GTM Launch Checklist

Use this checklist when launching a new product, major feature, or entering a new market segment. It coordinates the work across product marketing, sales, SDR, content, demand gen, and RevOps. Start working through this checklist 8 weeks before the target launch date. Adjust the timeline based on launch complexity — a minor feature update can run on 4 weeks; a new product line needs 12+.

8 Weeks Out: Strategy & Positioning

Positioning & Messaging

• Define the target buyer: title, company size, industry, current pain
• Write the positioning statement: “For {{target buyer}} who {{pain point}}, {{product/feature}} is a {{category}} that {{key differentiator}}. Unlike {{alternative}}, we {{unique value}}.”
• Identify the top 3 use cases and write a 2-sentence description of each
• Define the competitive landscape: top 3 alternatives and your key differentiators against each
• Write the one-liner: a single sentence that explains what this is and why it matters
• Get positioning reviewed and approved by: Product, Sales Leadership, CEO

Launch Tier & Scope

Classify the launch to determine the appropriate level of effort:

Launch Tier	Description	Activities Required
Tier 1: Major	New product, new market, company pivot	Full GTM motion: press, event, campaign, sales enablement, analyst briefing
Tier 2: Significant	Major feature, new pricing/packaging, new integration	Blog post, email campaign, sales enablement, social, webinar
Tier 3: Minor	Feature update, UI change, small improvement	Blog post, in-app notification, changelog update, social post

This launch is Tier: {{1/2/3}}

6 Weeks Out: Content & Enablement Creation

Sales Enablement

• Write a 1-page internal brief: what it is, who it is for, why it matters, how to demo it, pricing, competitive talking points
• Create or update the battle card for competitive conversations
• Write 3 customer-facing email templates: intro email, follow-up email, existing customer upsell email
• Record a 5-minute product demo video for the sales team (internal, not polished — just functional)
• Prepare FAQ document: top 10 questions a prospect or customer might ask, with approved answers
• Update CRM: new product/feature field, new opportunity type or line item if needed
• Brief SDR team on new talk tracks — tie it into the cold call script framework and existing sequences

Content Creation

• Write the launch blog post (1500-2000 words: what, why, how, customer example if possible)
• Write the product/feature landing page
• Create the explainer video or product walkthrough (2-3 minutes)
• Write the launch email sequence: announcement (Day 0), deep dive (Day 3), case study/proof (Day 7)
• Write social media posts: 5-8 posts across LinkedIn and Twitter for launch week
• Update the website: product page, features page, pricing page if relevant
• Prepare a press release or media pitch (Tier 1 launches only)
• Update help documentation and knowledge base articles

Design & Creative

• Launch graphics for social media (LinkedIn, Twitter headers)
• Blog post featured image
• Landing page design and build
• Email template design
• Product screenshots / GIFs for content
• Slide deck for sales team

4 Weeks Out: Campaign Setup & Testing

Demand Generation

• Set up email campaign in marketing automation platform (HubSpot, Marketo)
• Build target audience lists: existing customers (upsell), prospects in pipeline (deal acceleration), new audience (awareness)
• Set up paid promotion: LinkedIn ads, Google Ads (if search volume exists), retargeting
• Schedule social media posts in management tool
• Plan webinar or live demo event for launch week (Tier 1 and 2 only)
• Coordinate with partner/channel teams on co-marketing (if applicable)

Technical & Product Readiness

• Feature is in staging/beta, stable, and tested
• Confirm GA date with engineering — build 1-week buffer into public launch date
• Set up product analytics tracking: feature adoption, activation, usage metrics
• Test the signup/upgrade flow end to end
• Verify pricing is correctly configured in billing system (Stripe, Chargebee, etc.)
• Test all landing page forms and ensure they route leads correctly
• Set up in-app notification or onboarding flow for existing users

Operations & Tracking

• Create UTM convention for all launch links: utm_campaign={{launch_name}}
• Set up CRM tracking: campaign, lead source values, opportunity tags
• Configure lead routing for launch-specific inbound leads
• Build launch dashboard in your analytics platform: traffic, signups, pipeline, revenue attributed to launch
• Define success metrics and targets (see Post-Launch Measurement section)

