A soft launch is a great way to introduce your program to employees while building awareness and excitement around both the platform and the content. By giving employees early access to the experience (via embed, mobile app, or desktop), you can encourage them to explore the platform, follow shows, and activate notifications before the first full episodes are released.
Below is a step-by-step plan to stage your app for a soft launch.
1. Create Soft Launch Content
Create Show Trailers
- Create a trailer episode for each show.
- Trailers introduce the show’s purpose, audience, and value.
- In the recording, be sure to instruct the audience to follow the show in the uStudio app (mobile or desktop) to get real-time notifications whenever there is new content available.
- Aim for 2–5 trailers at launch so the platform feels active when employees explore it.
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Use AI to make show trailers fast and scalable. Here are some of our favorite workflows: Option 1: Use your corporate-approved chatbot to draft a script, then use uStudio Autocast to convert it into audio. Option 2: Prompt NotebookLM to generate a two‑host conversation and upload it as a trailer episode. |
Create Introducing uStudio* Episode
Create a single episode that:
- Introduces the program and the program's purpose and value.
- Outlines the different ways your audience can access content (mobile app, desktop, embedded content throughout the workplace ecosystem)
- Guides employees to explore and play show trailers.
- Invites listeners in an embed to open the full app experience.
- Instructs employees to follow shows marked "Coming Soon" so they receive launch notifications.
- Includes the expected go‑live timeframe for new content.
* Make sure your naming aligns with your internal language for the program. This could be uStudio or the program name (e.g. EcoCloud Streaming).
2. Set Up Audience App
Create Shows
- Create shows for all existing content.
- Create shows for upcoming content and upload artwork with a "Coming Soon" overlay.
Upload Content
- Upload and publish existing content that should be available during the soft launch.
- Upload and publish trailer episodes for shows that are coming soon.
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In trailer descriptions, include a link to the show page so listeners can easily navigate to the show and follow it. |
3. Create the Introducing uStudio* Show
This show acts as a central entry point that can be embedded throughout the work ecosystem. It helps employees quickly understand the platform right in their flow of work and discover upcoming content.
The show description should:
- Provide a simple overview of the app
- Explain how to follow shows
- Encourage exploration of the content/app
Publish Content
- Publish the Introducing uStudio episode as the first episode in the show.
- Add trailers from all other shows to this show so employees can easily preview upcoming content (especially in an embed format, more below).
* Make sure your naming aligns with your internal language for the program. This could be uStudio or the program name (e.g. EcoCloud Streaming).
4. Soft Launch (Early Access)
Embed the Introducing uStudio* Show
Embedding this introductory show inside existing workflows helps solve the "chicken and egg" problem: employees can discover the platform without needing to install or open the app first.
From the embed, they can:
- Listen to the overview
- Explore trailers
- Launch directly into the full app experience
Common places to embed:
- Intranet / employee portal
- HR or onboarding pages
- Program home pages
- Sales enablement platforms
- Learning platforms
Distribute Links to the Show
Share links & QR Codes to the Introducing uStudio show across collaboration tools such as:
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- Viva Engage
This creates multiple entry points for employees to discover the platform.
Identify Early Champions
Invite a small group of employees or leaders to explore the app during the soft launch and follow shows. Their early engagement helps seed activity in the platform and encourages them to share the experience with their teams. This can reinforce behaviors like following shows and enabling notifications while generating peer-to-peer word of mouth ahead of the full launch.
5. Full Launch
When your launch date arrives, publish the first full episodes for each show.
Because employees discovered and followed shows during the soft launch, they will:
- Receive notifications automatically
- Begin listening immediately when new episodes are released
- Help create early momentum for the program
