FAQs
Everything founders ask before they sign.
Pricing, services, process, industries, results. Answers from 500+ Blazon launches.
Section 01
Who Blazon is.
Who is Blazon?
Blazon is The Product Launch Agency, founded in 2014 by Michael Raven. Offices in London and New York. 500+ launches delivered, $250M+ in client sales, $120M+ raised on crowdfunding, 300+ crowdfunding campaigns across 15+ countries. One of a handful of agencies recognised as both an Official Kickstarter Expert and a Certified Indiegogo Partner.
Who is Michael Raven?
Founder and CEO of Blazon. Horizon Europe advisor to the EU's €95.5B research programme. Speaker at tech conferences including CES, Web Summit and Kickstarter Creator Events. Previously ran in-house launch teams for consumer tech brands before founding Blazon in 2014.
Where are your offices?
London and New York. Remote-first team with senior operators across the UK, US and EU. Client work coordinated from either office depending on client geography and timezone.
How big is the Blazon team?
30+ senior operators across strategy, campaign management, creative direction, paid media, email, PR, Shopify development, video production and project management. Specialist partner network adds another 40+ professionals for production-heavy engagements.
Do you have junior account managers?
No. Every engagement is staffed with senior operators who have run launches end-to-end. No layered agency structure between you and the people doing the work.
How long have you been in business?
Founded 2014. Over a decade of continuous launch work. The methodology has been iterated across 500+ engagements in that window.
Are you part of a holding company or agency network?
No. Blazon is independent and founder-owned. No holding company, no agency network, no outside shareholders. Decision-making stays with the team doing the work.
Section 02
Pricing & contracts.
From $15,000. Full launches typically $25,000–$150,000.
What does a Blazon engagement cost?
From $15,000. Full launches typically $25,000–$150,000. Multi-channel launches typically sit between $25,000 and $80,000. Full-stack Build + Launch + Grow engagements for flagship hardware, healthtech or future tech products typically run $80,000 to $150,000+. Ongoing retainers for paid media, email and Shopify run $8,000 to $25,000 per month plus ad spend. No hourly billing.
What is the minimum engagement size?
$15,000 minimum project fee. We do not take engagements under that threshold because the setup overhead (kickoff, strategy, access provisioning, documentation) outweighs the value that can be delivered.
Is ad spend included in the fee?
No. Agency fees cover strategy, creative, execution, optimisation and reporting. Media budget is separate and paid directly to platforms. Typical media budget: paid launches start at $10,000 per month and scale to $100,000+ per month as the business scales.
Do you offer performance-based pricing?
Project fees are the default. Performance-based structures (revenue share, CPA-based fees, commission on funding) are available case-by-case for clients with a trackable conversion relationship and historical performance data. Performance structures are rare and not offered at first engagement.
Do you take equity in client companies?
Rarely. Equity is considered only for long-term operational clients where Blazon is effectively embedded as a growth function. Not offered at first engagement. Most engagements are fee-based.
Can we phase the payment?
Yes. Standard payment structure for launch projects: 40% at kickoff, 30% at mid-project milestone, 30% on delivery. Retainers are billed monthly in advance. Custom payment schedules considered case-by-case for enterprise clients.
How long are your retainer contracts?
Three-month minimum initial term. Month-to-month after that. We do not lock clients into long contracts. If we are not delivering value, we expect the relationship to end.
Are there cancellation or exit fees?
No exit fees on project engagements. Retainers can be cancelled with 30 days' notice after the three-month minimum. If a project is cancelled mid-delivery, completed milestones are billed at the pro-rated fee.
Do you work with pre-revenue startups?
Yes, with scoping realism. Pre-revenue startups without external funding can engage on smaller defined projects ($15,000 to $40,000 range). Pre-revenue startups with seed funding typically engage on full-stack launches. We do not take equity-only engagements and we do not do pro-bono work.
Section 03
Crowdfunding.
What is your strongest category by track record?
Crowdfunding-led hardware launches. 300+ campaigns, $120M+ raised, multiple top-tier Kickstarter placements. Pillo Health, Filippo Loreti, Kuura Ring, NAYA Create, Lens Lizard, Rens, TERA and others sit in this category.
What is the minimum raise for a crowdfunding campaign?
Campaigns we run typically raise between $250,000 and $5M on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. We scope crowdfunding engagements only where the product, pricing and pre-launch audience can realistically support a six-figure raise. Below that threshold, the agency fee is a disproportionate cost.
What crowdfunding platforms do you work with?
Kickstarter and Indiegogo as primary launch platforms. BackerKit and Crowd Ox for pledge management and InDemand transition. We are an Official Kickstarter Expert and a Certified Indiegogo Partner.
What is your success rate on crowdfunding campaigns?
Roughly 95% of campaigns we run hit their funding goal. The 5% that do not are typically campaigns where external factors (product delays, competitor launches, category saturation) shifted mid-campaign.
Section 04
Hardware & product launches.
Do you have experience with hardware and physical products?
Yes. Hardware is our deepest category. Consumer electronics, wearables, smart home, healthtech devices, future tech (AI hardware, XR, robotics). Filippo Loreti, Pillo Health, Kuura Ring, NAYA Create, Lens Lizard, Stage 11, TERA and HelloEar by Xiaomi are representative.
Do you handle factory, certification or fulfilment?
No. We handle the launch communications layer: strategy, marketing, campaign, PR, Shopify, DTC. Manufacturing, certification (FCC, CE, FDA) and fulfilment logistics are the client's domain or run through specialist partners. We coordinate the comms layer around your operational partners.
