Gtm

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:

1. Who is this for? Be specific. "Small business owners who manage their own payroll" not "SMBs."
2. What job does it serve? Use the JTBD frame — what progress is the user trying to make? (Reference the jtbd skill if available.)
3. 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:

1. Overview — what's launching, when, what tier
2. Positioning statement
3. Messaging — headline, value prop, proof points
4. Channels — ranked list with rationale
5. Checklist — pre-launch, launch day, post-launch (customized, not generic)
6. Success metrics — primary + supporting, with targets

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: kazdenc
• Source: kazdenc/builder-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.