Launch Planning

Launch Planning

Overview

Most product launches fail not because the product is bad but because the launch is treated as an announcement instead of a coordinated campaign. The mistake: publishing a blog post on launch day and hoping for virality. This skill covers tiered launch architecture, 16-channel coordination, Product Hunt optimization, press/influencer outreach, and post-launch measurement — built on Maja Voje's proven GTM launch phases and Lenny Rachitsky's B2B launch methodology.

When to Use

Trigger phrases: "plan a product launch", "launch our new feature", "build a pre-launch checklist", "set up Product Hunt launch", "coordinate a multi-channel launch", "product launch strategy", "Tier 1 launch", "launch timeline and channels"

Authoritative Foundations

Maja Voje — GTM Strategist Phases 7-9

Phases 7 (Pre-Launch), 8 (Launch), 9 (Post-Launch) are the execution phases where most companies fail. The key: 70% of launch effort happens BEFORE launch day. Launch day is execution, not planning.

Andy Raskin — Strategic Narrative

Every launch needs a narrative: "The world has changed (old game), and here's the new game you need to play. Our product is the vehicle to win the new game." This narrative becomes the through-line across all launch channels.

Lenny Rachitsky — B2B Launch Playbook

The most successful B2B launches follow a multi-week timeline with coordinated channel strategy, not a single-day spray. Lenny's framework emphasizes building a "launch coalition" — partners, influencers, and customers who amplify simultaneously.

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Launch Tier Selection

Tier 1 (Major — 6-8 weeks prep):

• Triggers: New product, pivot, rebrand, major funding announcement, $0→$1 launch
• Channels: ALL (16+ channels)
• Budget: $5-25K (press, ads, design, video)
• Assets: Land page, demo video, press kit, social campaign, email sequence, blog posts (3-5), customer stories, partner co-marketing, paid amplification

Tier 2 (Medium — 3-4 weeks prep):

• Triggers: Major feature, integration launch, new pricing tier, new vertical
• Channels: Blog, email, social, in-app, community, partner co-marketing
• Budget: $1-5K
• Assets: Blog post, email sequence, social graphics (3-5), in-app announcement, sales enablement (1-pager, pitch deck update)

Tier 3 (Minor — 1 week prep):

• Triggers: Feature update, minor integration, improvement
• Channels: Changelog, in-app notification, email to affected users, social post
• Budget: $0-500
• Assets: Changelog entry, in-app notification, 1 social graphic

Phase 2: Pre-Launch Timeline (Tier 1)

Week -6 to -4: Foundation

• Finalize positioning and strategic narrative (Raskin framework)
• Identify target audience segments and key influencers
• Build press list (30-50 journalists, bloggers, newsletter authors)
• Reach out to 10-20 partners for co-marketing ("we'll promote your launch too")
• Draft all launch assets

Week -3 to -2: Asset Production

• Landing page (hero, demo, social proof, CTA)
• Demo video (2-3 minutes, produced or high-quality Loom)
• Press kit: logos, screenshots, founder bios, key stats, quotes, press release
• Blog post (long-form, SEO-optimized)
• Social campaign (10-15 posts across platforms)
• Email sequence (3 emails: teaser → launch → follow-up)
• Customer case study (if applicable)

Week -1: Pre-Briefing

• Email VIP customers: "Launching next week — here's an early look"
• Brief partners: send assets, suggested social copy, launch day instructions
• Brief investors: send deck, ask for social amplification on launch day
• Submit to Product Hunt (if applicable — get listed, prep hunter)
• Pre-submit to Hacker News, Reddit (build relationships with mods/community)
• Schedule all social posts and emails

Week 0: Launch Day

• 6:00 AM: Blog post published, all social posts go live
• 7:00 AM: Email #1 sent to subscribers
• 8:00 AM: Partners post (coordinated timing)
• 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Engage with every comment, reply, mention
• Throughout: Monitor Product Hunt, HN, Reddit, Twitter — respond fast
• End of day: Internal debrief — what's working, what's not, what to amplify

Week +1: Amplification

• Email #2: "In case you missed it" + social proof ("X people signed up")
• Boost top-performing social posts with $100-500 each
• Follow up with press who didn't respond
• Publish "launch recap" or "behind the scenes" content
• Engage with every Product Hunt review

Week +2 to +4: Sustain

• Email #3: Customer story or use case deep dive
• Retargeting ads: website visitors from launch week
• Publish 1-2 follow-up blog posts (deeper dives)
• Pitch guest posts and podcast appearances about the launch
• Measure: signups, demos, pipeline, revenue

Phase 3: Channel Architecture (16 Channels)

Phase 4: Product Hunt Playbook

Preparation (2+ weeks before):

1. Choose a hunter (influential PH user with 5K+ followers — they get notified)
2. Create maker profile with real photo, bio, previous launches
3. Prepare: tagline (< 60 chars), description, first comment (long-form story), 5+ screenshots/GIFs, demo video (YouTube/Vimeo), icon (240x240)
4. Line up 20+ people to upvote and comment within first hour (critical for ranking algorithm)
5. Prep reply templates for common questions

