8.8 KiB
8.8 KiB
Launch Checklists
GTM launch playbooks for Tier 1, 2, and 3 product releases.
Table of Contents
- Launch Tier Definitions
- Tier 1 Major Launch
- Tier 2 Standard Launch
- Tier 3 Minor Launch
- Launch Metrics Dashboard
Launch Tier Definitions
| Tier | Scope | Prep Time | Budget | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New product, major feature | 6-8 weeks | $50-100k | All prospects + press |
| 2 | Significant feature, integration | 3-4 weeks | $10-25k | Customers + select prospects |
| 3 | Small feature, improvement | 1 week | <$5k | Existing customers |
Tier Selection Criteria:
Tier 1 if ANY true:
- [ ] Net-new product line
- [ ] Revenue impact > $500k pipeline
- [ ] Press coverage expected
- [ ] Competitive response anticipated
Tier 2 if ANY true:
- [ ] Major feature request (top 10 customer ask)
- [ ] New integration with strategic partner
- [ ] Pricing or packaging change
Tier 3 otherwise:
- [ ] Bug fixes
- [ ] UI improvements
- [ ] Minor enhancements
Tier 1 Major Launch
Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks -8 to -5)
Week -8: Kickoff
- Schedule kickoff meeting (Product, Marketing, Sales, CS)
- Define launch goals:
- Pipeline target: $______
- MQL target: ______
- Press hits target: ______
- Adoption target: ______% in 90 days
- Assign roles (RACI matrix):
- PMM: Launch lead, positioning, messaging
- Product: Feature readiness, demo environment
- Demand Gen: Campaigns, paid ads, email
- Content: Blog posts, case studies, videos
- Sales: Enablement, outbound campaign
- Create project timeline in Asana/Monday/Notion
- Validation: All stakeholders confirm goals and timeline
Week -7: Strategy
- Develop positioning and messaging (see positioning-frameworks.md)
- Create GTM channel plan:
- Owned: Email, blog, social, webinar
- Paid: LinkedIn ads, Google ads
- Earned: Press, influencers, partners
- Define target segments (ICP, personas)
- Allocate budget by channel
- Draft press release (embargo date set)
Week -6: Content
- Build landing page (product page, demo request form)
- Write blog post announcement
- Create sales deck updates (5-10 new slides)
- Design social media graphics (5+ variants)
- Produce demo video (3-5 minutes)
- Draft email sequences (announcement, nurture)
Week -5: Enablement
- Create sales battlecard (competitive positioning)
- Write demo script (new feature walkthrough)
- Build FAQ document (top 20 questions)
- Develop objection handling guide
- Schedule sales training session
- Recruit beta customers for testimonials
- Validation: Sales team can demo feature confidently
Phase 2: Preparation (Weeks -4 to -1)
Week -4: Launch Prep
- Set up HubSpot campaign (UTMs, attribution)
- Launch teaser campaign (social, email hints)
- Pitch press and analysts (NDA briefings)
- Create webinar registration page
- Finalize partner co-marketing plans
- QA all landing pages and forms
Week -3: Ramp Up
- Activate paid ads (LinkedIn, Google) at 50% budget
- A/B test landing page headlines
- Send pre-launch email to VIP customers
- Conduct sales training (2-hour session)
- Confirm webinar speakers and content
- Prepare launch day runbook
Week -2: Final Prep
- Increase paid ad spend to 75%
- Send webinar reminder emails
- Finalize press embargo lift time
- Complete dry run (website, forms, CRM workflow)
- Create launch day social posts (scheduled)
- Brief customer success team
Week -1: Pre-Launch
- Final approval on all assets
- Send VIP preview to top 10 customers
- Confirm press embargo release
- Sales team ready (trained, quotas set)
- CS team ready (docs updated, chat staffed)
- Test all systems one final time
- Validation: All checklist items green
Phase 3: Launch (Weeks 1-4)
Launch Day
- Press release distribution (wire + direct pitch)
- Email blast to full database
- Social media posts (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook)
- Paid ads at 100% budget
- Sales outbound blitz (top 100 accounts)
- In-app announcement to existing users
