Should I Launch at CES? Considerations & Month-by-Month Plan for a CES Product Launch

CES is one of the most prominent gathering of technology minds, innovators, brands and influencers.

PR professionals and brands alike recognize the immense influence and exposure that CES brings, so it’s no surprise that the question we get most often from consumer technology clients is, “should I launch a new product at CES?”

We know this can be a difficult and financially-complex decision for any company, which is why it’s important to have a PR partner who knows the ins and outs of CES and can help you make the best decision for your brand.

When it comes to CES PR initiatives, you can’t start planning early enough. Here, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about CES, sharing insight on whether or not you should launch at CES, what to expect from CES and how to set CES coverage metrics. We also provide a month-by-month strategic timeline for launching a product at CES.

Should I launch my product at CES? 

Breaking through the noise at CES with a new product launch is possible, for both large consumer tech brands and startups. We helped an electric vehicle company do it in 2024.

But it requires resource and time investment and an aggressive and integrated PR, marketing and communications plan. Here are some of questions to ask yourself as you decide if it's the right platform for your brand:

• Is your brand well-known? Have you had product press coverage in the past? While we know that CES is very crowded and a prominent launch platform for some of the biggest players in tech, there is plenty of room for small- to medium-size brands too. If your brand is not as well-known as, say, Panasonic and has not yet secured top-tier coverage, we suggest building press momentum and cultivating relationships with key reporters before CES. This ensures key targets attending CES have heard of your brand before, which can help lock in more briefings at the show. From providing embargoed updates, scheduling pre-launch demos, seeding the launch with content placement that advocates the need of a product like yours and more, it’s important to build a foundation for your brand pre-conference.
• Have you launched other successful product(s) before? If you’re not a startup launching your very first product, then it’s important that your product launch history is stellar and you continue to generate positive product review coverage. It’s unlikely you’ll secure coverage if reporters are skeptical because you’ve had trouble with past products, whether that be consistently missing GA dates, issuing product recalls, running out of funding and more. Media want to know that your brand/ product line is reputable and sustainable for the long term.
• Is your product truly unique from others on the market and does it solve a big consumer pain point? Before we encourage your brand to invest thousands of dollars in a CES launch, we take a very hard look at your product to determine if it will truly stand out and is unique enough to garner press. The most CES-media worthy products are those that solve a current consumer need in a cost-effective way, position a smaller brand as the “next best thing” to rival a big brand, or can be classified into the five areas predominantly covered at CES: smart, connected, autonomous/AI, predictive and virtual.
• Will your product be ready for pre-CES demos by mid-October? A CES launch strategy has many moving parts, and we strongly recommend hosting product demos with key reporters before CES even begins. This gives you a better chance to have a place in tech media’s planned CES editorial calendars and ensures that you’ll meet the deadlines for submitting to CES awards and media recognitions. Ideally, your product is ready for in-person media demos by end of October, and if applicable, we have enough product units to ship to media at the end of November for them to finalize a thorough review under embargo. Giving media a pre-CES look also allows us to get initial reactions from media and helps the team refine launch messaging to address the biggest questions media has asked.
• What is the general availability (GA) date of your product? In a perfect world, your product would be simultaneously available to purchase as the wave of CES coverage hits. The media coverage generated from CES is a huge catalyst for driving site traffic, making it the perfect time to convert eager browsers into purchasers. For example, the coverage from one product we launched at CES tripled the number of site sessions over a two-day time span, in which 75% of visitors were new site visitors. If your product will not be available at launch, it’s important that you give media a realistic timeline. We know that when you’re building a product, deadlines often get moved, which is why we recommend a seasonal (vs. physical) date for your expected GA. This ensures you don’t mislead media or buyers and gives us a chance to keep the lines of communication with media open via frequent updates. If your product will not be ready for purchase for more than 15 months after CES, it’s very hard to secure coverage and we would typically recommend not launching at CES.

