Build a go-to-market plan that gets a product or feature from "built" to "adopted." Work through each step in order. Skip nothing.
Step 1: Understand What's Launching
Gather these before doing anything else:
| Question |
Why it matters |
| What exactly is shipping? |
Scope the plan — a whole product vs. a settings toggle need different launches |
| Who is the target audience? |
Channels, messaging, and tier all depend on this |
| What's the timeline? |
Determines what's realistic |
| What exists already? |
Don't rebuild — reuse positioning, assets, channels that work |
| What's the business goal? |
Growth, retention, expansion, awareness — each changes the plan |
If the user hasn't provided this context, ask. Don't guess.
Step 2: Positioning
Answer three questions clearly:
- Who is this for? Be specific. "Small business owners who manage their own payroll" not "SMBs."
- What job does it serve? Use the JTBD frame — what progress is the user trying to make? (Reference the jtbd skill if available.)
- How is it different? State the alternative the user has today and why this is better. If you can't articulate the difference, the positioning isn't ready.
Write it as a positioning statement:
For [target audience] who [situation/need],
[product/feature] is a [category]
that [key benefit].
Unlike [alternative], it [differentiator].
Step 3: Messaging
Build a messaging hierarchy:
| Layer |
What it is |
Example |
| Headline |
The one sentence a stranger reads |
"Ship invoices in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes" |
| Value proposition |
The promise — what changes for the user |
"Automated invoicing that pulls line items from your project tracker" |
| Proof points (3 max) |
Evidence the promise is real |
"Cuts invoice creation time by 90%" / "Syncs with Jira, Linear, Asana" / "Used by 2,000 teams in beta" |
Messaging template:
HEADLINE:
[One clear sentence. Lead with the outcome, not the feature.]
VALUE PROP:
[What the user gets. Focus on the job, not the technology.]
PROOF POINTS:
1. [Quantified result or social proof]
2. [Capability that matters most]
3. [Trust signal — security, reliability, adoption]
OBJECTION HANDLING:
- "Why should I switch?" → [Answer]
- "Is it reliable?" → [Answer]
- "What does it cost me to try?" → [Answer]
Step 4: Channels
List where the target audience already spends time. Rank each channel:
| Channel |
Reach |
Fit |
Effort |
Use it? |
| In-app announcement |
High (existing users) |
High |
Low |
Yes — always |
| Email to existing users |
High |
High |
Low |
Yes — always |
| Blog post |
Medium |
Medium |
Medium |
Tier 1-2 |
| Social (specify platform) |
Varies |
Varies |
Low |
Match to audience |
| Product Hunt / HN |
High for dev tools |
Niche |
Medium |
Only if audience fits |
| Paid ads |
High |
Varies |
High |
Tier 1 only, with budget |
| Partner co-marketing |
Medium |
High |
High |
When there's a natural partner |
| Press / analyst briefing |
High |
Low-Medium |
High |
Tier 1 only, major news |
| Community / forum posts |
Low-Medium |
High |
Low |
When community exists |
| Sales enablement |
N/A (B2B) |
High |
Medium |
B2B Tier 1-2 |
Pick 3-5 channels. More than that dilutes effort.
Step 5: Launch Checklist
Pre-launch (2-4 weeks before)
Launch day
Post-launch (1-4 weeks after)
Step 6: Success Metrics
Define before launch, not after:
| Metric |
Why |
Target |
| Adoption — % of eligible users who try it |
Did the launch reach people? |
Set based on tier |
| Activation — % who complete the core action |
Did they get value? |
Higher bar than adoption |
| Retention — % still using after 7/30 days |
Is it sticky? |
Baseline from similar features |
| Sentiment — NPS, support tickets, social |
How do people feel about it? |
Qualitative + quantitative |
Pick one primary metric. Track the rest as supporting signals.
