We’re building a trade-in checkout widget for e-commerce (think: shopper trades in old MacBook at checkout to offset a new purchase). Our cold start problem is getting the first merchants to go live.

One thing we’re testing: when a merchant integrates, we hand them a ready-made “We now accept trade-ins!” email template for their existing customer list + a website banner. Zero extra work on their end.

The theory is that merchants are more likely to launch a new feature if activation friction is near zero. And a launch email to their own list is free distribution for us.

My questions:

• Has “done-for-you launch kit” actually moved the needle for anyone on merchant activation? • Do merchants actually send these, or does it sit in their inbox? • Any better version of this you’ve seen work?