Product Launch

Product Launch Skill

Generates a full product launch plan through a structured founder interview, then produces six separate output files — one per section. Designed for founders and small teams with no dedicated PMM.

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How This Skill Works

This skill runs in four phases, all in the same session:

1. Interview — Ask the founder a structured set of questions to understand the product, customer, and launch context
2. Strategy checkpoint — Summarise what you've learned and confirm before generating anything
3. Generate outputs — Produce six separate files, Pass 1 (strategy) first, then Pass 2 (execution)
4. Launch impact assessment — Immediately after generating outputs, assess the positioning significance of this launch based on the interview and messaging. Determine what changes — if anything — to ICP, market segment, positioning, value drivers, differentiation, and brand story. Generate a positioning update recommendation file if warranted.

Do not skip the strategy checkpoint. The execution outputs are only as good as the strategy decisions made in Pass 1.

Phase 4 runs in the same session as Phases 1–3, immediately after the outputs are generated. It uses the interview data and launch messaging as its inputs — no post-launch results are required.

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Phase 1 — Founder Interview

Ask questions conversationally, not as a form. Group them into the blocks below. Wait for answers before proceeding to the next block. Ask follow-up questions if an answer is vague.

Aim to complete the interview in 15–20 exchanges. If the founder is giving rich answers, fewer questions are needed. If answers are thin, probe deeper before moving on.

Block 1 — The Product

• What are you launching — a new product, a major feature, or something else?
• Describe it in one sentence as if explaining to a potential customer.
• What problem does it solve? What was the customer doing before this existed?
• What's the single most important thing it does that nothing else does as well?

Block 2 — The Customer

• Who is this for? Describe the specific person who will get the most value from it.
• What does that person care about most in their work or life?
• Have you talked to any of these people already? What did they say?
• Is there a secondary audience who matters for the launch even if they're not the end user?

Block 3 — The Market

• Who are the main alternatives — direct competitors or how customers solve this today?
• Why would someone choose you over those alternatives?
• Is there anything about the market timing that makes this launch particularly relevant right now?

Block 4 — The Launch Context

• What does success look like 30 days after launch? 90 days?
• Do you have existing customers, a waitlist, or an audience — or are you starting from zero?
• What's your approximate budget for this launch — bootstrapped/minimal, moderate, or well-funded?
• How big is the team executing this launch? Who's involved?
• Is there a hard deadline or external event anchoring the launch date?

Block 5 — Channels & Distribution (ask only what hasn't already come up)

• Where does your target customer spend their time online or professionally?
• Do you have any existing channels — email list, social following, partnerships, press relationships?
• Have you run any marketing campaigns before? What worked and what didn't?

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Phase 2 — Strategy Checkpoint

Before generating any files, summarise your understanding back to the founder:

• Product: [one sentence]
• Target customer: [specific person + their core pain]
• Key differentiator: [the one thing that matters most]
• Launch goal: [what success looks like at 30 and 90 days]
• Available channels: [what they have to work with]
• Constraints: [budget, team size, deadline]

Then ask: > "Before I generate your launch plan, does this capture it accurately? Anything you'd correct or add?"

Do not proceed until the founder confirms. If they correct something, update your understanding and re-summarise.

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Phase 3 — Generate Outputs

Generate Pass 1 files first. Present them to the founder and ask for a quick gut-check before generating Pass 2. If they want changes to strategy, update Pass 1 files before proceeding.

Pass 1 — Strategy Layer

Generate these three files first:

1. launch-messaging-narrative.md — See references/output-specs.md → Messaging Narrative
2. launch-gtm-channel-plan.md — See references/output-specs.md → GTM Channel Plan
3. launch-success-metrics.md — See references/output-specs.md → Success Metrics

After generating Pass 1, say: > "Here are your three strategy documents. Take a quick look — if the messaging or channel choices feel off, let's fix them now before I build the execution assets on top of them."