2 Weeks Out: Reviews & Rehearsals

• All content drafted and in review
• Sales enablement materials distributed to team — schedule a 30-minute training session
• Role-play new product demo with 2-3 AEs, collect feedback
• Final review of landing page, blog post, email sequences — proofread everything
• Test all emails by sending to internal test list
• Confirm media/analyst briefing schedule (Tier 1)
• Run through launch day timeline with all involved teams
• Prepare “launch day” Slack channel for real-time coordination

1 Week Out: Final Checks

• All content approved and scheduled
• Landing page live (but not linked/promoted yet, or behind a gate)
• Email sequences loaded and scheduled with correct send times
• Paid campaigns built and ready to activate
• Product confirmed for GA on launch date
• Customer support team briefed on new feature and common questions
• Launch announcement drafted for all-hands or Slack
• Notify existing customers who are beta testers that public launch is coming
• Prepare day-of social media monitoring

Launch Day

Morning

• Confirm product is live and accessible to all users
• Publish blog post
• Activate landing page (add navigation links, update sitemap)
• Send announcement email to customer base
• Send announcement email to prospect nurture list
• Post on LinkedIn (company page + CEO/founder personal profile)
• Post on Twitter
• Activate paid campaigns
• Send internal announcement to company Slack

Throughout the Day

• Monitor social media for mentions and questions — respond within 1 hour
• Monitor email replies and forward relevant ones to sales
• Track landing page traffic and signup numbers in real-time
• Address any technical issues immediately with engineering
• Share early wins and milestones in the launch Slack channel

End of Day

• Send daily summary to leadership: page views, signups, social engagement, notable feedback
• Log any bugs or issues reported and assign to engineering
• Plan Day 2-5 social media (reactions, engagement posts, user testimonials)

Post-Launch (Weeks 1-4)

Week 1

• Send email #2 (deep dive) on Day 3
• Send email #3 (case study/proof) on Day 7
• Continue social media posting (3-5 posts)
• Host webinar or live demo (Tier 1 and 2)
• SDR team begins incorporating new product into outreach sequences
• Collect and publish first customer testimonials or usage quotes

Weeks 2-4

• Publish customer story or case study
• Run retargeting campaigns on launch page visitors who did not convert
• A/B test landing page CTA and headline
• Review and optimize paid campaigns based on first 2 weeks of data
• Hold retrospective with launch team: what worked, what to improve

Post-Launch Measurement

Track these metrics at Week 1, Week 4, and Week 12:

Metric	Week 1	Week 4	Week 12	Target
Landing page visits				{{X}}
Signups / demo requests				{{X}}
Email open rate (announcement)				> 30%
Email click rate (announcement)				> 5%
Social impressions				{{X}}
Social engagement rate				> 3%
Pipeline created ($)				${{X}}
Pipeline influenced ($)				${{X}}
Closed revenue attributed ($)				${{X}}
Feature adoption (existing customers)				{{X}}%
NPS/CSAT for new feature				> 40 NPS

Feed launch metrics into your weekly GTM report and GTM metrics dashboard for ongoing visibility.

How to Customize

• For PLG launches (self-serve products), add a dedicated “Product Onboarding” workstream covering in-app walkthroughs, tooltips, drip emails triggered by signup, and activation milestone tracking. The launch does not end at announcement — it ends when users reach their activation moment.
• For enterprise launches with a small addressable market, replace the demand gen campaign with a targeted ABM play. Instead of broad emails and ads, have AEs send personalized outreach to the 50-100 accounts most likely to buy. Use the ABM use case as a framework for this approach.
• For launches into a new market segment, add a “Market Education” phase before the demand gen phase. If your new audience does not know your category exists, your launch campaigns will fall flat. Invest in thought leadership content, speaking at segment-specific events, and building relationships with segment-specific analysts first.