feature-launch-playbook

# Feature Launch Playbook

Turn a feature spec or product update into a complete launch kit — every asset you need to announce, from changelog to cold email insert. One input, all outputs.

**Built for:** PMMs or founders who ship features faster than they can write about them. The goal is to go from "feature merged" to "launch assets ready" in one session.

## When to Use

- "We just shipped [feature] — help me launch it"
- "Write launch copy for [feature/update]"
- "I need a changelog entry, email, and LinkedIn post for [feature]"
- "Generate the full launch kit for [product update]"
- "Turn this feature spec into marketing assets"

## Phase 0: Intake

### Feature Context
1. **Feature name** — What are you launching?
2. **One-paragraph description** — What does it do? (Can be a Notion doc, PRD excerpt, or plain text)
3. **Who benefits most?** — Which ICP segment cares about this? (e.g., "growth teams running outbound")
4. **Problem it solves** — What was painful before this existed?
5. **Key capability** — The single most impressive thing it does (for the headline)

### Launch Context
6. **Launch tier** — How big is this?
   - **Tier 1 (Major):** New product line, major feature, pricing change → Full launch kit
   - **Tier 2 (Medium):** Significant feature, new integration → Email + social + changelog
   - **Tier 3 (Minor):** Small improvement, bug fix → Changelog + social mention
7. **Launch date** — When does this go live?
8. **CTA** — What should the reader do? (Try it, book a demo, read docs, upgrade)
9. **Visual assets available?** — Screenshots, GIFs, demo video URL?

### Tone & Voice
10. **Brand voice** — Technical/developer, conversational/founder-led, enterprise/professional?
11. **Any messaging to avoid?** — Competitor names, specific claims, regulated language?

## Phase 1: Core Messaging (Foundation)

Before generating assets, define the messaging foundation:

### Feature Positioning Block

```
HEADLINE: [Outcome-driven, not feature-driven]
  Bad: "Introducing Advanced Filtering"
  Good: "Find your best leads in seconds, not hours"

SUBHEAD: [What it is + who it's for]
  "[Feature name] lets [audience] do [capability] so they can [outcome]."

PROOF POINT: [Metric or before/after comparison]
  "In beta, [customer] saw [X% improvement / saved X hours]."

CTA: [Single clear action]
  "[Try it now / See it in action / Book a demo]"
```

## Phase 2: Generate Launch Assets

### Asset 1: Changelog Entry

```markdown
## [Feature Name] — [Date]

[1-2 sentence summary: what + why it matters]

**What's new:**
- [Capability 1]
- [Capability 2]
- [Capability 3]

**Who it's for:** [ICP segment]

[CTA button text] → [link]
```

### Asset 2: Email Announcement

```
Subject line options (pick 1, A/B test if possible):
A: [Outcome-driven] — e.g., "Your [workflow] just got 10x faster"
B: [Curiosity-driven] — e.g., "We built the thing you've been asking for"
C: [Direct] — e.g., "New: [Feature Name] is live"

---

Hi [First Name],

[1-sentence hook tied to their pain point]

Today we're launching [Feature Name] — [1-sentence description of what it does].

Here's what this means for you:

- [Benefit 1 — outcome, not feature]
- [Benefit 2]
- [Benefit 3]

[Social proof line if available: "Teams like [Customer] are already using it to [result]."]

[CTA: Try it now / See it in action / Reply to learn more]

[Signature]

P.S. [Urgency or bonus — e.g., "Available on all plans" or "Early access for the next 48 hours"]
```

### Asset 3: LinkedIn Post (Founder Voice)

Generate 3 variants:

**Variant A: Story-driven**
```
[Hook: personal story or observation about the problem]

[2-3 lines on why this matters]

Today we shipped [Feature Name].

Here's what it does:
→ [Benefit 1]
→ [Benefit 2]
→ [Benefit 3]

[Social proof or early result]

[CTA — soft: "Check it out" or "Link in comments"]
```

**Variant B: Contrarian/hot take**
```
[Hot take about the problem or industry norm]

[2-3 lines on why the status quo is broken]

So we built [Feature Name] to fix it.

[How it works in 2-3 bullets]

[CTA]
```

**Variant C: Customer-proof-driven**
```
[Customer result or quote as hook]

[Context on what they were doing before]

[Feature Name] made this possible:
→ [Capability that drove the result]

[CTA]
```

### Asset 4: Twitter/X Thread

```
Tweet 1 (hook):
[Announcement + outcome claim in <200 chars]
🧵

Tweet 2:
The problem: [Pain point in ICP language]

Tweet 3:
What we built: [Feature description + screenshot/GIF]

Tweet 4:
Key capabilities:
- [Bullet 1]
- [Bullet 2]
- [Bullet 3]

Tweet 5:
[Social proof or early result]

Tweet 6:
[CTA + link]
```

### Asset 5: In-App Banner / Notification

```
Headline: [6-8 words max]
Body: [1 sentence, 15 words max]
CTA button: [2-3 words]
Dismiss: "Maybe later"
```

### Asset 6: Internal Sales Enablement One-Pager (Tier 1 only)

```markdown
# [Feature Name] — Sales Enablement Brief

## What It Is
[2-3 sentences]

## Who Cares
- [Persona 1]: [Why they care]
- [Persona 2]: [Why they care]

## Talk Track
"[Suggested pitch — 3-4 sentences a rep can use on a call]"

## Objection Handling
| Objection | Response |
|-----------|----------|
| "[Common objection]" | "[Response]" |

## Discovery Questions
- "[Question that surfaces the pain this solves]"
- "[Question that qualifies for this feature]"

## Competitive Context
- [Competitor X]: [Does / doesn't have this]
- [Competitor Y]: [Their approach vs ours]

## Resources
- Demo video: [link]
- Docs: [link]
- Customer story: [link]
```

## Phase 3: Launch Checklist

Generate a launch checklist based on the tier:

### Tier 1 (Major Launch)
- [ ] Changelog entry published
- [ ] Email announcement sent to [segment]
- [ ] LinkedIn post published (founder account)
- [ ] Twitter thread published
- [ ] In-app banner configured
- [ ] Sales team briefed (enablement doc sent)
- [ ] Docs/help center updated
- [ ] Demo video recorded
- [ ] Product Hunt post scheduled (if applicable)
- [ ] Partner/integration notifications sent

### Tier 2 (Me