/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

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
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?

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.

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

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).

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
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)

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.*

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.

solo-launch