Section 05
SaaS & digital.
Do you work with SaaS and software launches?
Yes. Product Hunt launches, category launches, PLG programmes, B2B and B2C SaaS. Top-5 Product Hunt rankings are a repeatable outcome when the pre-launch community work is done properly. SaaS benchmarks: 3-5x industry-average activation rates and 5K-25K trial signups in launch week.
Do you do Product Hunt launches?
Yes as a standalone service and as part of SaaS launch engagements. Hunter outreach, community building, launch-day execution, creative assets. Target outcome is top-5 Product of the Day with sustained ranking across the 24-hour window.
Section 06
Services & capabilities.
What services does Blazon offer?
Eleven services spanning the launch lifecycle: strategy and go-to-market, crowdfunding (Kickstarter and Indiegogo), PR and media relations, Shopify and ecommerce development, growth marketing, design and branding, paid advertising (Meta, Google, TikTok, programmatic), video production, email marketing and CRM (Klaviyo), pre-launch and waitlist funnels, and Product Hunt launches.
Do you do all services in-house or subcontract?
Core services are in-house: strategy, campaign management, paid media, email, Shopify, creative direction. Specialist production (video shoots, large-scale photography, specific PR tactics) uses a vetted partner network coordinated by Blazon. Single point of contact regardless.
Can you handle just one service or do we need multi-service?
Single-service engagements are fine. Many clients come to us for one service (a crowdfunding campaign, a PR sprint, a video) and expand to multi-service as the relationship grows. Some stay single-service throughout.
Do you build custom Shopify themes from scratch?
Yes for enterprise and flagship engagements. For most engagements we customise premium themes (typically from the Out of the Sandbox, We Are Underground, or Archetype ecosystems) to achieve custom design without custom-code maintenance overhead.
Do you handle Shopify Plus migrations?
Yes. Migrations from Shopify Basic/Standard to Shopify Plus, and from other platforms (WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, custom builds) to Shopify Plus.
Can you run our email programme?
Klaviyo for 95% of engagements. Other platforms (Mailchimp, Omnisend, Attentive, Campaign Monitor) supported where client has specific platform requirements. Migrations from other platforms to Klaviyo are a common first project.
Do you produce ad creative or just run media?
Both. Creative production is a core part of paid media engagements. Static creative, video ads, motion graphics, UGC-style content. Production volume scales with testing cadence.
Section 07
Working with us.
What does the first engagement look like?
Three stages. Strategy Call (30 minutes, free) to pressure-test fit. Scoping Call (60 minutes, optional) to align on objectives and deliverables. Written proposal delivered within 5 business days of scoping. Kickoff within 2 weeks of proposal sign-off.
How do you kick off a new engagement?
Four-hour kickoff session covering product deep dive, buyer definition, commercial targets, competitive landscape, brand context, success criteria. Followed by one week of internal strategy work, then a second session to align on the written launch plan.
What does your launch methodology look like?
Three phases: Build (6-24 weeks), Launch (30-45 days for crowdfunding, variable for DTC and SaaS), Grow (12-24+ months). Each phase has defined deliverables, KPIs and exit criteria. See /how-we-work for full detail.
Do we have a dedicated account team?
Yes. Every engagement has a named Strategy Lead, Campaign Manager, and specialist leads for each in-scope channel. Core team stable for the duration of the engagement.
How often do we meet or speak?
Weekly 60-minute project call as standard. Daily Slack for rapid communication. Pre-launch and launch weeks increase to daily stand-ups. Monthly strategic review for retainer clients.
What reporting do you provide?
Live Looker Studio dashboards for paid media, email, Shopify and campaign performance. Weekly written status updates. Monthly executive summaries with strategic commentary. Client has direct access to all underlying accounts (Klaviyo, Meta, Google, Shopify).
Who owns the creative and assets?
The client. Every asset produced during the engagement (creative files, video, photography, documentation) belongs to the client. Source files delivered at engagement end or on request during the engagement.
Section 08
Results & outcomes.
What results do Blazon clients typically see?
Varies by engagement type. Crowdfunding benchmarks: funded campaigns average 300%+ of goal; top-tier campaigns $1M to $5M+. DTC benchmarks: $1M+ annual revenue in year one, $10M+ by year three for scaling brands. SaaS benchmarks: 3-5x industry-average activation rates, top-5 Product Hunt rankings with 5K-25K trial signups.
Can you guarantee specific outcomes?
No. No agency operating honestly can guarantee specific funding outcomes, ROAS numbers or ranking positions. What we can commit to is running the methodology that has produced consistent outcomes across 500+ launches. Outcomes depend on product quality, market timing and executional rigour.
What is the biggest campaign you have run?
Filippo Loreti at $5.1M on Kickstarter in 30 days, top 5 of all time in the watch category. Pillo Health at $2.5M with a Stanley Black & Decker acquisition outcome. Several others in the seven-figure range.
Can you provide client references?
Yes, on request after initial scoping. We do not make clients available for every pitch conversation, but we arrange client reference calls for engagements moving toward signed proposal.
How do we start a conversation with Blazon?
Two options. Book a Strategy Call at /book-a-call for a 30-minute conversation. Or send a written brief via /contact with product details, launch timeline, budget and goals. We respond within 2 business days. Both routes reach the same senior team.
Still have questions?
Let’s talk about your launch.
30-minute strategy call. Free. We’ll answer anything not covered here.