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.