The launch of Highrise – the shared contact manager I first wrote about in Media Follow-ups 2.0 – is an awesome example of brilliant PR.

Observe how creators 37signals first announced the upcoming product.

How they teased the public and satisfied their curiosity for news, with regular previews through their blog.

How they launched Highrise on their blog and accepted genuine feedback in the form of comments (both positive and negative) on the blog post.

How 37signals responded with rapid changes to Highrise‘s product packages; and how they ‘relaunched’ it. Observe the comments that follow.

To distill the lessons gleaned from this online product launch (via a corporate blog), here are five reminders to bear in mind:

1. Talk to your key stakeholders like you would to a friend
2. Let them talk back
3. Get them involved in your product design
4. Listen carefully to what they have to say
5. Act fast! (or be prepared to explain your inaction)

Granted, most companies don’t deal with web products that are somewhat easier to tweak at customers’ wimps and fancies; but the principles outlined here are timeless, and especially true in the Internet age today.

What a brilliant show by 37signals.

And what I’d like to know is this: What were the thoughts that went on in the CEO’s mind between the first criticism on the blog post and 37signal’s announcement of the ‘new, improved’ product?

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