# launch-strategy

> A Claude Code skill that plans product launches and feature releases — Product Hunt, BetaList, waitlist, beta — with sequencing, asset checklists, and post-launch momentum loops.

**Use case**: Plan a launch that builds momentum, not a one-day spike

**Canonical URL**: https://agentcookbooks.com/skills/launch-strategy/

**Topics**: claude-code, skills, marketing, gtm, launch

**Trigger phrases**: "launch", "Product Hunt", "feature release", "we are about to ship", "launch checklist"

**Source**: [Corey Haines](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/launch-strategy)

**License**: MIT

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## What it does

`launch-strategy` is a Claude Code skill from Corey Haines's [marketing-skills repo](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills). It turns Claude into a launch planner who builds the launch as a momentum loop, not a single PH-day spike — pre-launch waitlist, launch-day asset stack, distribution sequencing, and a 30-day post-launch plan that captures interest into customers. The skill activates when you mention "launch", "Product Hunt", "feature release", or "GTM plan".

The output of a session is a launch plan: positioning narrative, audience priority list, asset checklist (landing page, video, screenshots, social posts, email, OG image, PH listing), pre-launch waitlist plan, launch-day timeline, and a 30-day momentum sequence.

## When to use it

Reach for it when:

- You're 4–8 weeks out from a launch and need a sequenced plan, not vibes
- You're launching on Product Hunt and want the supporting infrastructure right
- You've shipped quietly before and want this release to actually generate signal

When *not* to reach for it:

- The product itself isn't ready; a launch on a broken product hurts more than helps
- You're a single dev with no audience — launch playbooks assume some baseline reach

## Install

The skill is distributed via Corey Haines's [marketing-skills repo](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills). Install via the repo's recommended path — copy the [`launch-strategy` SKILL.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/launch-strategy) into your project's `.claude/skills/launch-strategy/` directory, or use the repo's plugin install if you've set it up.

Once installed, the skill activates on the trigger phrases above. The first time it runs, it will check for `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md`) — populating that file with your product context first dramatically improves output quality across all of Haines's marketing skills.

## What a session looks like

A typical session has three phases:

1. **Pre-launch (4–8 weeks).** Waitlist setup, build-in-public posts, founding-user outreach, asset production schedule.
2. **Launch week.** Day-by-day timeline (PH submission, email send, social posts, founder outreach), asset finalization, hunter and hype-team coordination.
3. **Post-launch (30 days).** Momentum sequence — turn launch interest into trials, capture testimonials from early users, recycle the launch into evergreen content.

The discipline that makes it work: the launch is a campaign, not an event. The 30-day post-launch plan is where most product launches under-execute and most of the actual customer acquisition happens.

## Receipts

Honest reporting on what `launch-strategy` produces and where it has limits:

**Where it works well:**
- The pre-launch waitlist play stops the "launched to 47 visitors" failure mode
- Asset checklist surfaces the missing items (OG image, social pack, PH gallery video) before they're blocking
- Post-launch 30-day plan converts attention into customers, which most launches fumble

**Where it backfires:**
- Product Hunt's algorithm and culture shift; the playbook accounts for the current state, not future state
- For B2B with long sales cycles the 30-day momentum plan needs lengthening

**Pattern that works:** trigger 6 weeks out. Less than 4 weeks and the pre-launch waitlist has no time to compound; more than 8 weeks and the plan stales before launch.

## Source and attribution

Originally written by [Corey Haines](https://corey.co). The canonical SKILL.md and any supporting files live in the [`launch-strategy` folder](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/launch-strategy) of his [marketing-skills repository](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills).

License: MIT. You can install, adapt, and redistribute the skill, with attribution preserved.

This page documents the skill from a practitioner's perspective. For the formal spec and any updates, defer to the source repo.