Skill

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Audit score 70

launch-marketing

refoundai/lenny-skills

Plan and execute product launches using strategies from 26 product leaders.

What is launch-marketing?

This skill helps you design and coordinate product launches—whether for new companies, funding announcements, major features, or incremental releases. Use it when planning PR outreach, go-to-market campaigns, Product Hunt launches, or generating buzz for new products.

Clarify launch type and primary goals (customer acquisition, recruiting, fundraising, feedback, partnerships)
Design launch approaches: exclusive press, social campaigns, Product Hunt, community seeding, or combinations
Build internal alignment across co-founders, executives, employees, and investors before external outreach
Identify 'sizzle' features that generate viral moments and shareable content
Plan press strategy with exclusive pitches to single reporters rather than broad embargoes
Create cadence of launches over time to maintain momentum and audience engagement

How to install launch-marketing

npx skills add https://github.com/refoundai/lenny-skills --skill launch-marketing

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How to use launch-marketing

1.Understand the launch type: company launch, funding announcement, major feature, or incremental release
2.Clarify primary goals: customer acquisition, recruiting, fundraising, feedback, or partnerships
3.Assess readiness: positioning clarity, website traffic-ready, internal teams briefed on messaging
4.Identify your 'sizzle' feature—the visually impressive or shareable element that generates buzz
5.Choose launch approach: exclusive press, social campaigns, Product Hunt, influencer seeding, or combination
6.Plan 6-week lead time for press preparation including blog, media training, and reporter outreach
7.Design concentric circle distribution: align message internally (desk → co-founders → executives → employees → investors → power users) before external launch
8.Seed product to influencers at intersection of high product affinity and large target audience reach

Use cases

Good for

Planning a company launch or funding announcement with coordinated press and marketing
Preparing a major feature release with influencer seeding and concentrated promotional activity
Coordinating Product Hunt launch with momentum-focused content strategy
Designing go-to-market campaign that separates soft launch (technical) from hard launch (marketing event)
Building recruiting narrative by using press coverage as social proof in outbound emails

Who it's for

Product managers planning launches
Founders and startup executives
Marketing leaders coordinating go-to-market campaigns
PR professionals managing announcements
Growth teams executing product releases

launch-marketing FAQ

Should I do a broad press embargo or exclusive pitch?

Pitch press as an exclusive to a single outlet at a time. For early-stage startups, identify one target reporter who covers companies at your stage and offer the story exclusively to them. Generic pitches to many outlets get ignored.

How do I make funding announcements newsworthy?

Don't announce funding as the story itself. Use funding as a news hook to tell a larger story—your product is available, you have reference customers, or you have momentum. Combine funding news with a product launch or partnership.

What's the difference between soft launch and hard launch?

Soft launch is the technical release; hard launch is the marketing event. Decouple them: soft launch first to gather functional videos and testimonials, then plan a high-impact marketing campaign based on the final product.

How early should I start PR preparation?

Start 6 weeks in advance. Work on blog posts, media training, reporter outreach, and investor quotes. Prioritize reporter availability over internal deadlines—be flexible on dates to secure quality coverage.

Why shouldn't I rely on PR for direct user acquisition?

PR builds credibility but rarely drives direct signups. Its real value is in recruiting (as social proof in hiring emails) and sales enablement (improving cold outreach response rates). Use press coverage as marketing fuel by promoting it to your target audience.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from refoundai/lenny-skills.

name: launch-marketing description: Help users plan and execute product launches. Use when someone is planning a product launch, preparing PR outreach, coordinating a go-to-market campaign, launching on Product Hunt, or asking how to generate buzz for a new feature or product.

Launch Marketing

Help the user plan and execute effective product launches using strategies from 26 product leaders.

How to Help

When the user asks for help with a product launch:

Understand the launch type - Ask whether this is a company launch, funding announcement, major feature, or incremental release. Different types require different approaches
Clarify goals - Determine the primary objective: customer acquisition, recruiting, fundraising, feedback, or partnership opportunities
Assess readiness - Check if they have the basics: positioning, website ready for traffic, internal teams briefed on messaging
Design the approach - Help them choose between exclusive press, social media campaigns, Product Hunt, community seeding, or a combination

Core Principles

Pitch press as an exclusive, not a broad embargo

Arielle Jackson: "For early stage startups, we're almost always running the launch announcement as an exclusive, which means you give the news to a single outlet." Identify a single target outlet that covers companies at your stage. Offer the story exclusively to one reporter at a time.

