---
name: launch_announcements
description: "Builds a sequenced launch announcement plan: pre-launch tease, day-of announcement, and post-launch follow-up across platforms. Use when planning launch comms for a product, feature, or release."
---

# Launch Announcements

## Purpose

Turn a launch into a rolling wave instead of a single spike: plan the three
beats (tease → announce → follow up), sequence the channels so the warmest
audience hears first, and assign every touch one job. Triggers on "launch plan,"
"announcement sequence," "launch day plan," "go-to-market comms," or when a
launch date is set.

## Workflow

1. **Collect launch facts.** Get: product name, what changes for the user (one
   sentence), launch date, target audience, where they hang out, channels in
   scope (email, X, LinkedIn, Product Hunt, Reddit, Discord, press), and any
   time-limited offers (early-bird pricing, expiring bonuses — only use *real*
   scarcity).
2. **Set the messaging beats** (rotate across touches, don't stack all in one):
   - **Pre-launch:** the *problem* and tension. Make them feel the pain before
     the fix.
   - **Launch:** the *promise* — what changes now, sharpest terms, with proof.
   - **Post-launch:** *proof and belonging* — it's real, it's working, others
     are in.
3. **Sequence the channels** (order matters more than count):
   1. Warm owned first — email list, VIPs, beta users hear it first.
   2. Owned public — site, in-product, your own social.
   3. Earned — communities, press, partners, timed to *amplify* the owned
      burst, never precede it.
   4. Paid — only after the message proves organically and a converting page
      exists.
4. **Fill the timeline** using `references/timeline-template.md`: T-14→T-7 tease
   (build anticipation, collect supporters), T-7→T-1 warm-up (micro-launch to
   VIPs, gather testimonials), T-0 launch day hour-by-hour, T+1→T+3 follow-up
   (results, social proof, FAQ), T+7+ retrospective + next launch moment.
5. **Draft the copy.** Every touch gets one job and one CTA. Include: launch-day
   thread/post per channel, maker first comment (if Product Hunt), thank-you
   post, results post, FAQ/objection post.
6. **Assign a launch-day owner** and a monitoring plan (respond to every comment,
   track pickup, make real-time calls).

## Output Contract

A launch plan document with:
- Launch facts block (product, date, audience, channels, offer).
- Messaging beats (problem / promise / proof) in one line each.
- Channel sequence order with timing relative to launch hour (T-14d, T-1d,
  T-0, T+2d…).
- Hour-by-hour T-0 schedule plus T+1–T+3 follow-up.
- Drafted copy for each touch, each with one CTA.
- Asset checklist (demo GIF/video, social images, PH assets).
- Launch-day monitoring responsibilities.

## Operating Rules

- **Product Hunt facts:** 24-hour Pacific cycle; schedule at **12:01 AM Pacific**
  for the full window (schedulable up to 30 days ahead). Maker first comment is
  the proven lever (~70% of Product of the Day/Week/Month winners had one, per
  PH). Ask for **feedback, never upvotes** — vote solicitation violates PH rules.
  Tuesday–Thursday get the most traffic.
- **Email list goes first.** Your warmest audience must hear it before the
  world does; they should feel first, not last.
- **Embargoed press lifts before owned channels** (if press is in plan) so
  external audiences see it in third-party context first.
- **Drip proof on launch day** — sequence product-proof posts through the day;
  don't cram the full proof library into one announcement.
- **No fake scarcity.** Countdowns and "last chance" content only for genuinely
  time-limited offers.
- **Launch day isn't a finish line.** Every plan ends with: retrospective, what
  worked/didn't, and the next launch moment scheduled.
- Keep every touch short and single-purpose: one beat, one CTA per message.