go-to-market-strategy

Go-to-Market Strategy End-to-end GTM playbook: motion selection, positioning, channel strategy, phased launch execution, launch marketing, and technical product launches. Core Philosophy A launch is a campaign, not an event. Build momentum before launch, peak at launch, sustain after. The best companies don't launch once — they launch again and again. GTM Motion Selection Motion Best For Key Lever PLG SMB, developers, low ACV (<$5K) Free → paid conversion PLG + Sales-Assist Mid-market, $5K-$25K ACV PQL → SQL routing Sales-Led Enterprise, complex product, >$25K ACV Relationship, champion Community-Led Developer tools, OSS Community adoption Partner-Led Geographic expansion, enterprise Partner incentives Quick decision: ACV < $5K and self-serve possible? → PLG Buyer technical? → Developer/community-led Everything else? → Sales-led 5-Phase GTM Strategy Phase 1: Market Positioning Define how your product fits in the market. Positioning template: For [target customer] Who [need/problem] [Product] is a [category] That [key benefit] Unlike [competitors] Our product [unique differentiator] Validate: target customer defined, differentiation identified, tested with 5+ customers. Phase 2: Messaging & Content Message hierarchy: Headline — Core benefit in 5-10 words Sub-headline — How it works or who it's for 3 Key Benefits — Feature → benefit Social Proof — Testimonials, logos, metrics CTA — Clear next step Content to create: Launch blog post · Product demo video (2-3 min) · Landing page · Email announcement · 5-10 social posts Phase 3: Channel Strategy (ORB) Owned (highest ROI — build these first): Email list · Blog/SEO · Branded community Rented (speed, not stability): Twitter/X · LinkedIn · YouTube · Reddit — use to drive to owned Borrowed (shortcut to audiences): Guest posts · Podcast interviews · Influencer partnerships · Co-marketing Strategy: Use rented/borrowed to drive traffic, capture into owned. Phase 4: Launch Timeline 6-Week Launch Timeline: Week -6: Finalize messaging, create content, set metrics Week -4: Build waitlist, draft emails, reach out to press/influencers Week -2: Tease on social, send "coming soon" emails, final QA Week 0 (Launch Day): Publish landing page + blog, post to Product Hunt 12:01 AM PT, send launch email, share on socials, monitor and respond Week +1: Share testimonials, post case studies, analyze metrics Week +2: Post-launch analysis, plan ongoing marketing Phase 5: Metrics & Success Criteria Define BEFORE launch: Awareness: Website visitors, social impressions Acquisition: Signups, trial starts, purchases Activation: Users completing core action Revenue: MRR, conversion rate Multi-Phase Launch Approach Phase Goal Key Actions Internal Validate functionality Test with friendly users, fix major issues Alpha First external validation Landing page, waitlist, invite individually Beta Scale early access + buzz Work through waitlist, tease problems you solve Early Access Validate at scale Leak details, usage data, PMF survey Full Launch Maximum visibility Open signups, start charging, all channels live Product Hunt Launch Before launch day: Build relationships with supporters, optimize listing (tagline, visuals, demo video), engage in communities. On launch day: Treat as all-day event. Respond to every comment. Drive traffic back to site to capture signups. After: Follow up with all who engaged. Convert PH traffic into email signups. Case study — Reform: studied successful launches, polished visuals, community engagement pre-launch → #1 Product of the Day. Launch Marketing Pack For any major launch, produce these 7 deliverables: Context snapshot — what's launching, who it's for, goal, date, constraints Launch Marketing Brief — message, hook/sizzle, proof points, CTA, audience segments Launch Motion + Channel Plan — sequencing, channel table, asset mapping PR Outreach Kit — exclusive decision, target outlets, pitch + follow-up emails Asset + Internal Readiness Kit — asset checklist, landing page outline, sales talk track, FAQ, objections Measurement + Experiment Plan — metrics, instruments, experiments, what to double down on Risks / Open questions / Next steps For launch marketing templates: see references/TEMPLATES.md For intake questions to gather launch inputs: see references/INTAKE.md For full workflow guidance: see references/WORKFLOW.md Technical Product Launches For developer tools, APIs, SDKs, and technical infrastructure: Launch Tiers Tier Type Timeline Investment 1 — Major New product/GA 12-16 weeks High 2 — Standard New features/integrations 6-8 weeks Medium 3 — Minor Updates/patches 2-4 weeks Low Developer-First Principles Documentation is non-negotiable — Don't launch without a getting started guide + API reference + 3+ code samples Show, don't tell — Actual code > marketing copy Interactive > passive — Playground > demo video > screenshots Community-first — Answer Stack Overflow, engage GitHub, respond on Hacker News Primary Developer Channels Dev docs · GitHub/GitLab · Developer blog · API changelog · Dev.to · Hacker News · Reddit · Discord/Slack · YouTube tutorials For tier framework details: see references/launch_tiers.md For developer metrics: see references/metrics_frameworks.md GTM Execution Checklist Pre-Launch Landing page with clear value proposition and waitlist capture Owned channels established (email list, blog) 1-2 rented channels with profiles optimized Borrowed channel opportunities identified Launch assets created (screenshots, demo video, social posts) Onboarding flow tested Analytics and tracking live Launch Day Announcement email sent Blog post published Social posts live Product Hunt listing active (if using) In-app announcement for existing users Team ready to engage and respond Post-Launch Onboarding email sequence active Comparison pages published Roundup email includes announcement Feedback collected and triaged Next launch moment planned Common GTM Mistakes Launching without audience — Build email list first One-day launch, then silence — Plan 30 days of post-launch activity Everything everywhere — Pick 2-3 channels, do them well No success metrics — Define goals before launch Features not benefits — "You can achieve X" beats "We have feature X" Over-promising — Ground claims in real evidence