Solo Launch

/launch

Generate a go-to-market launch strategy that ties together all promotion skills into a unified plan. Reads PRD and research data, defines the beachhead, maps channels, validates pricing against manifesto principles, and produces an actionable launch checklist.

Philosophy: Launch is not a single event — it's a sequence of small bets. Each channel is an experiment. Measure before scaling. Reference: manifesto principle "Money without overheating — revenue before automation, scale what works."

MCP Tools (use if available)

• kb_search(query) — find launch methodology, past launches
• web_search(query) — research channels, communities, pricing benchmarks
• project_info(name) — get project stack and status

If MCP tools are not available, fall back to Glob + Grep + WebSearch.

Steps

1. Parse project from $ARGUMENTS.

   • Read docs/prd.md — features, ICP, pricing, acceptance criteria
   • Read docs/research.md — competitors, personas, market size, pain points
   • Read CLAUDE.md — stack, deploy target
   • If none found: ask via AskUserQuestion

2. Validate beachhead segment:

   Check if PRD has a beachhead section (added by /validate). If not, define it now:

   • Segment: narrow, specific group (not "everyone who needs X")
   • Size estimate: how many people in this segment?
   • Reachability: where do they gather online? (specific subreddit, community, newsletter)
   • Willingness to pay: evidence from research.md or competitor pricing
   • Why first: why this segment before others?

3. Pricing validation against manifesto:

   Read pricing from PRD. Check against principles in templates/principles/manifest.md:

   Check	Pass/Fail	Notes
   Does it cost to run? (server, API, storage)	—	If no → should be free or one-time
   Subscription justified?	—	Only if ongoing costs exist
   Is pricing transparent?	—	No hidden fees, clear what you get
   Lock-in risk?	—	Can user export data? Own their content?
   Subscription fatigue check	—	Is there a one-time alternative?

   If pricing conflicts with principles, flag it and suggest alternatives.

4. Channel mapping (3-5 channels, ordered by effort):

   For each channel, define:

   Channel	Effort	Cost	Timeline	Expected Result	Skill
   ProductHunt	Medium	Free	Day 1	200-500 visits, feedback	/community-outreach
   Reddit (specific subs)	Low	Free	Week 1	50-100 visits, pain validation	/community-outreach
   SEO / Content	Medium	Free	Month 1-3	Organic traffic baseline	/seo-audit + /landing-gen
   Twitter/LinkedIn	Low	Free	Ongoing	Network effect, credibility	/content-gen
   Paid (if justified)	High	$50-200	After organic validates	Scale what works	—

   Rules:

   • Start with free channels — paid only after organic validates demand
   • One channel at a time — don't spread thin (manifesto: "wip = 1")
   • Measure each channel before adding the next
   • Offline-first products: app store optimization (ASO) over web marketing

5. Launch timeline (4-week plan):

   Week 0 (pre-launch):
   - [ ] /landing-gen — landing page with email capture
   - [ ] /seo-audit — baseline SEO score
   - [ ] /metrics-track — PostHog events wired
   
   Week 1 (soft launch):
   - [ ] /community-outreach — 3-5 value-first posts in target communities
   - [ ] /content-gen — LinkedIn post + Twitter thread
   - [ ] Collect feedback, fix critical issues
   
   Week 2 (public launch):
   - [ ] ProductHunt launch (if web/SaaS)
   - [ ] App Store submission (if iOS)
   - [ ] /video-promo — demo video for landing page
   - [ ] Monitor metrics daily
   
   Week 3-4 (iterate):
   - [ ] Review metrics — kill/iterate/scale decision
   - [ ] Double down on best-performing channel
   - [ ] /content-gen — release notes for updates
   - [ ] Second community push based on feedback
   

   Adapt timeline to product type (iOS has App Store review delays, web can launch same day).

6. Growth loops (sustainable, not hacks):

   Design 1-2 growth loops appropriate to the product:

   Content loop: User creates → content is public/shareable → new users discover → they create Referral loop: User gets value → shares with peer → peer signs up → both benefit SEO loop: Solve problem → write about it → rank → new users find solution → they use product Tool loop: Free tool solves adjacent problem → captures intent → funnels to main product

   Rules:

   • Loop must be natural, not forced (no "share to unlock" dark patterns — manifesto: against exploitation)
   • Loop must benefit the user, not just the product
   • Offline-first products: growth through quality and word-of-mouth, not viral mechanics

7. Launch risks (from research.md + pre-mortem thinking):

   • Timing risk: is a competitor about to launch? Big industry event?
   • Pricing risk: will users pay at this price point? Evidence?
   • Channel risk: if primary channel fails, what's the backup?
   • Technical risk: can the product handle 10x traffic? (serverless = yes, VPS = plan)

8. Write launch strategy to docs/launch-strategy.md:

   ---
   type: launch-strategy
   status: draft
   title: "Launch Strategy — {Project Name}"
   created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
   tags: [{project}, launch, gtm]
   ---
   
   # Launch Strategy: {Project Name}
   
   ## Beachhead Segment
   {from step 2}
   
   ## Pricing
   {from step 3, with manifest alignment}
   
   ## Channels
   {table from step 4}
   
   ## Timeline
   {4-week plan from step 5}
   
   ## Growth Loops
   {from step 6}
   
   ## Risks
   {from step 7}
   
   ## Launch Checklist
   - [ ] Landing page live (`/landing-gen`)
   - [ ] SEO baseline checked (`/seo-audit`)
   - [ ] Metrics wired (`/metrics-track`)
   - [ ] Content pack ready (`/content-gen`)
   - [ ] Community posts drafted (`/community-outreach`)
   - [ ] Demo video planned (`/video-promo`)
   - [ ] Privacy policy published (`/legal`)
   - [ ] Kill/iterate/scale thresholds defined
   
   ---
   *Generated by /launch. Review and adapt before executing.*
   

9. Output summary:

   • Beachhead segment (one line)
   • Recommended pricing model
   • Top 3 channels with timeline
   • Growth loop type
   • Path to generated launch-strategy.md
   • Suggested next step: run the skills from the checklist

Notes

• This skill is a strategic planner — it doesn't execute. Run the referenced skills to produce actual content
• Launch strategy should be revisited after Week 2 metrics review
• For products with no cloud component (offline-first), skip paid channels and focus on ASO + community

Common Issues

No PRD found

Cause: Haven't run /validate yet. Fix: Run /validate <idea> first to generate PRD with ICP, pricing, and features.

Pricing conflicts with manifesto

Cause: Product uses subscription model but has no running costs. Fix: This is intentional — the skill flags it. Consider one-time purchase or freemium instead.

Beachhead too broad

Cause: "Everyone who uses X" is not a beachhead. Fix: Narrow to a specific community, profession, or behavior pattern. You should be able to find them in one place.