5 Steps to Launching a New Food Product or Venue in WA

Perth is a competitive market. A soft launch isn’t enough anymore. From the coffee shops of Mount Lawley to the craft breweries of Fremantle, from new Northbridge bars to Subiaco fine dining, new food businesses and venues need digital “noise” before, during and after opening night to capture attention and drive foot traffic.

Having worked with dozens of Perth hospitality launches, we’ve seen what separates successful openings from quiet ones. It’s not just about having great food—it’s about creating a coordinated digital presence that works together with your physical launch. Here are the five critical steps every new food product or venue in WA needs to follow.

The 5-Step Launch Framework Overview

Step 1 – The “Packshot” (Product Photography)

Whether you’re launching packaged goods—sauces, beans, brews, ready-to-drink cocktails—or a new venue, your visual assets need to be ready before anything else. Professional product photography isn’t just about making things look pretty; it’s about creating consistency across every touchpoint where customers will encounter your brand.

For packaged goods and CPG products, you’ll need:

• Clean e-commerce shots on white: These are your hero images for online retailers, your website, and marketplace listings. They need to be crisp, properly lit, and meet each platform’s technical requirements.

• Lifestyle shots in context: Show your products being used in authentic Perth settings—on tables at local cafés, in outdoor entertaining spaces, at picnics in Kings Park, at beach barbecues in Cottesloe.

• Scale and detail shots: Capture close-ups of textures, ingredients, and unique features. For food products, show the consistency, the garnish, the way steam rises from a freshly prepared serving.

Photography Shot List by Business Type

The key is consistency. Your product photos need to look cohesive across your website, social media, retailer listings, and any press coverage. When we work with Perth food and beverage brands, we create a complete shot list that ensures every image serves multiple purposes while maintaining brand consistency.

For more on maximising the value of your photography investment, see our article on using food photography across website, Instagram, and UberEats.

Step 2 – The Website Landing Page

Don’t rely on Linktree or a basic Instagram bio. In today’s digital landscape, you need a dedicated landing page that does three things: collect leads, showcase your products, and provide essential information. This is especially crucial for Western Australia venues where geography plays a significant role in customer decisions.

Your launch landing page should include:

Remember that your website is often the first impression potential customers have. If it’s slow, confusing, or visually unappealing, you’re losing customers before they even consider visiting your physical location. For launches that need a high-performing digital home, we often pair this strategy with our Perth restaurant website design service so the landing page is as strong as the photography.

For a deep dive on pre-launch landing pages, see our guide on building pre-launch landing pages that capture emails.

Step 3 – The Launch Event (Event Photography)

Your opening night or launch party is more than just a celebration—it’s a content creation opportunity that can fuel your marketing for months. Professional event photography at this stage is non-negotiable for Perth venue launches.

Why pro coverage matters:

• Atmosphere and energy: Professional photographers capture candid moments of guests enjoying themselves, the buzz of conversations, drinks being poured, and dishes being served. These images communicate the experience, not just the space.

• Content bank for social media: A well-documented launch event provides 3-6 months of social media content. You can drip-feed these images to maintain momentum long after opening night.

• Press and media assets: Journalists and bloggers need high-quality images to accompany their coverage. Professional event photos increase your chances of getting local press in publications like West Australian, Scoop, or Perth-based food blogs.

• Customer testimonials in action: Great event photography captures genuine reactions, satisfied customers, and the social proof that encourages others to visit.

Launch Event Photo Checklist

We recommend capturing both wide shots that show the venue’s vibe and atmosphere, plus close-ups that highlight details—signature cocktails, beautifully plated dishes, unique architectural features, and the small touches that make your venue special.

For more on maximising event photography value, see our article on the 90-day content strategy Perth venues overlook.

Step 4 – Local SEO & Google Maps

Once your physical presence is established, your digital presence needs to match. Local SEO isn’t just about ranking—it’s about being found when hungry customers are making immediate decisions about where to eat or drink.

Essential local SEO steps for Perth businesses:

• Verify your Google Business Profile: This is your most important local marketing asset. Complete every section—services, attributes, photos, hours, and detailed business information.

• Add consistent NAP details: Your Name, Address, and Phone number must be identical across your website, Google Business Profile, social media, and any directory listings. Inconsistencies confuse both customers and search engines.

• Upload professional photos regularly: Use those product shots and event photos to keep your Google Business Profile fresh. Google favors businesses that regularly update their profiles with high-quality, relevant images.

• Encourage and respond to reviews: Make it easy for customers to leave reviews by creating QR codes that link directly to your review page. Respond to every review—both positive and negative—to show that you’re engaged and care about customer feedback.

Local SEO Checklist for Perth Launches

For Perth restaurants and venues, local SEO also means thinking about how customers search geographically. They’re looking for “restaurants near me,” “cafés in Subiaco,” “bars in Northbridge,” or “brunch Fremantle.” Your content and SEO strategy should reflect these location-based search patterns.

For the complete guide, see our article on Google Maps SEO for Perth venues.

Step 5 – Integrated Marketing Campaign

This is where everything comes together. Your launch isn’t just one event—it’s the beginning of an ongoing conversation with your customers. An integrated campaign coordinates your visual assets, website content, social media presence, and local community engagement.

Key elements of your integrated launch campaign:

• Cross-platform consistency: Your brand, messaging, and visual style should be consistent across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, your website, email newsletters, and any physical marketing materials.

• Community engagement: Partner with local Perth food influencers, collaborate with complementary businesses, and engage with local community groups. Authentic relationships matter more than paid advertising in the long term.

• Content repurposing: One professional photoshoot can supply content for months. Product shots become social media posts, event photos become website testimonials, and behind-the-scenes content becomes engaging Instagram Stories.

• Customer-generated content strategy: Encourage customers to share their own photos and experiences. Create Instagram-worthy spots in your venue, develop shareable moments, and actively engage with user-generated content.

Integrated Marketing Timeline

Remember that launching in Perth’s competitive hospitality market requires both excellence and consistency. Your visual assets need to match the quality of your food, your website needs to be as professional as your service, and your digital presence needs to be as welcoming as your physical space.

If you want to understand the long-term value of investing in imagery before launch,

our ROI of professional food photography guide

breaks down how better visuals translate into higher bookings and average spend for Perth venues.

Perth-Specific Launch Considerations

Frequently Asked Questions: WA Food & Venue Launches

Why Coordination Matters

The most successful launches we’ve worked on across Western Australia have one thing in common: coordination between photography, web development, and marketing. When your professional photos are optimized for web performance, when your website is designed around your visual assets, when your social media strategy flows naturally from your launch event—that’s when magic happens.

Too often, businesses treat these as separate activities: they hire a photographer for a day, commission a website, and run social media ads without any connection between them. The result is fragmented messaging and missed opportunities. When your visuals and your code are coordinated, your launch doesn’t just look good—it drives bookings, foot traffic and sales from day one.

See This Framework in Action

Want to see how these steps work in practice? Read our detailed WA beverage brand launch case study, which shows how a Fremantle craft beverage producer achieved 150% sales growth using this exact framework.

Launching soon? Get our ‘New Business’ package combining web + photo for your venue or product. We’ll coordinate your entire digital launch from product photography to website development to ensure your Western Australian launch makes the impact it deserves.

Request a launch consultation and let’s plan your successful WA market entry together.

Related reading: Learn about preparing your kitchen for a food shoot, discover WA hospitality marketing trends, and see what a Perth restaurant website should cost.