Soft launch

Noun

an act of hinting about a new romance on social media

What does soft launch mean?

As a noun, soft launch refers to hints offered on social media about being in a relationship (‘I thought a soft launch was called for’). As verb it describes the action of offering such hints (‘I wasn’t sure about things so decided to soft launch him first’).

A soft launch can be as inconspicuous as posting a photo in which someone’s hand (or foot) appears, without making mention of who it belongs to; it can be as overt as posting a photo of an entire person, but with their face covered.

A hard launch is an emphatic public declaration of romantic involvement (hard launch can also be a noun or a verb).

Examples of soft launch and hard launch

Waited too long to soft launch my boyfriend, so here’s a hard launch on my fiancé ❤️
— Instagram, 18 Jun. 2025

can you post soft launch pictures while not being “official” boyfriend and girlfriends?
— Reddit, 19 Mar. 2024

soft launches are art but i’m obsessed with the whiplash of a hard launch. valentine’s day was so fun seeing all the hard launches
— TikTok.com, 11 Sept. 2023

Pop sensation Lizzo soft launched her relationship with Myke Wright on Instagram back in 2023, before transitioning to a 'hard launch' later on. Fans and media were kept guessing when she posted a holiday snap that just revealed a man's arm.
— Hitched.co.uk, 23 April, 2025

Where does soft launch come from?

The current slang sense is an extension of the earlier use of soft launch, in which a business will first offer their product (such as access to a web site, or a restaurant) to a limited number of people. In these contexts a soft launch is a way of building excitement and also identifying and fixing problems before opening to the general public.

How is soft launch used?

When referring to a budding romance, soft launch and hard launch appear to be mostly used in social media contexts. There are some who find this practice, and the use of the word soft launch, annoying.