Launch Planning Framework

Launch Tiers

Not every launch needs the same effort. Tier your launches to match scope to investment.

Tier 1 — Major Launch: New product, major pivot, or flagship feature. Full marketing campaign, PR, executive involvement. 8-12 weeks lead time. All channels activated.

Tier 2 — Significant Feature: Notable capability that solves a real customer problem. Blog post, email to customers, social, sales enablement. 4-6 weeks lead time.

Tier 3 — Incremental Update: Improvement or fix that customers should know about. Changelog entry, in-app notification, brief social mention. 1-2 weeks lead time.

Scope the plan to the tier. A Tier 3 launch doesn't need PR outreach; a Tier 1 launch needs executive briefing documents.

Launch Phases

Phase 1: Strategy (8-4 weeks out)

Define success, align stakeholders, and set the foundation. Key activities: positioning finalization, launch tier decision, success metrics, internal alignment meetings, timeline draft. Exit criteria: everyone agrees on what we're launching, why, and how we'll measure success.

Phase 2: Preparation (4-2 weeks out)

Create all assets and get approvals. Key activities: write all copy (website, blog, email, social), create sales enablement, brief support, finalize pricing/packaging, legal review if needed, build landing pages. Exit criteria: all assets created and approved, nothing pending.

Phase 3: Staging (2 weeks-1 day out)

Everything ready to go, final checks. Key activities: schedule all content, QA everything, run through launch day timeline, final stakeholder sync, prep contingency plans. Exit criteria: everything scheduled, everyone briefed, ready to push buttons.

Phase 4: Launch Day

Execute the plan. Key activities: go live, monitor channels, respond to questions, watch for issues, internal celebration. Keep a war room channel open for rapid response.

Phase 5: Post-Launch (Days 1-14)

Measure, respond, iterate. Key activities: track metrics, gather feedback, respond to press/social, fix issues, publish follow-up content, run retro. Exit criteria: retro completed, learnings documented.

Stakeholder Roles

Marketing Owner: Owns the launch plan, coordinates all activities, primary accountable.

Product Manager: Provides feature details, positioning input, success criteria.

Engineering Lead: Confirms readiness, feature flags, rollout plan.

Sales Lead: Enables the team, provides feedback on positioning.

Support Lead: Prepares team, creates help articles, escalation paths.

Comms/PR: Handles external communications, press relationships.

Executive Sponsor: Approves messaging, provides air cover, joins major launches.

Checklist Categories

Organize checklists by function, not timeline. Each category has pre-launch, launch day, and post-launch items.

Product Readiness: Feature complete, QA passed, documentation ready, feature flags set, rollback plan documented.

Marketing Assets: Positioning final, website updated, blog written, social queued, email drafted, ads prepared.

Sales Enablement: Battlecard updated, demo ready, pricing confirmed, objection handling documented, team briefed.

Support Readiness: Help articles published, team trained, escalation path clear, known issues documented.

Communications: Press release drafted (if applicable), analyst briefing scheduled (if applicable), executive talking points ready.

Legal/Compliance: Terms updated if needed, privacy review complete, regulatory requirements met.

Timeline Template

For a Tier 1 launch (adapt for lower tiers):

Weeks Out	Milestone	Owner
T-8	Positioning locked, launch brief approved	Marketing
T-6	All copy drafted, creative brief to design	Marketing
T-4	Sales enablement complete, support briefed	Sales, Support
T-3	All assets approved, legal review complete	Marketing
T-2	Everything scheduled, full dry run	Marketing
T-1	Final stakeholder sync, contingency review	Marketing
T-0	Launch!	All hands
T+1	Metrics check, respond to feedback	Marketing
T+7	One-week retro, share learnings	Marketing

Announcement Channel Matrix

Different channels for different audiences:

Channel	Audience	Content Type	Timing
Blog	Customers, prospects	Deep dive, use cases	Launch day
Email	Existing customers	Feature + benefit summary	Launch day
Social	Broad audience	Teaser, key benefit	Launch day
In-app	Active users	Notification, tooltip	Launch day
Sales email	Deals in pipeline	Relevance to their needs	Day +1
Press release	Media, analysts	News angle	Launch day or T-1
Internal	Employees	Celebration, talking points	T-1

Success Metrics by Launch Type

Awareness launches: Impressions, reach, share of voice, press mentions.

Adoption launches: Signups, activation rate, feature adoption, trial conversions.

Revenue launches: Pipeline generated, deals influenced, expansion revenue.

Define 2-3 primary metrics before launch. Avoid vanity metrics—focus on what indicates actual success.