Launch Tier Framework
Classify every launch before planning it. The tier determines scope of effort.
|
Tier 1 — Major |
Tier 2 — Medium |
Tier 3 — Minor |
| What |
New product, major platform change, new market entry |
Significant feature, new integration, pricing change |
Bug fix, small improvement, setting change |
| Audience |
Everyone + prospects |
Relevant segment |
Active users of that area |
| Channels |
All: email, blog, social, press, in-app, sales |
Email, blog, in-app, targeted social |
Changelog, in-app tooltip, maybe email |
| Timeline |
4-8 weeks prep |
2-4 weeks prep |
Ship and announce same day |
| Assets |
Landing page, demo video, blog, email sequence, sales deck |
Blog post, email, updated docs |
Changelog entry, tooltip |
| Team |
Cross-functional: product, marketing, sales, CS, eng |
Product + marketing |
Product + eng |
Default to a lower tier. Most launches are Tier 2 or 3. Overcommunicating minor changes trains users to ignore you.
Output
Deliver the GTM plan as a single document with these sections:
- Overview — what's launching, when, what tier
- Positioning statement
- Messaging — headline, value prop, proof points
- Channels — ranked list with rationale
- Checklist — pre-launch, launch day, post-launch (customized, not generic)
- Success metrics — primary + supporting, with targets
1---2name: gtm3description: Create a go-to-market plan with positioning, messaging, channels, and launch checklist. Use when user says "go-to-market plan", "GTM strategy", "launch plan", "how do we launch this", "marketing plan", "launch checklist", or needs to plan how a product or feature reaches users.4---56Build a go-to-market plan that gets a product or feature from "built" to "adopted." Work through each step in order. Skip nothing.78## Step 1: Understand What's Launching910Gather these before doing anything else:1112| Question | Why it matters |13|----------|---------------|14| What exactly is shipping? | Scope the plan — a whole product vs. a settings toggle need different launches |15| Who is the target audience? | Channels, messaging, and tier all depend on this |16| What's the timeline? | Determines what's realistic |17| What exists already? | Don't rebuild — reuse positioning, assets, channels that work |18| What's the business goal? | Growth, retention, expansion, awareness — each changes the plan |1920If the user hasn't provided this context, ask. Don't guess.2122## Step 2: Positioning2324Answer three questions clearly:25261. **Who is this for?** Be specific. "Small business owners who manage their own payroll" not "SMBs."272. **What job does it serve?** Use the JTBD frame — what progress is the user trying to make? (Reference the jtbd skill if available.)283. **How is it different?** State the alternative the user has today and why this is better. If you can't articulate the difference, the positioning isn't ready.2930Write it as a positioning statement:3132```33For [target audience] who [situation/need],34[product/feature] is a [category]35that [key benefit].36Unlike [alternative], it [differentiator].37```3839## Step 3: Messaging4041Build a messaging hierarchy:4243| Layer | What it is | Example |44|-------|-----------|---------|45| **Headline** | The one sentence a stranger reads | "Ship invoices in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes" |46| **Value proposition** | The promise — what changes for the user | "Automated invoicing that pulls line items from your project tracker" |47| **Proof points** (3 max) | Evidence the promise is real | "Cuts invoice creation time by 90%" / "Syncs with Jira, Linear, Asana" / "Used by 2,000 teams in beta" |4849**Messaging template:**5051```52HEADLINE:53[One clear sentence. Lead with the outcome, not the feature.]5455VALUE PROP:56[What the user gets. Focus on the job, not the technology.]5758PROOF POINTS:591. [Quantified result or social proof]602. [Capability that matters most]613. [Trust signal — security, reliability, adoption]6263OBJECTION HANDLING:64- "Why should I switch?" → [Answer]65- "Is it reliable?" → [Answer]66- "What does it cost me to try?" → [Answer]67```6869## Step 4: Channels7071List where the target audience already spends time. Rank each channel:7273| Channel | Reach | Fit | Effort | Use it? |74|---------|-------|-----|--------|---------|75| In-app announcement | High (existing users) | High | Low | Yes — always |76| Email to existing users | High | High | Low | Yes — always |77| Blog post | Medium | Medium | Medium | Tier 1-2 |78| Social (specify platform) | Varies | Varies | Low | Match to audience |79| Product Hunt / HN | High for dev tools | Niche | Medium | Only if audience fits |80| Paid ads | High | Varies | High | Tier 1 only, with budget |81| Partner co-marketing | Medium | High | High | When there's a natural partner |82| Press / analyst briefing | High | Low-Medium | High | Tier 1 only, major news |83| Community / forum posts | Low-Medium | High | Low | When community exists |84| Sales enablement | N/A (B2B) | High | Medium | B2B Tier 1-2 |8586Pick 3-5 channels. More than that dilutes effort.8788## Step 5: Launch Checklist8990### Pre-launch (2-4 weeks before)9192- [ ] Positioning and messaging finalized93- [ ] Landing page or feature page live (or drafted)94- [ ] Internal team briefed — support, sales, CS all know what's coming95- [ ] Beta feedback incorporated96- [ ] Analytics and tracking instrumented (reference the metrics skill if available)97- [ ] Launch email drafted98- [ ] Social posts drafted99- [ ] Blog post drafted (Tier 1-2)100- [ ] Documentation / help articles updated101- [ ] Rollback plan exists if something breaks102103### Launch day104105- [ ] Feature flag flipped / deploy confirmed106- [ ] Announcements sent (email, in-app, social)107- [ ] Blog post published108- [ ] Team monitoring dashboards and support queue109- [ ] Respond to early feedback within hours, not days110111### Post-launch (1-4 weeks after)112113- [ ] Track success metrics daily for first week114- [ ] Gather qualitative feedback (support tickets, user interviews, social mentions)115- [ ] Ship fast-follow fixes for issues surfaced at launch116- [ ] Internal retro on what went well / what didn't (reference the retro skill if available)117- [ ] Report results to stakeholders118- [ ] Decide: double down, iterate, or move on119120## Step 6: Success Metrics121122Define before launch, not after:123124| Metric | Why | Target |125|--------|-----|--------|126| **Adoption** — % of eligible users who try it | Did the launch reach people? | Set based on tier |127| **Activation** — % who complete the core action | Did they get value? | Higher bar than adoption |128| **Retention** — % still using after 7/30 days | Is it sticky? | Baseline from similar features |129| **Sentiment** — NPS, support tickets, social | How do people feel about it? | Qualitative + quantitative |130131Pick one primary metric. Track the rest as supporting signals.132133## Launch Tier Framework134135Classify every launch before planning it. The tier determines scope of effort.136137| | Tier 1 — Major | Tier 2 — Medium | Tier 3 — Minor |138|---|---|---|---|139| **What** | New product, major platform change, new market entry | Significant feature, new integration, pricing change | Bug fix, small improvement, setting change |140| **Audience** | Everyone + prospects | Relevant segment | Active users of that area |141| **Channels** | All: email, blog, social, press, in-app, sales | Email, blog, in-app, targeted social | Changelog, in-app tooltip, maybe email |142| **Timeline** | 4-8 weeks prep | 2-4 weeks prep | Ship and announce same day |143| **Assets** | Landing page, demo video, blog, email sequence, sales deck | Blog post, email, updated docs | Changelog entry, tooltip |144| **Team** | Cross-functional: product, marketing, sales, CS, eng | Product + marketing | Product + eng |145146**Default to a lower tier.** Most launches are Tier 2 or 3. Overcommunicating minor changes trains users to ignore you.147148## Output149150Deliver the GTM plan as a single document with these sections:1511521. **Overview** — what's launching, when, what tier1532. **Positioning statement**1543. **Messaging** — headline, value prop, proof points1554. **Channels** — ranked list with rationale1565. **Checklist** — pre-launch, launch day, post-launch (customized, not generic)1576. **Success metrics** — primary + supporting, with targets
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