Sell them on the concept before it even launches. Because when you do launch, all of those people are launching with you.”
“The point is, is you don't push it as like you're selling product.”
From the episode
Creating Brand Loyalty, Social Media Virality, and User-Generated Content with Michelle Cordeiro Grant
Michelle Cordeiro Grant