Don’t Forget The Foreplay

FOMO or bust.

This past week, my friend was on a business trip in Europe. He works for a big artist whose songs you likely have saved in your Spotify account. They were doing a few small tour stops for audiences of a few thousand each; a slight pivot from their typical production for a 150,000-person crowd.

Why would a Grammy-nominated artist, who could pull in just short of the population of Charleston, South Carolina, settle for 3,000 people? It’s the same reason rhode sent out their glazing mist (coming soon) to content creators and Mrs. Bieber’s friends to tease online.

They were FOMO testing. Or doing launch foreplay, as I call it.

What better way to gauge interest in your experience or product than getting validation from lines wrapped around neighborhoods or lengthy Reddit threads with 👀 emojis?

launch foreplay

n. The flirtatious act of teasing a product, service, or idea before it officially drops — designed to spark curiosity, trigger FOMO, and measure demand without revealing too much. The success of this KPI typically appears across social media in DMs, PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS, TikToks, and Reddit threads.

Ex: Instead of starting with a release date, Sabrina Carpenter teased new music with a billboard on I-69 on June 2nd, before officially announcing the music on June 3rd.¹

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Very few brands do foreplay well.

So, how do you pull a Hailey or *redacted artist name*? Brands, creators, podcasters, musicians, private chefs, fashion designers, etc. - here are the rules:

1. No screenshot = no FOMO. FOMO feeds on group chats. If your target audience wouldn’t send your hint to a friend with “I need this“ or “wtf is this??”, it’s not ready. There’s no better marketing recipe than mystery and aesthetic tension.

2. Be hot and mysterious. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again (this statement works in many aspects of life). The magic really is in the mystery. Your job is to spark curiosity, not give the full context. The less you say, the more they ask. Start with tiny hints and make them slightly more visible the closer you get to launch.

3. Spread the tease. Loop in your close circle — especially the ones your audience recognizes as insiders. Give them access to your product, event, or experience, and let them go crazy on Instagram stories with very subtle clues. The internet is fast, nosy, and incredibly good at playing Nancy Drew. Use that to your advantage.

4. They can look, but they can’t touch. Your followers should feel like they’re jammed in the Louvre trying to get a glimpse of Mona, and your comment section should reflect this. Whispers, oohs, ahhs, and soft chaos are the goal. But…

5. If no one’s asked about it, go back to the drawing board. Your followers need to be on the edge of their seats waiting for you to drop the thing. If they aren’t prying in your DMs, it might be worth evaluating if your thing is really needed. The goal isn’t just “I saw that,” it’s “I need to know what that is.”

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Thanks for reading and don’t forget your launch foreplay! Xoxo, Kate.

1. I wrote this article around 12:30am EST on June 3rd. Almost 12 hours later, Sabrina posted on Instagram about the her new song “Manchild” coming out on June 5th. I think she should’ve done more foreplay here, but I digress.