Chapter 01
Pre-Launch Foundations
6-4 weeks before launch
The foundation of every successful launch is built weeks before launch day. This phase establishes your strategic narrative and ensures everyone's aligned on what you're building and why it matters.
Deliverables
1.1 Map Customer Pain Points & Jobs-to-be-Done
What you're creating: A comprehensive understanding of customer problems and desired outcomes.
How to execute
Conduct customer interviews
Talk to 8-12 customers (mix of beta users, existing customers, and prospects):
Create pain point matrix
| Persona | Current Problem | Emotional Impact | Frequency | Severity (1-10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DevOps Lead | Can't predict when we'll run out of capacity | Anxiety, fear of downtime | Weekly | 9 |
| Engineering Manager | Constantly firefighting resource issues | Frustration, burnout | Daily | 8 |
Map jobs-to-be-done
For each persona, define:
1.2 Develop Persona-Specific Messaging
What you're creating: Tailored value propositions for each buyer persona.
How to execute
Create messaging framework for each persona
For each persona, define:
Write persona-specific one-pagers
Structure:
Test messaging with customers
Run 5-8 message testing sessions:
1.3 Create Competitive Positioning
What you're creating: A clear understanding of how you stack up against alternatives:
How to execute
Build comprehensive competitor matrix
| Feature/Capability | You | Competitor A | Competitor B | Legacy Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core capability 1 | ✓✓✓ | ✓✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integration with X | ✓✓✓ | Limited | ✗ | ✗ |
Use rating system: ✓✓✓ (best-in-class), ✓✓ (strong), ✓ (basic), ✗ (not available)
Define your positioning against status quo
Most of the time, you're not competing with competitors. You're competing with doing nothing.
1.4 Build Your Positioning Framework
What you're creating: A positioning canvas that defines how your product fits in the market.
How to execute
Define your category
Are you creating a new category or competing in an existing one?
Map your differentiation
Create a 2x2 matrix:
Identify your "only" statement
Complete: "We're the only [category] that [unique capability]."
1.5 Define Your Launch Narrative
What you're creating: A clear, compelling story that explains what you're launching and why it matters.
How to execute
Write your positioning statement
Use this framework: "[Product] is [category] that helps [target customer] [achieve outcome] by [unique approach]."
Develop your strategic angle
Answer these questions:
Create your narrative arc
Structure: Status quo → What changed → The new possibility → How you deliver it → What success looks like
