Launch Playbook

Overview

A launch is the highest-leverage marketing event because attention is time-bounded. This skill provides a repeatable, tier-based system to compress launch cycles from months to days using AI, without sacrificing quality or cross-functional alignment.

When to Use

Launching a new product, pricing model, or entering a new market
Shipping a major feature or integration that expands the value prop
Minor feature updates that still need coordinated communication
Launch cycles are taking too long (months instead of weeks)
Internal teams are caught off-guard by launches (sales, CS not briefed)
Asset creation is bottlenecked or inconsistent across launches
No repeatable launch process exists
A competitor launched something that requires a response

Don't use when: The change is purely internal with no customer-facing impact, or when a changelog entry alone is sufficient.

Quick Reference

| Phase | Duration | Output | |-------|----------|--------| | Launch tier classification | Day 0 | Launch brief with tier and owners | | Positioning and messaging | Day 1-5 | Messaging matrix, headlines | | Asset creation | Day 3-12 | 3-25 assets per tier | | Internal enablement | Day 5-14 | Sales, CS, exec briefings | | Launch execution | Day 0 + 48 hours | Multi-channel go-live | | Channel plan execution | Day 0-7 | Channel activation | | Post-launch optimization | Day 2-30 | Performance data | | Launch retrospective | Day 14-30 | Retrospective doc |

Core Deliverables

Launch Brief -- Tier classification, business case, success metrics, timeline
Launch Messaging Doc -- Positioning statement, messaging matrix, persona angles
Launch Asset Package -- Channel assets from messaging foundation (3-25 per tier)
Internal Enablement Kit -- Sales one-pager, talk tracks, FAQ, CS briefing
Launch Day Runsheet -- Execution plan with owners and escalation paths
Launch Retrospective -- Results vs. targets, channel ROI, action items

Common Mistakes

Treating every launch as Tier 1 (creates launch fatigue)
Skipping internal enablement (sales saying "I don't know" on launch day)
Building assets before messaging is finalized (guarantees rewrites)
Launching on a Friday (wastes critical first 48 hours on a weekend)
No measurement plan before launch day
Skipping the retrospective (repeats same mistakes next launch)

Integration

Feeds into: reducing-cac, accelerating-pipeline, tracking-marketing-metrics

Refresh: Process review quarterly. Tier thresholds every 6 months. Retrospective after every Tier 1 and Tier 2 launch.

See workflow.md for detailed phase-by-phase execution, tier classification framework, asset checklists, launch day timelines, competitive response protocol, and retrospective templates.