We all love the butterflies and warm fuzzy feelings that come with a new relationship. Buuuuuuut not all aspects of a new relationship have us giddy with excitement. Like, who likes sharing the news of your relationship with friends and family? For many of us, this part of the dating journey is awkward or downright anxiety-inducing.
While some of us might opt for a grand reveal when announcing our new partnership, others prefer a more subtle approach. In today’s digital age, the ways we introduce our S.O. to the world has become way more creative and innovative. And, that brings us to the topic of this post: the trend of “soft launching” your relationship on social media. (Yes, another social media dating term to learn like beige flag and zombieing. This is modern dating, guys!!!)
Soft launching is all about sharing glimpses of your new romance without giving everything away. Instead of a full-on announcement, you might post a cozy coffee date with a mysterious hand in the frame or a sunset pic with a hint of your partner in the distance. It’s all about honoring the relationship publicly while still maintaining an aura of privacy to raise questions without just coming right out with it. Just dropping hints for those nosy friends and family members!
Interested in soft launching? Let’s get more into what it’s all about and how to pull it off:
What is a Soft Launch?
A soft launch is a way to slowly introduce your new beau to the world without sharing their identity or too many deets. Think of it as a way to tell everyone you’re no longer single, but because it’s still so new, you’re not quite ready to give them every detail of your relationship and the full profile of your new S.O. This is different from a hard launch, where you come right out with it! You post a pic, change that relationship status, and make a flashy announcement post. Yeah, we’re not interested in that if we’re soft launching!
Btw, there are a bunch of great podcast episodes on relationships to keep you up-to-date on the modern dating trends. Jump right into two of our faves: Lipstick on the Rim’s episode On Dating In Today’s Era, Sex On The First Date & Why You Should Make The First Move and We Met At Acme’s episode A Complete and Total Guide to All Dating Rules.
When to Soft Launch a Relationship:
Every relationship, and person, is different, so there are no rules when it comes to the timing of your soft launch. The best time to soft launch your relationship is when both you and your partner agree on it. When you’re both up for it, go ahead and soft launch your relationship, regardless of how long you’ve been seeing each other—because, remember, we’re not giving all the details. When you started dating is none of their business yet. This about your own path to finding love and defining relationships the way that makes sense to you!
How To Soft Launch Your Relationship
Method 1: Add a discreet photo to your Instagram grid or story.
The most common way to soft launch a relationship is to post a photo on Instagram. There are literally dozens, even hundreds of soft launch photo ideas for Instagram, which means you can be as subtle or forthcoming as you want. Post something that represents your time spent with a special someone, like two meals at a nice restaurant, two coffee mugs, two plane tickets (maybe to Dear Media IRL!), or your hand in theirs.
If you’re going this route, be sure to talk with your partner and agree on what kind of photo to post to your Instagram grid or share to your story. And remember, it’s probably not time to tag them in the post. Keep things mysterious!
Method 2: Sneak a photo into your Instagram carousel photo dump.
One of the newer ways people are soft-launching relationships on Instagram involves doing a carousel photo dump. A photo of the new person is included, but they’re not tagged and the picture is casually placed somewhere in the middle or near the end of the photo dump.
It’ll have your followers, friends, and family asking “who dat?” and you respond with emojis or nothing at all. No clear answers need to be offered just yet!
Method 3: Drop hints in other social media posts.
You can also drop hints about your changed relationship status in other social media posts. For example, use witty relationship captions on photos highlighting what you’ve been up to recently. Except, when you post these don’t give any visual confirmation of a relationship. Let people read into your caption or text overlay while enjoying an aesthetic photo of a sunset you witnessed or of a flower you found while on a walk. Were you with someone else when you discovered these? Maybe! Your friends and fam don’t have any right to know until you want them to.
Is a Soft Launch Right For Your Relationship?
The soft launch vs hard launch debate comes down to personal preference. There are several reasons to soft-launch a relationship, including privacy, the desire to take things slow, or even just the thrill of the mystery. No matter the reason, soft launching can work for any relationship!
So, let us hear it. How do you decide whether or not to soft launch your relationship? What are your overall thoughts on this social media dating trend?
A soft launch is a subtle way to introduce your relationship to the world slowly.
If you’ve soft-launched a relationship, we want to hear from you! Give us all the details in the comments below, and be sure to include how you did it and how it went!
For more game-changing info and practical advice, check out How to Set Boundaries in a Relationship. Also, be sure to check out the latest and greatest podcasts from Dear Media, as well as the Dear Media blog, where you’ll find tons of great posts on everything from relationships and dating to mental health and self-care.