- Monitor metrics every 2 hours:
- Traffic, signups, demo requests
- Press pickup, social engagement
- Sales pipeline created
Days 2-7
- Daily metrics review (conversion rates, funnel)
- A/B test optimizations based on data
- Sales follow-up (<4 hour SLA on leads)
- Respond to press and analyst inquiries
- Host webinar (Day 3 or 4)
- Post customer testimonials
- Adjust paid ads (pause underperformers)
Week 2-4
- Publish post-launch blog content
- Create customer case study from early adopters
- Conduct win/loss interviews (5+ deals)
- Optimize converting channels (+20% budget)
- Pause non-converting channels
- Weekly launch status report to executives
- Validation: Pipeline on track to goal
Phase 4: Post-Launch (Weeks 5-12)
Month 2
- Launch retrospective meeting
- Document learnings (what worked, what didn't)
- Scale winning channels
- Expand to new segments if successful
- Update positioning based on customer feedback
- Plan sustaining campaigns
Month 3
- Final launch report (vs. goals)
- Calculate ROI (pipeline / spend)
- Publish additional case studies
- Integrate learnings into next launch plan
- Archive launch assets for reuse
Tier 2 Standard Launch
Timeline: 4 Weeks
Week -4 to -3: Preparation
- Define feature and target audience
- Create positioning and key messages
- Build landing page or product page update
- Write blog post announcement
- Update sales deck (2-3 slides)
- Create email announcement
- Brief sales team (30-min call)
Week -2 to -1: Setup
- Set up HubSpot campaign tracking
- Schedule social posts
- Set up paid ads (limited budget)
- QA landing pages and forms
- Notify customer success team
Launch Week
- Send email announcement
- Publish blog post
- Post on social media
- In-app notification to users
- Sales mention in active deals
- Monitor initial metrics
Week +1 to +2: Follow-up
- Analyze launch metrics
- Optimize based on data
- Collect customer feedback
- Document learnings
Tier 3 Minor Launch
Timeline: 1 Week
Day -5 to -3: Prep
- Write changelog entry
- Update support documentation
- Create in-app notification copy
- Brief CS team
Day -2 to -1: Review
- QA feature in staging
- Approve changelog copy
- Schedule in-app notification
Launch Day
- Deploy feature
- Trigger in-app notification
- Publish changelog
- Update support docs (if needed)
Day +1 to +3: Monitor
- Check for support tickets
- Monitor feature adoption
- Address any issues
Launch Metrics Dashboard
Leading Indicators (Track Daily)
| Metric | Target | Day 1 | Day 3 | Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page visitors | 5,000 | |||
| Demo requests | 100 | |||
| Free trial signups | 200 | |||
| MQLs generated | 150 | |||
| Pipeline created ($) | $500k |
Lagging Indicators (Track Weekly)
| Metric | Target | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQLs generated | 30 | |||
| Demos completed | 50 | |||
| Deals closed (#) | 5 | |||
| Revenue ($) | $100k | |||
| Feature adoption (%) | 40% |
Channel Performance
| Channel | Spend | MQLs | CPL | Pipeline | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn Ads | $10k | ||||
| Google Ads | $5k | ||||
| $0 | |||||
| Organic | $0 | ||||
| Webinar | $2k | ||||
| Total | $17k |
Post-Launch Report Template
LAUNCH: [Product/Feature Name]
DATE: [Launch Date]
OWNER: [PMM Name]
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
- Goal: $500k pipeline in 30 days
- Actual: $[X] pipeline (X% of goal)
- Status: ✅ On Track / ⚠️ Behind / ❌ Missed
KEY RESULTS:
| Metric | Goal | Actual | % of Goal |
|--------------|---------|---------|-----------|
| MQLs | 150 | | |
| SQLs | 30 | | |
| Pipeline | $500k | | |
| Feature Adoption | 40% | | |
TOP PERFORMING:
1. [Channel/Tactic] - [Result]
2. [Channel/Tactic] - [Result]
UNDERPERFORMING:
1. [Channel/Tactic] - [Result] - [Action taken]
LEARNINGS:
1. [What worked and why]
2. [What didn't work and why]
3. [What we'd do differently]
NEXT STEPS:
1. [Action item] - Owner - Due date
2. [Action item] - Owner - Due date