Launch day:

• Post at 12:01 AM PST (Product Hunt day starts midnight Pacific)
• First comment posted immediately by maker
• Engage with EVERY comment within 30 minutes
• Don't ask for upvotes directly (violates PH rules)
• Ask supporters: "We're live on Product Hunt — would love your support today!" (acceptable)

Post-launch:

• Thank every reviewer publicly
• Share badge/"#1 Product of the Day" on social and website
• Follow up with leads from PH comments

Phase 5: Press and Influencer Outreach

Press list building:

• Search: journalists who covered competitor launches, your space, or related
• Tools: Muck Rack, X/Twitter lists, journalist databases
• Target: 30-50 contacts. Each gets a personalized pitch, not a spray.

Pitch structure:

Subject: [Company] launches [product] — [one-line value prop]

Hi [name],

I'm reaching out because you covered [related story they wrote].

We're launching [product] on [date]. It [one sentence what it does and why
it matters]. We're at [$X ARR / X customers / X metric — something newsworthy].

I can offer:
- Exclusive early access
- Interview with our founder
- Customer data/stories
- Screenshots and assets

Available this week if you'd like to chat.

Best,
[Name]

Influencer outreach:

• Identify 10-20 influencers in your space with engaged audiences (not just follower count)
• Offer: exclusive early access, affiliate commission, co-marketing, interview
• Don't pay for coverage — it's unethical and audiences can tell

Output Format

LAUNCH PLAN — [Product Name]

Tier: [1/2/3]
Launch Date: [date]
Pre-Launch Start: [date — 6/3/1 weeks before]

Strategic Narrative:
- Old game → New game → Our product as vehicle

Target Audience:
- Primary: [specific segment]
- Secondary: [specific segment]

Key Messages (3):
1. [message]
2. [message]
3. [message]

Timeline:
[Week-by-week task list with owners]

Channel Plan:
[16-channel grid with ✓/✗ for each]

Assets Checklist:
[Every asset with status: Draft / Review / Final]

Success Metrics:
- Signups/Demos: [target]
- Pipeline: [target]
- Press mentions: [target]
- Product Hunt: [target upvotes/ranking]
- Revenue: [target — often delayed 30-90 days]

Implementation Checklist

• Launch tier selected based on scope (T1/T2/T3)
• Strategic narrative written (Raskin: old game → new game → vehicle)
• 16-channel grid populated for launch tier
• All assets produced and reviewed before launch week
• Partners pre-briefed with assets and suggested copy
• Product Hunt prepared (hunter, assets, first-hour supporters)
• Press/influencer list built with personalized pitches
• Social posts and emails pre-scheduled
• Launch day engagement plan (real-time response to every comment)
• Post-launch follow-up sequence ready (emails, content, retargeting)

Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

• Output matches the user's stated request
• Named frameworks or sources are reflected in the recommendation
• The deliverable is specific enough for an agent to execute
• Any assumptions, risks, or dependencies are explicit
• No unsupported claims, invented facts, or private/internal references are included

Common Pitfalls

1. Launch without pre-launch. Showing up on launch day with no audience, no partners, and no press list is publishing, not launching. Fix: 6 weeks pre-launch for Tier 1. 70% of effort is pre-launch.

2. One channel only. Product Hunt without email, social, partners, and press reaches 10% of your potential audience. Fix: Activate minimum 8 channels for Tier 1 launches.

3. No launch narrative. "We launched a new feature" is not news. "The old way of X is dead — here's the new way" is a launch. Fix: Write the Raskin strategic narrative before writing anything else.

4. Poor Product Hunt execution. Launching at 9am with no first-hour supporters and a generic first comment = page 3 of PH, 10 upvotes. Fix: Launch at midnight PST, line up 20+ supporters, write a compelling first comment story.

5. No post-launch follow-up. Traffic spikes and disappears in 48 hours. If you don't have retargeting, email sequences, and follow-up content ready, you'll capture 5% of the value. Fix: Build post-launch sequences during pre-launch. They go live automatically.

6. Measuring the wrong things. Upvotes and pageviews feel good but don't pay bills. Fix: Measure pipeline and revenue. Content → signup → demo → close. Launch is a GTM motion, not a vanity contest.

Execution Artifacts

• references/framework-notes.md — Named frameworks and reference tables
• templates/output-template.md — Deliverable shell for agent output
• scripts/check-output.py — Lightweight deliverable validator

Related Skills

• positioning-messaging — Dunford positioning, Raskin narrative, messaging matrix
• social-media-strategy — Per-platform content, posting cadence, engagement
• content-marketing — Content strategy, SEO, pillar pages
• sales-enablement — Pitch decks, one-pagers, battlecards
• founder-brand — Personal brand amplification during launch