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.

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]

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]

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]

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].]

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] | |

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 |

6. Risks & Contingencies

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | |---|---|---|---| | Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | Action if it happens] |

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

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