Pass 2 — Execution Layer

Once Pass 1 is confirmed, generate these three files:

1. launch-sales-enablement-brief.md — See references/output-specs.md → Sales Enablement Brief
2. launch-internal-faq.md — See references/output-specs.md → Internal FAQ
3. launch-announcement.md — See references/output-specs.md → Launch Announcement

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Phase 4 — Launch Impact Assessment

Runs immediately after Phase 3 in the same session. No post-launch data required. The assessment is based entirely on what was learned in the founder interview and what was codified in the launch messaging outputs.

The core question Phase 4 answers: How significantly does this launch change the existing positioning — and what, specifically, needs to be updated in the playbook as a result?

A launch can sit anywhere on a spectrum from no positioning change at all (an incremental improvement on an existing solution) to a complete transformation of ICP, differentiation, value drivers, and brand story. Most launches sit somewhere in between. Phase 4 determines where on that spectrum this launch sits, assesses each positioning dimension independently, and generates a structured update file if any changes are warranted.

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Step 1 — Establish the Positioning Baseline

Before assessing impact, establish what existed before this launch. Use whatever is available from the session:

• If the founder shared an existing positioning playbook, use it as the explicit baseline
• If no playbook exists, reconstruct the implied baseline from the founder's answers — how they've described the product, who they've been selling to, what they've emphasised as their differentiator
• If this is a first-ever launch with no prior positioning, note that — the assessment becomes "what positioning this launch establishes from scratch" rather than "what it changes"

If the baseline is unclear, ask: > "Before I assess what this launch changes — how have you been describing your product and who you sell to up until now? Or is this the very first time you're going to market?"

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Step 2 — Assess Significance Across Five Dimensions

Evaluate each of the five dimensions below independently, using the interview data and the Phase 3 launch messaging as your inputs. For each dimension, assign a change rating:

• None — This launch does not affect this dimension. Prior positioning holds as-is.
• Partial — This launch extends, sharpens, or adds to this dimension without replacing it. Additive change.
• Full — This launch fundamentally redefines this dimension. Prior positioning is no longer accurate or complete.

Be honest in the assessment. Not every launch changes everything — and overstating change is as harmful as understating it.

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Dimension 1 — Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Assess whether this launch changes who the product is for.

• Does it serve the same primary buyer, or open a meaningfully different persona (role, seniority, function)?
• Does it change the target company profile — size, industry, growth stage, or tech maturity?
• Does it create a new secondary ICP that didn't previously exist?
• Does it narrow the ICP (more specific, more focused) or expand it (broader, more segments)?

None: Same buyer, same company profile. The launch improves what's offered to the existing ICP. Partial: Adds a secondary ICP or expands to an adjacent segment while the primary ICP still applies. Full: The launch is primarily for a different buyer than the product has been sold to before.

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Dimension 2 — Market Segment

Assess whether this launch changes where the product competes.

• Does it allow the product to credibly compete in a market segment it previously couldn't address (e.g. enterprise, a new vertical, a new geography)?
• Does it open a new use case category that represents a distinct buying motion?
• Does it meaningfully change the total addressable market?

None: The launch deepens capability within the existing segment without expanding reach. Partial: Extends into an adjacent segment while the core segment remains primary. Full: The product can now compete in a category or segment that was previously out of reach — the market definition changes.

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Dimension 3 — Positioning and Category

Assess whether this launch changes how the product is categorised in the buyer's mind.

• Does it shift what the product competes with — changing the "compared to what" answer?
• Does it move the product from one category frame to another (e.g. point solution → platform, tool → system of record)?
• Does it create a new category frame, or does it fit more cleanly into an established one?
• Does it change who the primary competitive threat is?

None: Reinforces the existing category frame and competitive set. Partial: Adds a new positioning angle or use case without displacing the existing category frame. Full: The product now lives in a different mental category for the buyer. The competitive set changes. Buyers would find and evaluate it differently.

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Dimension 4 — Value Drivers and Key Messages

Assess whether this launch changes what the product is primarily valued for.

