go-to-market-planner

Go-to-Market Planner Skill

Produce a complete, cross-functional GTM plan that aligns product, marketing, sales, and support around a single launch — with clear owners, timelines, and success metrics.

Launch Tier Framework

Before planning, classify the launch:

| Tier | Scope | Typical Effort | Examples |

|---|---|---|---|

| Tier 1 — Major Launch | New product / significant platform change | 8–12 weeks | New pricing model, platform rebrand, new product line |

| Tier 2 — Feature Launch | Significant new capability | 4–6 weeks | Major feature, API release, new integration |

| Tier 3 — Incremental Release | Improvement, bug fix, minor feature | 1–2 weeks | UI tweak, performance improvement, small enhancement |

Always confirm tier with the user before proceeding.

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GTM Plan Output Format

GTM Plan — [Product/Feature Name] — [Launch Date]

Launch Tier: [1 / 2 / 3]

Launch Owner (PM): [Name]

Target Launch Date: [Date]

Soft Launch Date (Beta/Limited): [Date, if applicable]

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1. What We're Launching

One-line description: [What it is, for whom, and why now]

Key customer problem solved: [Specific pain point]

Key differentiator: [Why ours, why now]

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2. Target Audience

Primary segment: [Who benefits most — be specific]

Secondary segment: [Who else benefits]

Not for: [Who this is NOT for — helps sales and support]

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3. Messaging

Headline: [Customer-facing headline — lead with outcome, not feature]

Sub-headline: [Supporting context — how it works or why it matters]

3 key messages:

1. [Problem solved]
2. [How it works / what's new]
3. [Proof / social proof / data]

Elevator pitch (30 seconds):

> [For [target user] who [has this problem], [product/feature] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [differentiator].]

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4. Launch Activities by Function

| Function | Activity | Owner | Due Date | Status |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| Product | Feature flagging / rollout plan | PM | [date] | |

| Marketing | Blog post / landing page | Marketing | [date] | |

| Marketing | Email campaign to existing users | Marketing | [date] | |

| Marketing | Social media content | Marketing | [date] | |

| Sales | Sales enablement deck | PM + Sales | [date] | |

| Sales | FAQ for sales team | PM | [date] | |

| Support | Help centre articles | Support | [date] | |

| Support | Support team training | Support | [date] | |

| Engineering | Monitoring/alerting in place | Eng | [date] | |

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5. Success Metrics

| Metric | Baseline | Target | Measurement Window |

|---|---|---|---|

| [Adoption metric] | [X] | [Y] | 30 days post-launch |

| [Engagement metric] | [X] | [Y] | 60 days post-launch |

| [Business metric] | [X] | [Y] | 90 days post-launch |

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6. Risks & Contingencies

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |

|---|---|---|---|

| [Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action if it happens] |

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7. Launch Day Checklist

• [ ] Feature live for [X%] of users
• [ ] Monitoring dashboard active
• [ ] Support team briefed
• [ ] Blog post published
• [ ] Email sent / scheduled
• [ ] Sales team notified
• [ ] Executive announcement sent (if Tier 1)
• [ ] Rollback procedure confirmed

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Required Inputs

Ask the user for these if not provided:

• Product or feature name
• Target launch date
• Launch tier (Tier 1 / 2 / 3 — or describe scope and the skill will classify)
• Target audience (who benefits and who it's NOT for)
• Key message (what's the headline outcome for the customer)
• PM and launch owner

Guidelines

• Never plan a Tier 1 launch without at least 8 weeks of lead time
• Always include a "Not for" section — it prevents misdirected sales and support tickets
• Recommend a soft launch to 5–10% of users before full rollout for any Tier 1 or 2 launch
• Post-launch retrospective should be scheduled at launch planning time — don't leave it to chance

Quality Checks

• [ ] Launch tier is confirmed and appropriate for scope
• [ ] "Not for" section is included to prevent misdirected sales and support
• [ ] Every function has at least one activity with a named owner and due date
• [ ] Success metrics include a measurement window (30/60/90 days)
• [ ] Rollback procedure is confirmed for Tier 1 and 2 launches
• [ ] Post-launch retrospective is scheduled

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not build a Tier 1 GTM plan for an incremental feature update — tier the launch appropriately before planning
• [ ] Do not create activity lists without named owners and due dates — unowned tasks do not get done
• [ ] Do not skip the rollback procedure for Tier 1 and 2 launches — every significant launch must have an abort plan
• [ ] Do not treat marketing and engineering as separate tracks — cross-functional coordination is the whole point of a GTM plan
• [ ] Do not set success metrics without a defined measurement window — "increase signups" is not a measurable target