Build a go-to-market plan that gets a product or feature from "built" to "adopted." Work through each step in order. Skip nothing.
Step 1: Understand What's Launching
Gather these before doing anything else:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What exactly is shipping? | Scope the plan — a whole product vs. a settings toggle need different launches |
| Who is the target audience? | Channels, messaging, and tier all depend on this |
| What's the timeline? | Determines what's realistic |
| What exists already? | Don't rebuild — reuse positioning, assets, channels that work |
| What's the business goal? | Growth, retention, expansion, awareness — each changes the plan |
If the user hasn't provided this context, ask. Don't guess.
Step 2: Positioning
Answer three questions clearly:
- Who is this for? Be specific. "Small business owners who manage their own payroll" not "SMBs."
- What job does it serve? Use the JTBD frame — what progress is the user trying to make? (Reference the jtbd skill if available.)
- How is it different? State the alternative the user has today and why this is better. If you can't articulate the difference, the positioning isn't ready.
Write it as a positioning statement:
For [target audience] who [situation/need],
[product/feature] is a [category]
that [key benefit].
Unlike [alternative], it [differentiator].Step 3: Messaging
Build a messaging hierarchy:
| Layer | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | The one sentence a stranger reads | "Ship invoices in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes" |
| Value proposition | The promise — what changes for the user | "Automated invoicing that pulls line items from your project tracker" |
| Proof points (3 max) | Evidence the promise is real | "Cuts invoice creation time by 90%" / "Syncs with Jira, Linear, Asana" / "Used by 2,000 teams in beta" |
Messaging template:
HEADLINE:
[One clear sentence. Lead with the outcome, not the feature.]
VALUE PROP:
[What the user gets. Focus on the job, not the technology.]
PROOF POINTS:
1. [Quantified result or social proof]
2. [Capability that matters most]
3. [Trust signal — security, reliability, adoption]
OBJECTION HANDLING:
- "Why should I switch?" → [Answer]
- "Is it reliable?" → [Answer]
- "What does it cost me to try?" → [Answer]Step 4: Channels
List where the target audience already spends time. Rank each channel:
| Channel | Reach | Fit | Effort | Use it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-app announcement | High (existing users) | High | Low | Yes — always |
| Email to existing users | High | High | Low | Yes — always |
| Blog post | Medium | Medium | Medium | Tier 1-2 |
| Social (specify platform) | Varies | Varies | Low | Match to audience |
| Product Hunt / HN | High for dev tools | Niche | Medium | Only if audience fits |
| Paid ads | High | Varies | High | Tier 1 only, with budget |
| Partner co-marketing | Medium | High | High | When there's a natural partner |
| Press / analyst briefing | High | Low-Medium | High | Tier 1 only, major news |
| Community / forum posts | Low-Medium | High | Low | When community exists |
| Sales enablement | N/A (B2B) | High | Medium | B2B Tier 1-2 |
Pick 3-5 channels. More than that dilutes effort.
Step 5: Launch Checklist
Pre-launch (2-4 weeks before)
- Positioning and messaging finalized
- Landing page or feature page live (or drafted)
- Internal team briefed — support, sales, CS all know what's coming
- Beta feedback incorporated
- Analytics and tracking instrumented (reference the metrics skill if available)
- Launch email drafted
- Social posts drafted
- Blog post drafted (Tier 1-2)
- Documentation / help articles updated
- Rollback plan exists if something breaks
Launch day
- Feature flag flipped / deploy confirmed
- Announcements sent (email, in-app, social)
- Blog post published
- Team monitoring dashboards and support queue
- Respond to early feedback within hours, not days
Post-launch (1-4 weeks after)
- Track success metrics daily for first week
- Gather qualitative feedback (support tickets, user interviews, social mentions)
- Ship fast-follow fixes for issues surfaced at launch
- Internal retro on what went well / what didn't (reference the retro skill if available)
- Report results to stakeholders
- Decide: double down, iterate, or move on
Step 6: Success Metrics
Define before launch, not after:
| Metric | Why | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Adoption — % of eligible users who try it | Did the launch reach people? | Set based on tier |
| Activation — % who complete the core action | Did they get value? | Higher bar than adoption |
| Retention — % still using after 7/30 days | Is it sticky? | Baseline from similar features |
| Sentiment — NPS, support tickets, social | How do people feel about it? | Qualitative + quantitative |
Pick one primary metric. Track the rest as supporting signals.
Launch Tier Framework
Classify every launch before planning it. The tier determines scope of effort.
| Tier 1 — Major | Tier 2 — Medium | Tier 3 — Minor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What | New product, major platform change, new market entry | Significant feature, new integration, pricing change | Bug fix, small improvement, setting change |
| Audience | Everyone + prospects | Relevant segment | Active users of that area |
| Channels | All: email, blog, social, press, in-app, sales | Email, blog, in-app, targeted social | Changelog, in-app tooltip, maybe email |
| Timeline | 4-8 weeks prep | 2-4 weeks prep | Ship and announce same day |
| Assets | Landing page, demo video, blog, email sequence, sales deck | Blog post, email, updated docs | Changelog entry, tooltip |
| Team | Cross-functional: product, marketing, sales, CS, eng | Product + marketing | Product + eng |
Default to a lower tier. Most launches are Tier 2 or 3. Overcommunicating minor changes trains users to ignore you.
Output
Deliver the GTM plan as a single document with these sections:
- Overview — what's launching, when, what tier
- Positioning statement
- Messaging — headline, value prop, proof points
- Channels — ranked list with rationale
- Checklist — pre-launch, launch day, post-launch (customized, not generic)
- Success metrics — primary + supporting, with targets