Cluebooks/Planning & nailing product launches/Launch Calendar & Campaign Planning

Chapter 2

Launch Calendar & Campaign Planning

Map every milestone, dependency, and deliverable so nothing slips through the cracks.

Deliverables

Master launch calendar
Channel mix strategy with success criteria
Milestone checklist
Weekly status template + go/no-go criteria
Who owns itProduct Marketing Manager
Who approves itVP/Head of Marketing
Tools neededNotion, Asana, [Monday.com](http://monday.com/), Google Sheets

2.1 Master Launch Timeline

What you're creating: A comprehensive calendar showing every launch activity.

Create comprehensive task list

Brain dump every activity needed:

  • Content creation (blog, social, email)
  • Asset production (videos, graphics, screenshots)
  • Website updates
  • Sales enablement
  • Customer communications
  • Internal training
  • PR/analyst outreach
  • Paid advertising setup
  • Event planning (if applicable)

Map dependencies

For each task, identify:

  • What needs to happen before this can start?
  • What's blocked by this task?
  • Who else needs to be involved?

Build your timeline using the Master Launch Tasklist

Rather than building a timeline from scratch, use the [Master Launch Tasklist](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1emEr6WZCYLrZmY4Uw2t8Tdbtvf-oJyZdEHpL0yRsf6Y/copy) included with this cluebook. It's pre-organized by week (6 weeks before launch through ongoing) and covers every category—content, design, sales enablement, video, email, social, website, and analytics. Duplicate it, then:

  • Assign an owner to every task
  • Set deadlines based on your launch date
  • Mark dependencies between tasks
  • Identify your critical path (tasks that, if delayed, would push the launch)

Identify critical path

Highlight tasks that, if delayed, would delay launch:

  • Product readiness
  • Legal/security reviews
  • Core messaging approval
  • Website development
  • Critical content pieces

Update frequency: Daily during final 2 weeks


2.2 Channel Strategy

What you're creating: A plan for how you'll use each channel throughout the launch.

Define channel priorities

ChannelPriorityPurposeKey AssetsSuccess Metric
WebsitePrimarySEO, conversionsLanding page, product pagesSign-ups, demos
EmailPrimaryConversionLaunch series, nurtureOpen rate, CTR, conversions
LinkedInPrimaryAwareness, social proofPosts, videos, testimonialsEngagement, reach
SalesPrimaryDirect revenueDemos, outreachDeals influenced, pipeline
Product (in-app)PrimaryAdoptionIn-app messages, toursFeature adoption rate
TwitterSecondaryEngagementThreads, quick takesEngagement rate
Paid AdsSecondaryDemand genLinkedIn/Google adsCAC, conversion rate
PRTertiaryBrand awarenessPress release, briefingsCoverage, backlinks

2.3 Campaign Milestones

What you're creating: Key checkpoints to ensure you're on track.

Set major milestones

Each milestone maps to the chapters ahead — we'll dive deeper into the work behind each one as we go.

Milestone 1 (6 weeks before launch): Foundation Complete (Chapter 1)

  • Positioning, messaging, personas, and competitive positioning are locked
  • Go/No-Go Decision: Do we have strategic clarity?

Milestone 2 (4 weeks before launch): Enablement Ready (Chapters 3 & 4)

  • Sales materials, internal training, demo environment, and support docs are complete
  • Go/No-Go Decision: Is the team ready?

Milestone 3 (2 weeks before launch): Content Complete (Chapters 5, 6 & 7)

  • Email copy, social posts, videos, and website are produced and staged
  • Go/No-Go Decision: Do we have all assets?

Milestone 4 (1 week before launch): Campaign Ready (Chapters 6 & 7)

  • Emails scheduled, ads loaded, social queued, sales trained
  • Go/No-Go Decision: Are systems ready?

Milestone 5 (Launch day): Launch (Chapter 8)

  • Website live, communications sent, team activated, monitoring in place

Create weekly status template

Every Friday, report:

  • Completed this week
  • Planned for next week
  • Blockers/risks
  • Decisions needed
  • Budget status

Define go/no-go criteria

Launch only if:

  • Product is stable (< 2% error rate)
  • Core messaging approved by leadership
  • Sales team trained (100% attendance)
  • Support team ready (knowledge base complete)
  • Website tested (no critical bugs)
  • Legal/compliance sign-off received

Review frequency: Weekly

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