Product Launch Plan

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

Plan a product launch within an existing e-commerce store
Build pre-launch buzz with teaser campaigns and waitlists
Coordinate launch day tactics across email, social, and your store
Design post-launch optimization to sustain momentum beyond day one

DO NOT use this skill for brand launches, store launches, or crowdfunding campaigns. This is for launching a new product into an existing business with an audience.

Core Principle

A PRODUCT LAUNCH IS NOT A SINGLE DAY — IT IS A THREE-PHASE CAMPAIGN: BUILD ANTICIPATION, EXECUTE THE DROP, AND SUSTAIN MOMENTUM.

Phase 1: Launch Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Product	"What product are you launching? Key features and differentiators."	No default — must be provided
Launch date	"When is the target launch date?"	No default — must be provided
Audience size	"How large is your email list and social following?"	Small — under 5,000 combined
Revenue goal	"What is your launch revenue target?"	No default — set based on audience size
Launch type	"Limited edition, permanent addition, seasonal, or pre-order?"	Permanent addition

GATE: Confirm launch details before building the campaign timeline.

Phase 2: Pre-Launch Campaign (2-4 Weeks Before)

Week-by-Week Timeline

Weeks 3-4 Before Launch:

Announce "something new is coming" on social and email
Open a waitlist or "notify me" signup
Share behind-the-scenes content — design process, prototypes, sourcing

Weeks 1-2 Before Launch:

Reveal the product name and first images
Share specific details — features, pricing hints, limited quantities
Send a dedicated "launching soon" email to waitlist subscribers
Seed product to 3-5 micro-influencers for unboxing content on launch day

Pre-Launch Email Template

Subject: Something new is dropping [date]...

Hey [Name],

I've been working on this for [timeframe] and I'm finally ready to share it.

On [date], I'm launching [product hint — not the full reveal].

Here's what I can tell you:
- [Tease benefit 1]
- [Tease benefit 2]
- [Scarcity or exclusivity hook]

Want first access? Get on the list:

[Waitlist Button]

More details coming soon.

[Your name]

Phase 3: Launch Day Execution

Launch Day Checklist

## Launch Day — [Date]

### Before Launch (Morning)
- [ ] Product page is live with all images, copy, and pricing
- [ ] Checkout flow tested with a real transaction
- [ ] Email blast scheduled or ready to send
- [ ] Social media posts queued
- [ ] Waitlist notification ready to trigger

### Launch (Go Time)
- [ ] Send launch email to full list
- [ ] Notify waitlist subscribers with early access link
- [ ] Publish social media posts across all channels
- [ ] Post launch announcement in community (Discord, Facebook Group, etc.)
- [ ] Go live on Stories/Reels with product walkthrough

### During Launch Day
- [ ] Monitor orders and fix any checkout issues immediately
- [ ] Respond to comments and DMs within 30 minutes
- [ ] Share real-time updates — "50 sold in the first hour!"
- [ ] Repost customer reactions and influencer content

### End of Day
- [ ] Send a "still available" or "selling fast" follow-up email
- [ ] Post day-one results on social (if impressive)
- [ ] Note any issues for post-launch fixes

Launch Email Template

Subject: It's here → [Product Name] is LIVE

[Name],

[Product Name] is officially available.

[One sentence on what it is and why it matters to the buyer.]

Here's what you get:
- [Benefit 1]
- [Benefit 2]
- [Benefit 3]

[Price] — [scarcity note if applicable]

[Shop Now Button]

[Your name]

Phase 4: Post-Launch Optimization (Weeks 1-4)

Week 1: Capture Momentum

Send a "last chance" email if limited quantity or introductory pricing
Share customer photos, unboxings, and first reviews on social
Request reviews from early buyers (see customer-review-strategy skill)
Run retargeting ads to page visitors who did not purchase

Weeks 2-4: Sustain and Learn

Analyze traffic sources — where did buyers come from?
Review conversion rate on the product page — optimize if under 3%
Collect customer feedback on the product and buying experience
Plan a "restock" or "back by popular demand" campaign if sold out
Integrate the product into ongoing marketing (email flows, bundles, cross-sells)

Post-Launch Metrics

Metric	What to Track
Launch day revenue	vs. goal
Email conversion rate	click-to-purchase
Waitlist conversion	% of waitlist that bought
Social engagement	shares, saves, comments on launch posts
Return/complaint rate	early quality signals

Anti-Patterns

Launching without an audience — a launch with no email list or social following is just a product listing going live. Build audience first.
No pre-launch warmup — dropping a product with zero anticipation results in a quiet launch day.
One email and done — launch campaigns need 3-5 emails minimum: teaser, reveal, launch, reminder, last chance.
Overcomplicating the product page — on launch day, clarity beats cleverness. Price, benefits, and buy button must be obvious.
Ignoring post-launch — most revenue comes in the weeks after launch if you sustain marketing efforts.

Recovery

Small audience: Focus on personal outreach, partnerships, and community seeding rather than broadcast campaigns.
Launch day technical issues: Have a backup plan — manual order processing, a secondary payment method, or a "we're fixing it" email with a discount code as apology.
Low launch day sales: Do not panic. Extend the "launch window" to a full week. Send additional emails with testimonials and urgency.
Product not resonating: Gather feedback quickly. Pivot messaging to a different angle or audience if the product itself is solid.
Sold out too fast: Capture waitlist signups immediately. Plan a restock announcement. This is a good problem.