• Does it introduce a new primary benefit that should now lead the value story?
• Does it change the outcome the product delivers — or just how it delivers an existing outcome?
• Does it shift the type of ROI being claimed (e.g. time savings → revenue growth, cost reduction → competitive advantage)?
• Do the three core messages from the launch narrative represent a meaningful departure from prior messaging?

None: The launch improves delivery of the same value already promised. Same messages, stronger evidence. Partial: A new value driver is added or elevated. Existing drivers still apply alongside it. Full: The lead value driver has changed. What the product is for is different. Prior key messages are no longer the primary story.

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Dimension 5 — Differentiation and Brand Story

Assess whether this launch changes why customers should choose this product over alternatives.

• Does it create a new, defensible point of differentiation that didn't exist before?
• Does it make an existing differentiator significantly stronger, more credible, or harder to copy?
• Does it change the narrative of why this company exists and what it stands for?
• Does it make any prior differentiators less relevant, obsolete, or actively misleading?

None: Reinforces existing differentiation. The "why us" answer is stronger but unchanged. Partial: A new differentiator is added or sharpened alongside existing ones. Core brand story holds. Full: The competitive story is fundamentally different. The "why us" answer has changed — what the company does that no one else does is now something new.

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Step 3 — Determine Overall Impact Level

After assessing all five dimensions, determine the overall impact level using this framework:

| Level | Name | Trigger | Playbook Action | |---|---|---|---| | 0 | Incremental | All five dimensions rated None | No update needed | | 1 | Additive | 1–2 dimensions rated Partial, none rated Full | Targeted additions to specific sections | | 2 | Evolutionary | 3+ dimensions rated Partial, OR 1–2 rated Full | Significant revision of affected sections | | 3 | Transformational | 3+ dimensions rated Full | Full playbook rewrite recommended |

Present the verdict to the founder clearly:

> "Based on everything you've shared, this is a Level [X] — [Name] launch. [One sentence on what specifically changes and what stays the same.] Here's what that means for your positioning playbook..."

Then briefly explain the implications for each dimension that showed change, and confirm with the founder before generating the output file.

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Step 4 — Generate Positioning Update Recommendation

Level 0 — No file generated. Tell the founder: > "This launch reinforces your existing positioning — no playbook update is needed. The new proof points and any updated messaging language from this launch are worth adding manually when convenient, but the strategic positioning holds."

Level 1, 2, or 3 — Generate:

File: positioning-update-recommendation.md

See references/output-specs.md → Positioning Update Recommendation for the full output spec.

Scale depth to impact level:

• Level 1: List targeted additions only — new proof points, expanded ICP description, new value driver to add alongside existing ones. Existing content stays.
• Level 2: Section-by-section revision guidance — for each affected dimension, provide the current language, recommended replacement language, and rationale. Unaffected sections noted explicitly as "no change."
• Level 3: Full rewrite blueprint — what to carry forward from the existing playbook and why, what to replace entirely and with what, and a recommended new structure if the category frame has changed.

After generating, tell the founder: > "This file is your playbook update brief. When you're ready to apply the changes, run /playbook-update with this file and your current positioning playbook — it will produce an updated version of the full playbook with all changes applied."

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Quality Standards

• Every output must be usable as a standalone document — assume the reader hasn't seen the others
• Never use placeholder text like "[insert customer name here]" — if something is unknown, say so explicitly and explain what's needed
• The messaging narrative sets the tone for everything — all other documents should use consistent language and framing
• Be direct and specific — founders don't have time for consultant-speak or generic best practices padded with caveats
• If the founder's answers revealed a significant risk or gap (e.g. no existing audience, unclear differentiation, very short timeline), flag it clearly in the relevant output rather than glossing over it
• GTM channel recommendations must be grounded in what the founder told you about their audience, budget, and existing assets — do not recommend channels they have no ability to execute

Source & license

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

• Author: pifpof
• Source: pifpof/positioningHQ
• License: MIT

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