A month-by-month PR plan framework for CES

When it comes to CES, you can’t start planning early enough, especially if your company is planning a new product launch. A bulletproof plan is critical to cut through the noise and stand out. To help you prepare, we’ve compiled a month-by-month timeline. It includes some hard-won tips and tricks from SHIFT's CES PR experience over the years, to help you organize your CES presence and set you on the path of a successful product launch.

January

• Start planning and working to secure your on-site booth space, determining which section best fits your brand. If you attended CES last year, this is something you can do while at the conference.

February

• Compile and analyze last year's CES coverage to find relevant media contacts for your upcoming product launch.
• Compile and analyze recent CES award winners and evaluate categories to submit for leading up to CES 2026.

March

• Research and secure a booth designer; determine what assets you currently have / you will need
• Begin to organize booth design to best capture consumer attention; soft flooring, such as padded carpet, is key for those that will be working the booth and on their feet all day

APRIL

• Determine what press assets you need to accompany your on-site booth presence and tease product ahead of the show. At minimum you’ll need a media kit (press release, fact sheet, product photos), high-quality demo units or visuals, messaging/FAQs for press. Also consider B-roll/video assets.

MAY

• Compile a list of award recognition programs to pursue on behalf of your new product (incl. the CES Innovation Awards).

JUNE

• Organize trade show and marketing materials.

JULY

• Submit CESTV on-site coverage consideration form to help stand out and promote your product during the show.
• Determine if you would like to pursue on-site branding and sponsorships.

AUGUST

• CES award/speaking submissions open; Submit for all relevant opportunities.
• Work with your CES rep to understand any CES-owned content and platform opportunities.

SEPTEMBER

• Obtain a copy of last year’s CES media list and determine which contacts are a fit for your company / product.
• If relavent, begin relationship-building with priority press, organizing introductory briefings for executives.
• Book your travel and hotel accommodation.

OCTOBER

• Ensure your product is now ready for pre-CES demos; invest in hi-resolution product shots.
• Build out an extensive and strategic media list of those that have attended CES (and CES Unveiled, if applicable) previously, as well as top-tier reporter’s that may not attend but you want to ensure receives your product news.
• Compile a media list for deskside pre-briefs in major cities (New York City, San Francisco) as well as a media list for phone pre-briefs for media based elsewhere.
• Once you have that list built, follow them on social media (connect on LinkedIn, make a list on X, start an RSS feed) to make staying up to date on their interests leading up to / while at CES much easier.
• Determine the product’s official launch date (likely the day before CES or CES Unveiled) and begin drafting product messaging.

NOVEMBER

• Reach out to press targets to determine who is attending CES and with your pitch "offer," creating an opportunity to connect before the official CES press list is shared in December; Determine interest in meeting onsite (or offsite if you have a meeting room at a nearby hotel).
• Draft messaging one-pager, including an FAQ, for the media; determine if you’ll have working review units available.
• Use finalized messaging to draft a soft pitch teasing the news in order to secure deskside/pre-brief interest; be sure not to reveal any confidential information until the reporters agree to honor your embargo.
• Establish a communication plan with your team. Will your entire team be available or will your team designate a CES point of contact? Will you utilize other channels such as Teams/Slack to share updates quickly? Figure out what works best for you and your team and stick to the plan.
• With the help of your team, establish a CES calendar to help keep all scheduled briefings organized. This will ensure your team knows when the CEO or spokesperson is available for press interviews, eliminating the pesky emails back and forth inquiring about availability every time a briefing is secured.

DECEMBER

• Official CES media list drops; cross reference with your existing list to make sure no key contacts are missing and that you’re not double-pitching any reporters.
• Hold NYC/SF in-person pre-briefs; Hold phone or virtual pre-briefs.
• Anticipate breaking news opportunities and get ahead of them! If you suspect competitors will announce a new product, think about how to leverage their news. Prepare rapid response commentary ahead of time and receive spokesperson approval on the drafted talking points. While you’ll still need to tailor the commentary based on the specific announcement, having a baseline of what you would like to say will make the turnaround time a lot quicker.
• Offer up the news under embargo to all remaining media so that they can start writing their stories before CES and to get the product on their radar for any CES roundups in the works.
• Compile a CES briefing book that includes information on each secured media contact, date/time of interviews and meeting locations.

FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY/CES

• Product announcement goes live; media embargo lifts.
• Pitch the news to all contacts who have not already accepted under embargo, conduct follow ups to those who have, and reach out to anyone who had an in-person briefing – you’ll want to ensure the reporter received all the information they wanted and if not, that you’re there to help close the loop on any lingering questions they have.

ONSITE AT CES/DAY-OF CES

• Support briefings, as possible/appropriate, so you can help capture any follow up items or reporter needs.
• Wrangle additional interviews/press visits by watching the show floor foot traffic and proactively talking to press walking by your booth (or that you know will be in a specific place at a given time). You can also visit press booths to uncover spontaneous interview/podcast opportunities.
• Monitor social media channels and news for coverage/mentions.

Although being on the floor at CES can be hectic, there are a few things you should always keep in mind:

• Take control and map out a game plan well in advance of the show, including transportation details and how long it will take to get to each meeting; include all relevant maps and information in your CES briefing book
• Know what media will be onsite, as well as how to pull them to your booth. It’s also important to know where all press booths are located (TechCrunch, CNET and others often have an onsite presence) as some reporters won’t commit to briefings and you’ll need to stop by their booths to make it happen!
• Know where the press room is and ask to place some of your press kits on the front counter (although it may not always work, it’s worth a shot!)
• For press events like CES Unveiled and the first two days of CES, ensure that you have laid out a clear plan of communication with your team if the media stops by; discuss key talking points, interview best practices, etc. This also includes making sure you are camera-ready at all times, as there are always broadcast journalists, photographers and vloggers roaming the show floor looking for interesting people to interview
• Wear your comfiest pair of shoes. You will be walking and on your feet a lot during the show, so make sure to be prepared. Stay hydrated and have several water bottles on-hand at all times; having chapstick is also key as the convention center tends to be very dry!

What kind of media coverage can you expect at CES with this approach?

Media coverage at CES is incredibly variable, with internal and external factors. Within your control is the impact of your product, the storytelling and the strategy/execution of your CES press plan.

Then there are the many influences outside of your control. First, we’ve found that top-tier media tries to set the direction of coverage in advance of the conference based on 1.) keynote speakers (i.e. if IBM is speaking, then you can bet AI will be a focus) and 2.) big brand launches (i.e. if Ford has announced a presence, then you can ensure autonomous cars will be a focus).

We’ve also noticed that what’s hot one year will often isn't as hot the next year. “Industry darlings” tend to vary from year to year. A solid historic example is, in 2015, 3D printing was wildly covered, but in 2016 it didn’t get as much interest from reporters; in 2016, virtual reality was on the agenda of every tech report, and in 2017, it was covered as more of an update of the previous year’s work. We expect coverage focus to shift from year to year and will advise our clients to set expectations appropriately.

We certainly recommend that you attend the Unveiled portion of CES, as this pre-show event is where journalists flock first to set their briefing and editorial strategy for the week. This event is a reporter’s best opportunity to see what products are worthy of launch coverage and/or a more in-depth briefing throughout the week.

Additionally, we’ve found that more and more top-tier reporters are not accepting on-site briefings during CES. Instead, they’ll accept booth information and if it fits into the editorial direction, they’ll put you in their “walk through rotation” (i.e. “We’ll be on the VR floor from 2-4pm on Day 1, I’ll put you on my editorial rotation but am not accepting or promising briefings”).

Overall, if you’re launching a product at CES, we need to analyze the CES media landscape, review your booth strategy and understand pre-CES capabilities before setting coverage expectations. However, rest assured that our strategy always focuses on landing targeted, high-impact coverage among the biggest CES media influencers including WIRED, TechCrunch, CNET and more.

To give you an idea of what we’re going for, check out the CES work we did for Lightyear.

If you have questions about whether or not your company should launch a new product, contact us to start a conversation.