launch-strategy
Installation
SKILL.md
Launch Strategy
Category: Marketing Tags: product launch, feature release, Product Hunt, go-to-market, launch playbook, announcement strategy
Overview
Launch Strategy provides the complete playbook for launching products and features that build momentum, capture attention, and convert interest into users. A product launch is not an event -- it is a campaign with pre-launch, launch day, and post-launch phases. Shipping without a launch plan is leaving growth on the table.
Launch Tiers
Not every release deserves the same effort. Classify first.
| Tier | What It Is | Marketing Effort | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1: Major Launch | New product, major pivot, rebrand | 4-8 weeks prep, all channels | New product launch, platform launch |
| Tier 2: Feature Launch | Significant new capability | 2-4 weeks prep, owned + select channels | Major feature, integration, new plan |
| Tier 3: Update | Improvement to existing feature | 1 week prep, owned channels only | Performance improvement, UI refresh |
| Tier 4: Changelog | Bug fix, minor improvement | Same day, changelog only | Bug fixes, minor UX tweaks |
The rest of this skill focuses on Tier 1-2 launches. Tier 3-4 follow a simplified version of the same process.
Phase 1: Pre-Launch (4-8 Weeks Before)
Week 8-6: Foundation
Positioning & Messaging
- Define the one-sentence value prop for this launch
- Identify primary audience segment (who cares most about this?)
- Draft the headline you want to see in coverage
- Answer the "so what?" question -- why should anyone care?
Positioning Template:
For [target audience] who [need/pain point],
[product/feature] is the [category]
that [key benefit].
Unlike [alternatives],
we [key differentiator].
Asset Checklist:
- Landing page copy and design
- Product screenshots / demo video
- Blog post (announcement)
- Email announcement draft
- Social media posts (per platform)
- Press release / media pitch (Tier 1 only)
- Internal FAQ for team
- Customer FAQ
Week 6-4: Build Momentum
Audience Warming
- Tease the launch in social posts (building in public)
- Share behind-the-scenes development content
- Engage with potential users about the problem you are solving
- Collect early feedback from beta users
Waitlist / Early Access For Tier 1 launches, consider a waitlist to build anticipation:
Waitlist Landing Page Elements:
1. Clear headline: what is coming
2. One-sentence description: why it matters
3. Email capture form
4. Social proof: "Join [X] others waiting"
5. Expected launch date
6. Share incentive: "Move up the list by sharing"
Week 4-2: Prepare Channels
The ORB Channel Framework
Categorize every launch channel as Owned, Rented, or Borrowed:
| Channel Type | Definition | Examples | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned | You control the audience | Email list, blog, product (in-app), changelog | Full |
| Rented | You pay for access | Paid ads, sponsorships, promoted posts | High (while paying) |
| Borrowed | You earn access through others | Press, influencer mentions, community shares, Product Hunt | Low |
Channel Strategy by Tier:
| Channel | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email (full list) | Yes | Yes | Segment only |
| Blog post | Long-form | Short-form | Changelog |
| Social media | Multi-post campaign | Single announcement | Brief mention |
| In-app notification | Yes | Yes | Optional |
| Product Hunt | If applicable | No | No |
| Press / media | Targeted pitches | No | No |
| Paid amplification | Budget allocated | Small budget | No |
| Partner co-marketing | If applicable | No | No |
| Community posts | HN, Reddit, Discord | HN maybe | No |
Week 2-1: Final Prep
- All assets created and reviewed
- Landing page live (or ready to flip)
- Email sequences loaded and tested
- Social posts scheduled
- Team briefed on launch plan and talking points
- Analytics tracking configured for launch metrics
- Support team briefed on new feature / expected questions
- Rollback plan documented (if something goes wrong)
Phase 2: Launch Day Execution
Launch Day Checklist (Time-Boxed)
T-2 hours:
- Final check: landing page, links, tracking all working
- Team Slack channel open for coordination
- Support team ready
T-0 (Launch):
- Flip landing page / feature gate live
- Send email announcement (Segment 1: most engaged users)
- Publish blog post
- Post on social media (all platforms, staggered by 30 min)
- Submit to Product Hunt (if planned -- see PH section)
- Post in relevant communities (HN, Reddit, Discord)
- Notify partners for co-promotion
T+2 hours:
- Check analytics: traffic, signups, errors
- Respond to all social media comments/questions
- Send email announcement (Segment 2: broader list)
- Monitor Product Hunt ranking (if applicable)
T+6 hours:
- Share early results with team
- Address any support issues
- Engage with community discussion threads
- Schedule next-day follow-up content
End of Day:
- Document day-one metrics
- Thank early adopters publicly
- Note any issues for immediate fix
- Confirm next-day plan
Launch Day Communication Rules
- Respond to everything -- launch day is not the day to ignore comments
- Founder engagement -- CEO/founders should personally reply on HN, Reddit, PH
- Celebrate wins publicly -- share milestones as they happen ("500 signups in first 3 hours!")
