# Launch Playbook

> When to activate: product launch, go-to-market, launch planning, release strategy, launch day, pre-launch, post-launch, launch checklist, GTM execution

- Skill: `mattakushi432/launch-playbook` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mattakushi432/launch-playbook`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mattakushi432/launch-playbook/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: Mattakushi432 (https://skillmd.com/u/mattakushi432)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mattakushi432/launch-playbook

---


# Launch Playbook

## Launch Phases Overview

| Phase | Timeline | Focus |
|-------|----------|-------|
| Pre-Launch | T-8 to T-1 weeks | Build, seed, prepare |
| Launch Week | T-7 days to T+1 day | Execute, amplify |
| Post-Launch | T+2 days to T+30 days | Optimize, sustain |

---

## Phase 1: Pre-Launch (T-8 to T-1 Weeks)

### T-8 Weeks: Foundation
- [ ] Define launch goals and success metrics
- [ ] Identify ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) for launch
- [ ] Assign launch DRI (Directly Responsible Individual)
- [ ] Set launch tier: Soft / Standard / Major
- [ ] Draft press kit (logo, screenshots, one-liner, long description)

### T-6 Weeks: Content & Assets
- [ ] Landing page live (feature list, pricing, CTA)
- [ ] Product demo video recorded (60–90 sec)
- [ ] Blog post: "Why we built this" drafted
- [ ] Social announcement assets designed
- [ ] Email sequence written (waitlist → launch day → follow-up)
- [ ] SEO: target keyword research done, meta tags set

### T-4 Weeks: Seed & Warm Up
- [ ] Waitlist open and collecting signups
- [ ] Beta testers recruited (target: 20–50 users)
- [ ] Press list built (10–20 journalists / publications)
- [ ] Product Hunt hunter identified
- [ ] Community seeding: share in Slack/Discord groups as preview
- [ ] LinkedIn/Twitter teaser posts scheduled

### T-2 Weeks: Press & Influencer Outreach
- [ ] Embargo pitches sent to top 5 journalists
- [ ] Influencer briefings scheduled
- [ ] Partner co-announcement assets shared
- [ ] Affiliate/referral codes distributed
- [ ] All content assets reviewed and approved
- [ ] Launch day war room attendees confirmed

### T-1 Week: Final Checks
- [ ] Website load tested (use k6 or LoadImpact)
- [ ] Onboarding flow QA'd end-to-end
- [ ] Support/FAQ docs live
- [ ] Billing and payment flows tested
- [ ] Analytics tracking verified (GA4, Segment, Mixpanel)
- [ ] Rollback plan documented

---

## Phase 2: Launch Day

### War Room Setup
```
Attendees: Marketing lead, CEO/founder, Eng lead, Customer Success
Communication channel: #launch-day Slack
Meeting: 9am standup, 12pm check-in, 5pm close-out
Dashboard open: signups, errors, social mentions, revenue
```

### Hour-by-Hour Schedule (Sample)

| Time | Action | Owner |
|------|--------|-------|
| 08:00 | Send launch email to waitlist | Marketing |
| 09:00 | Publish blog post | Content |
| 09:15 | Tweet/LinkedIn announcement | Founder |
| 09:30 | Product Hunt goes live | PH hunter |
| 10:00 | Embargo lifts — press articles publish | PR |
| 10:30 | Comment on PH, engage community | Team |
| 12:00 | Mid-day social update (milestone: X signups) | Marketing |
| 14:00 | Influencer posts go live | Influencer |
| 17:00 | End-of-day social recap | Marketing |
| 18:00 | War room close-out debrief | All |

### Social Announcement Templates

**Twitter/X thread opener:**
```
We just launched [Product Name] 🚀

[One sentence what it does]
[One sentence who it's for]
[One sentence key differentiator]

Here's everything you need to know 🧵
```

**LinkedIn post:**
```
After [X months] of building, [Product Name] is live.

The problem we solve: [2 sentences]
Who it's for: [1 sentence]
The result: [quantified benefit]

Try it free → [link]
```

### Press Release Template
```
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Company] Launches [Product] to [Outcome]

[City, Date] — [Company], a [description], today announced the launch of
[Product], a [category] that [key benefit].

"[Founder quote about why this matters]," said [Name], [Title] of [Company].

[Product] addresses [problem] by [solution]. Key features include:
- [Feature 1]: [Benefit]
- [Feature 2]: [Benefit]
- [Feature 3]: [Benefit]

Pricing starts at $[X]/month. Available at [URL].

About [Company]: [2-sentence company description]
Contact: [name@company.com]
```

---

## Phase 3: Post-Launch (T+2 to T+30)

### Week 1: Stabilize
- [ ] Monitor error rates every 4 hours
- [ ] Respond to all support tickets same day
- [ ] Collect and triage beta user feedback
- [ ] Fix critical bugs within 24 hours
- [ ] Daily metrics review: signups, activation, churn

### Week 2–4: Optimize
- [ ] Analyze onboarding drop-off funnel
- [ ] A/B test landing page headline (if traffic sufficient)
- [ ] Publish 2–3 follow-up blog posts (use cases, how-to)
- [ ] Collect customer testimonials (email 5 active users)
- [ ] Post-launch retargeting ad campaign live
- [ ] SEO: build 5–10 backlinks from press coverage

### Launch Metrics Dashboard

| Metric | Target | Actual |
|--------|--------|--------|
| Day 1 signups | — | — |
| Week 1 signups | — | — |
| Activation rate (D7) | >40% | — |
| D7 retention | >25% | — |
| Press mentions | — | — |
| PH upvotes | — | — |
| Revenue (W1) | — | — |

---

## Launch Post-Mortem Template

**Run T+14 days. Time box: 60 minutes.**

1. **What was the goal?** (signups, revenue, press, activation)
2. **What happened?** (actual metrics vs targets)
3. **What worked?** (top 3 wins — be specific)
4. **What didn't?** (top 3 misses — be honest)
5. **Surprises?** (unexpected good or bad)
6. **What we'd do differently?** (3 action items with owners)
7. **What do we carry forward?** (tactics to repeat)

---

## Launch Tier Definitions

| Tier | Scope | Channels | Team size |
|------|-------|----------|-----------|
| Soft launch | Limited audience, no press | Email, in-app | 1–2 |
| Standard launch | Full audience, some press | Email + social + 2–3 press | 3–5 |
| Major launch | Full GTM, press, events | All channels + PR firm | 5+ |