Funding is a news hook, not the story

Arielle Jackson: "Don't do a straight funding announcement. Use that funding as a news hook to tell a larger story - your product's available, you have reference customers, you have momentum." Combine funding news with a product launch or partnership to make it interesting to readers.

Separate soft launch from hard launch

Janna Bastow: "Decoupling the technical release (soft launch) from the marketing event (hard launch) reduces stress and improves marketing quality." Soft launch first to gather functional videos and testimonials. Use the period between launches to plan a high-impact campaign based on the final product.

Find the "sizzle" feature

Bret Taylor: "Satellite imagery wasn't the most important part of Google Maps, but it was the sizzle to the steak and it created a viral moment." Identify a visually impressive or shareable feature that generates buzz, even if it isn't the primary use case.

Use lightning strikes, not peanut butter

Christopher Lochhead: "What if you launched like Hollywood launches a movie? I'd rather matter for one week a year than be irrelevant for the rest of the year." Concentrate marketing efforts into 1-2 massive events per year rather than spreading budget thinly over time. Be unavoidable to your target audience for a short window.

Distribute in concentric circles

Lulu Cheng Meservey: "You go out in concentric circles starting from your own desk. First get clear on your message, then co-founders, executives, employees, investors, power users, and out from there." Ensure each inner circle is fully aligned before moving to the next. Internal alignment protects external credibility.

Seed product to the right influencers

Lulu Cheng Meservey: "Find the Venn diagram of people who will be obsessed with this product AND have a large following among your target audience. Shower them with free product." Target the intersection of high product affinity and high audience influence for organic evangelism.

PR is for credibility, not leads

Zoelle Egner: "PR is not going to get you leads or users. What it is good for is credibility - hiring or improving the response rate for your cold outbound." Use press coverage as social proof in recruiting emails and sales outreach. Don't rely on it for direct user acquisition.

Use press coverage as marketing fuel

Jason Feifer: "Sometimes the point isn't to reach the readers at all. Put money behind promoting the tweet about your coverage to the people you want to notice you got coverage." The "As seen in" logo on your website may be more valuable than the article's direct traffic.

Build a cadence of launches, not one big bang

Zoelle Egner: "Instead of one big launch, have a series of launches that allow you to stay top of mind and create momentum. Audiences respond to novelty." Plan launches every few months to re-engage communities and maintain presence.

Start PR prep six weeks out

Emilie Gerber: "Before an announcement, you want to kick off six weeks in advance - working on the blog, media training, outreach, getting investor quotes." Prioritize reporter availability over internal deadlines. Be flexible on dates to secure quality coverage.

Optimize for algorithm momentum

Chris Hutchins: "Ranking charts are driven by momentum of new subscribers, not total volume. Launch with multiple pieces of content to build early momentum." For platform-based launches (podcasts, Product Hunt), focus on concentrated activity in a short window to trigger algorithmic boost.

Questions to Help Users

"What's the primary goal of this launch - customers, recruiting, fundraising, or feedback?"
"Do you have a single outlet in mind for an exclusive, or are you planning broad outreach?"
"What's your 'sizzle' feature - the thing people will share even if it's not the core value?"
"Is your website ready for traffic? Are internal teams briefed on messaging?"
"Who are the influencers at the intersection of 'will love this product' and 'has your target audience'?"
"How much lead time do you have? Ideal is 6 weeks for press."

Common Mistakes to Flag

Launching too many things at once - Kevin Weil on Libra: "The whole world went 'Oh my God, that's a lot of change at once.'" Introduce radical innovations one at a time
Pitching press without an exclusive offer - Generic pitches to many outlets get ignored. Offer exclusives one reporter at a time
Treating funding as the story - Funding is a hook, not news. Combine it with product or customer momentum
Relying on PR for user acquisition - Press builds credibility but rarely drives direct signups. Use it for recruiting and sales enablement
Rigid launch dates - Prioritize reporter availability over internal timelines. A flexible date beats no coverage