- Address issues immediately -- if something breaks, communicate before people complain
- Never argue -- if someone criticizes, thank them and learn
Phase 3: Product Hunt Playbook
Product Hunt is a launch channel, not a launch strategy. It works best when combined with the full ORB approach.
PH Timeline
Week -4: Preparation
- Create / update Maker profile
- Engage genuinely in PH community (comment on other products)
- Build relationships with active PH hunters
- Draft listing: tagline, description, first comment, media
Week -1: Pre-Launch
- Confirm launch date (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday -- avoid Monday/Friday)
- Prepare all PH assets:
- Thumbnail (240x240, clean, recognizable)
- Gallery images (1270x760, show the product, not marketing fluff)
- Demo video or GIF (under 60s)
- First comment (personal, story-driven, not corporate)
- Notify your network: "We are launching on PH on [date]"
- Do NOT ask for upvotes (against PH guidelines and counterproductive)
Launch Day (12:01 AM PT)
- Submit immediately after midnight PT (products are ranked by votes within a 24h window starting at midnight PT)
- Post first comment within 5 minutes (this is your pitch)
- Share across channels: "We launched on Product Hunt today" with direct link
- Respond to EVERY comment on PH within 30 minutes
- Engage authentically -- answer questions, thank feedback, acknowledge criticism
First Comment Template:
Hey PH! [Name] here, [role] at [Company].
We built [product] because [personal story about the problem].
[1-2 sentences about what it does and why it's different]
Here's what you get:
- [Key feature 1]
- [Key feature 2]
- [Key feature 3]
Special for PH: [offer -- extended trial, discount, early access to feature]
Would love your honest feedback. Happy to answer any questions!
PH Success Metrics
| Outcome | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Top 5 of the day | Strong launch, badge, homepage visibility |
| Top 10 of the day | Good launch, still gets homepage traffic for 24h |
| Below top 10 | Minimal PH-specific value, but launch content still works elsewhere |
| Product of the week/month | Significant ongoing PH traffic |
Phase 4: Post-Launch Momentum (30 Days)
The launch is not over on day one. Most of the value comes from sustained post-launch activity.
