Chapter 08
Launch Day Execution
T-Day
Launch day is showtime. This section ensures flawless execution.
8.1 Live Launch Event (if applicable)
What you're creating: A live event (virtual or in-person) to unveil your product.
Deliverables
→Event run-of-show
→Presentation deck
→Demo script
→Q&A prep
→Recording/replay plan
How to execute
1
Plan event format:
·Option A: Virtual Webinar
1.Platform: Zoom, Demio, Livestorm
2.Length: 30-45 minutes
3.Audience: Customers, prospects, press
4.Format: Presentation + demo + Q&A
·Option B: In-Person Event
1.Venue: Office, coworking space, venue
2.Length: 1-2 hours
3.Audience: Local customers, partners, press
4.Format: Presentation + demos + networking
·Option C: Livestream
1.Platform: LinkedIn Live, YouTube Live
2.Length: 20-30 minutes
3.Audience: Public
4.Format: Casual presentation + demo
2
Build run-of-show
Example (45-minute virtual event)1.0:00-0:05: Introduction, welcome (Community Manager)
2.0:05-0:15: Why we built this (CEO/Founder)
3.0:15-0:30: Product demo (Product Lead)
4.0:30-0:40: Customer story (Customer speaker, optional)
5.0:40-0:45: Q&A
6.0:45: Closing, next steps
3
Prepare presenters:
·Full rehearsal (T-7 and T-2)
·Slide deck finalized (T-5)
·Demo environment tested (T-1)
·Q&A prep doc (anticipated questions + answers)
·Backup plan for tech issues
4
Promote event:
·Email reminders: Registration confirmation (immediately), Reminder 1 week before, Reminder 1 day before, Reminder 1 hour before
·Social promotion: Announcement post (T-14), Reminder posts (T-7, T-3, T-1), Day-of reminder (morning of event)
5
Execute event:
·Pre-event checklist (30 min before): Test A/V, Load presentation, Open demo environment, Start recording, Welcome early attendees
·During event: Stick to run-of-show timing, Monitor chat for questions, Engage audience (polls, questions), Record everything
·Post-event: Send thank you email within 1 hour, Include recording link, Share key resources, CTA to try product
6
Repurpose content
From one launch event, create·Full recording (upload to YouTube)
·Highlight clips (for social, 30-60 sec each)
·Written recap (blog post)
·Q&A summary
·Customer quotes
Who owns itEvents Manager, Product Marketing
TimelineEvent at optimal time for your audience (usually 11am-2pm)
8.2 Coordinated Multi-Channel Push
What you're creating: Synchronized activation across all channels.
Deliverables
→Hour-by-hour launch day playbook
→Channel-specific launch posts
→Team coordination plan
How to execute
1
Build launch day playbook:
·9:00am: Website goes live with new features/pages, Blog post publishes, Social media posts (primary launch announcements)
·9:15am: Launch email sends to customers, Founder LinkedIn post goes live
·9:30am: Launch email sends to prospects, Employee advocacy posts begin, Paid ads activate
·10:00am: Monitor metrics dashboard, Respond to social comments, Sales team begins outreach
·11:00am: Launch event begins (if applicable)
·12:00pm: Publish first update ("X teams signed up"), Share event recording (if event ended)
·2:00pm: Feature spotlight post #1, Share customer testimonial
·4:00pm: End-of-day metrics post (if impressive), Thank you posts
·5:00pm: Internal team debrief, Plan for T+1
2
Assign channel owners:
3
Create war room:
·Set up: Physical space or virtual (Zoom room), Key stakeholders present, Shared dashboard visible, Slack channel for quick comms (#launch-day-2024)
·Who should be there: Product Marketing Lead, Growth Marketing, Product Manager, Engineering Lead (for technical issues), Customer Success Lead, Support Lead
·Purpose: Real-time decision making, Quick response to issues, Coordinate activities, Celebrate wins
4
Pre-launch final checks
T-Day 8:00am checklist·All blog posts scheduled
·All social posts queued
·All emails scheduled
·Website changes staged and tested
·Demo environment clean and ready
·Support team briefed
·Sales team briefed
·Analytics tracking confirmed
·Backup plans in place
| Channel | Owner | Backup | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | Web Manager | Marketing Ops | Publish updates, monitor errors |
| Email Marketing | Growth Marketing | Send campaigns, monitor deliverability | |
| Social Media Manager | Product Marketing | Post, engage, monitor | |
| Social Media Manager | Content Marketing | Tweet, engage, monitor | |
| Paid Ads | Paid Media Manager | Growth Marketing | Activate campaigns, monitor spend |
| Sales Outreach | Sales Ops | Sales Leadership | Enable team, track activity |
| Support | Support Manager | Product | Handle inquiries, escalate issues |
Who owns itProduct Marketing Lead
TimelineAll day, T-Day
8.3 Real-Time Monitoring
What you're creating: Systems to track performance and respond quickly.
Deliverables
→Live metrics dashboard
→Monitoring playbook
→Escalation procedures
How to execute
1
Build live dashboard
Metrics to track·Website: Traffic (real-time), New sign-ups/trials, Conversion rate, Bounce rate, Top pages
·Email: Sends, Open rate, Click rate, Conversions
·Social: Impressions, Engagement (likes, comments, shares), Mentions, Sentiment
·Product: New accounts created, Features activated, Error rates, Support tickets
·Sales: Demos booked, Deals created, Pipeline generated
·Tool: Databox, Geckoboard, Google Data Studio
2
Set performance benchmarks
What "good" looks like·Email open rate: >25%
·Email CTR: >3%
·Social engagement rate: >5%
·Website conversion: >2%
·Product error rate: <1%
·If metrics fall short: Investigate cause immediately, Adjust messaging/tactics, Escalate if needed
3
Create monitoring checklist:
·Every hour check: Dashboard metrics, Social mentions and comments, Support ticket queue, Product error logs, Website uptime
·Every 3 hours report: Key metrics update to team, Notable wins (testimonials, sign-ups), Issues encountered and resolved
4
Build escalation procedures:
·Level 1 (Low): Minor issues, no immediate action needed. Example: Typo in social post. Response: Fix for next post, document
·Level 2 (Medium): Issues requiring prompt attention. Example: Broken link in email. Response: Fix within 1 hour, send correction if needed
·Level 3 (High): Issues affecting user experience. Example: Website page not loading. Response: Fix immediately, notify affected users
·Level 4 (Critical): Product-breaking or security issues. Example: Data leak, product completely down. Response: All-hands response, executive notification
·Escalation contacts: Level 1-2: Product Marketing Lead, Level 3: VP Marketing + Product Manager, Level 4: CEO + Engineering Lead
5
Document everything
Keep log of·What happened and when
·How you responded
·Outcome
·Lessons learned
Who owns itProduct Marketing Lead, Growth Marketing
TimelineAll day, T-Day + ongoing
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