gtm

name gtm description Create a go-to-market plan with positioning, messaging, channels, and launch checklist. Use when user says "go-to-market plan", "GTM strategy", "launch plan", "how do we launch this", "marketing plan", "launch checklist", or needs to plan how a product or feature reaches users. user-invokable true args [{"name":"target","description":"The product or feature to create a GTM plan for (optional)","required":false}] metadata {"author":"builder-skills","version":"1.0.0"} Build a go-to-market plan that gets a product or feature from "built" to "adopted." Work through each step in order. Skip nothing. Step 1: Understand What's Launching Gather these before doing anything else: Question Why it matters What exactly is shipping? Scope the plan — a whole product vs. a settings toggle need different launches Who is the target audience? Channels, messaging, and tier all depend on this What's the timeline? Determines what's realistic What exists already? Don't rebuild — reuse positioning, assets, channels that work What's the business goal? Growth, retention, expansion, awareness — each changes the plan If the user hasn't provided this context, ask. Don't guess. Step 2: Positioning Answer three questions clearly: Who is this for? Be specific. "Small business owners who manage their own payroll" not "SMBs." What job does it serve? Use the JTBD frame — what progress is the user trying to make? (Reference the jtbd skill if available.) How is it different? State the alternative the user has today and why this is better. If you can't articulate the difference, the positioning isn't ready. Write it as a positioning statement: For [target audience] who [situation/need], [product/feature] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [alternative], it [differentiator]. Step 3: Messaging Build a messaging hierarchy: Layer What it is Example Headline The one sentence a stranger reads "Ship invoices in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes" Value proposition The promise — what changes for the user "Automated invoicing that pulls line items from your project tracker" Proof points (3 max) Evidence the promise is real "Cuts invoice creation time by 90%" / "Syncs with Jira, Linear, Asana" / "Used by 2,000 teams in beta" Messaging template: HEADLINE: [One clear sentence. Lead with the outcome, not the feature.] VALUE PROP: [What the user gets. Focus on the job, not the technology.] PROOF POINTS: 1. [Quantified result or social proof] 2. [Capability that matters most] 3. [Trust signal — security, reliability, adoption] OBJECTION HANDLING: - "Why should I switch?" → [Answer] - "Is it reliable?" → [Answer] - "What does it cost me to try?" → [Answer] Step 4: Channels List where the target audience already spends time. Rank each channel: Channel Reach Fit Effort Use it? In-app announcement High (existing users) High Low Yes — always Email to existing users High High Low Yes — always Blog post Medium Medium Medium Tier 1-2 Social (specify platform) Varies Varies Low Match to audience Product Hunt / HN High for dev tools Niche Medium Only if audience fits Paid ads High Varies High Tier 1 only, with budget Partner co-marketing Medium High High When there's a natural partner Press / analyst briefing High Low-Medium High Tier 1 only, major news Community / forum posts Low-Medium High Low When community exists Sales enablement N/A (B2B) High Medium B2B Tier 1-2 Pick 3-5 channels. More than that dilutes effort. Step 5: Launch Checklist Pre-launch (2-4 weeks before) Positioning and messaging finalized Landing page or feature page live (or drafted) Internal team briefed — support, sales, CS all know what's coming Beta feedback incorporated Analytics and tracking instrumented (reference the metrics skill if available) Launch email drafted Social posts drafted Blog post drafted (Tier 1-2) Documentation / help articles updated Rollback plan exists if something breaks Launch day Feature flag flipped / deploy confirmed Announcements sent (email, in-app, social) Blog post published Team monitoring dashboards and support queue Respond to early feedback within hours, not days Post-launch (1-4 weeks after) Track success metrics daily for first week Gather qualitative feedback (support tickets, user interviews, social mentions) Ship fast-follow fixes for issues surfaced at launch Internal retro on what went well / what didn't (reference the retro skill if available) Report results to stakeholders Decide: double down, iterate, or move on Step 6: Success Metrics Define before launch, not after: Metric Why Target Adoption — % of eligible users who try it Did the launch reach people? Set based on tier Activation — % who complete the core action Did they get value? Higher bar than adoption Retention — % still using after 7/30 days Is it sticky? Baseline from similar features Sentiment — NPS, support tickets, social How do people feel about it? Qualitative + quantitative Pick one primary metric. Track the rest as supporting signals. Launch Tier Framework Classify every launch before planning it. The tier determines scope of effort. Tier 1 — Major Tier 2 — Medium Tier 3 — Minor What New product, major platform change, new market entry Significant feature, new integration, pricing change Bug fix, small improvement, setting change Audience Everyone + prospects Relevant segment Active users of that area Channels All: email, blog, social, press, in-app, sales Email, blog, in-app, targeted social Changelog, in-app tooltip, maybe email Timeline 4-8 weeks prep 2-4 weeks prep Ship and announce same day Assets Landing page, demo video, blog, email sequence, sales deck Blog post, email, updated docs Changelog entry, tooltip Team Cross-functional: product, marketing, sales, CS, eng Product + marketing Product + eng Default to a lower tier. Most launches are Tier 2 or 3. Overcommunicating minor changes trains users to ignore you. Output Deliver the GTM plan as a single document with these sections: Overview — what's launching, when, what tier Positioning statement Messaging — headline, value prop, proof points Channels — ranked list with rationale Checklist — pre-launch, launch day, post-launch (customized, not generic) Success metrics — primary + supporting, with targets