launch_announcements v1.0.0

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.

1. Sequence the channels (order matters more than count):
2. Warm owned first — email list, VIPs, beta users hear it first.
3. Owned public — site, in-product, your own social.
4. Earned — communities, press, partners, timed to amplify the owned burst, never precede it.
5. Paid — only after the message proves organically and a converting page exists.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.