Week 1 (Days 2-7)
- Publish follow-up content: "What we learned from launching"
- Share metrics publicly if impressive: "1,000 signups in 48 hours"
- Create comparison pages: [Product] vs [Competitor A], vs [Competitor B]
- Reach out to people who engaged on launch day for testimonials
- Fix any issues reported on launch day
Week 2 (Days 8-14)
- Publish case study or early user story
- Create interactive demo or product tour
- Submit to relevant directories and lists (G2, Capterra, AlternativeTo)
- Pitch guest posts to relevant blogs / newsletters
- Run retargeting ads to launch day visitors who did not convert
Week 3-4 (Days 15-30)
- Publish "roundup" email to full list with launch highlights + social proof
- Create SEO-optimized content around launch keywords
- Analyze full launch funnel: what worked, what did not, what to repeat
- Document launch playbook for next time (what you would do differently)
- Plan next feature launch using learnings
Launch Metrics
Pre-Launch Metrics
| Metric | Target | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Waitlist signups | 500+ for Tier 1 | Landing page |
| Email list growth | 10%+ increase | Email platform |
| Social engagement on teaser content | 2x normal | Platform analytics |
Launch Day Metrics
| Metric | Target | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page visitors | 5x normal daily | GA4 |
| Signup/conversion rate | 5-15% of visitors | Product analytics |
| Social shares/mentions | 50+ | Social monitoring |
| Product Hunt rank | Top 5 | Product Hunt |
Post-Launch Metrics (30 day)
| Metric | Target | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total signups attributed to launch | 2-5x monthly average | Attribution |
| Activation rate of launch signups | Match or exceed normal cohort | Product analytics |
| Press/blog mentions | 3+ organic mentions | Google Alerts |
| SEO keyword rankings | Ranking for launch keywords | Search console |
Proactive Triggers
- Feature ship date mentioned with no marketing plan: immediately ask about launch strategy
- Waitlist or early access mentioned: design the full phased funnel, not just a landing page
- Product Hunt considered: trigger the full PH playbook with the 4-week timeline
- Post-launch silence: suggest momentum content if nothing published after day 3
- Pricing change planned: treat it as a Tier 2 launch opportunity
Related Skills
| Skill | Use When |
|---|---|
| email-sequence | Building launch announcement and post-launch onboarding sequences |
| social-media-manager | Coordinating social strategy around the launch |
| content-creator | Writing blog posts and landing page copy for the launch |
| analytics-tracking | Setting up tracking for launch conversion metrics |
| ab-test-setup | Testing launch page variants |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Launch day traffic spike but near-zero signups | Landing page value proposition unclear or CTA buried | Audit landing page: headline must answer "what is this and why should I care" in 5 seconds |
| Product Hunt submission gets below 50 upvotes | No community warm-up, poor listing assets, or launched on wrong day | Follow 4-week PH playbook; launch Tue-Thu; ensure gallery images show product, not marketing graphics |
| Post-launch momentum dies by day 3 | No post-launch content plan; team assumes launch day is the end | Execute 30-day post-launch plan with follow-up content, testimonials, and retargeting |
| Email open rate below 15% on launch announcement | Subject line not compelling or list not segmented by engagement | A/B test subject lines; segment by engagement (send to most engaged first, then broader list) |
| Support team overwhelmed on launch day | Not briefed on new feature or FAQ not prepared | Include support briefing and FAQ creation in pre-launch checklist, minimum 1 week before launch |
| Metrics dashboard shows no data on launch day | Tracking not configured or UTMs not applied to launch URLs | Include tracking verification in final QA checklist, test all conversion events in staging first |
Success Criteria
- Launch readiness score above 80% on readiness checker before go-live decision
- Launch day traffic at least 5x normal daily traffic
- Signup/conversion rate between 5-15% of launch day visitors
- 50+ social shares/mentions on launch day
- Product Hunt top 5 finish (for Tier 1 launches using PH channel)
- Post-launch 30-day signups at 2-5x monthly average
- Activation rate of launch cohort matches or exceeds normal cohort within 10%
Scope & Limitations
In Scope: Phased launch planning (Tier 1-4), ORB channel strategy, Product Hunt playbook, launch day execution checklists, post-launch momentum campaigns, waitlist management, launch metrics tracking, launch readiness assessment.
Out of Scope: Product development and feature readiness (engineering responsibility), pricing strategy (see marketing-strategy-pmm skill), ongoing marketing operations (see marketing-ops skill), press and media relationship building (PR function).
Limitations: Launch success depends on product-market fit — no launch strategy compensates for a product that does not solve a real problem. Product Hunt effectiveness varies by product category; B2C and developer tools typically perform better than enterprise B2B. Post-launch metrics require 30 days minimum for meaningful assessment.
Scripts
| Script | Purpose | Usage |
|---|---|---|
scripts/launch_readiness_checker.py |
Assess go/no-go readiness across positioning, assets, channels, team, tracking | python scripts/launch_readiness_checker.py checklist.json --tier 1 |
scripts/launch_timeline_generator.py |
Generate week-by-week launch timeline with tasks and owners | python scripts/launch_timeline_generator.py --date 2026-04-15 --tier 1 |
scripts/launch_metrics_tracker.py |
Track actual vs target metrics across pre-launch, launch day, and post-launch | python scripts/launch_metrics_tracker.py metrics.json --demo |