So you decided on a launch tiering system and expected things to work out magically? Good one.

We often want to jump into the next available framework. The 2x2 launch matrix? Sign me up. We internalize it, add some of our own flare, but then nothing happens.

The trick is creating a repeatable motion that touches every point in your customer journey and the ability to track it. Then, you can decide in which tier it’s relevant.

Here are the four buckets I use:

1. Critical information

   That’s the meat and potatoes. No launch activity can start without this.

   Usually it entails a product brief — what is it, who should care, how it changes things for existing and potential customers.

   Based on that the GTM teams can align on pricing, target audience and KPIs, and product marketing creates the positioning and messaging that trickles down to the next buckets:

2. New content

   What net new content do you need to create for this?

   This goes beyond marketing content. Think customer community, help center, disclaimers… and yes marketing too: case studies from beta, landing page, product video. Again, depends on the tier.

3. Content updates

   These are the sneaky ones.

   Sometimes you’re launching enhancements or things that change how customers use your product now.

   Think existing webpages, in app guides, interactive demos, but also talk tracks, customer onboarding decks, security documentation and T&Cs.

4. Process

   Sales training, customer support training, demo environments, legal approvals, how and if you should be tracking it in your CRM, post launch retrospective.

Mapping out a cross-functional activity isn’t easy. But when you focus on what needs to be done and who owns it well — you’ll only need to do it once.

If you need to leave some wiggle room for what happens in every tier go for it. I’m a fan of the always-sometimes-unlikely checklist for that reason.

If you’re a product marketer who owns launches at your company enjoy it, it’s a privilege.

But instead of obsessing over one-pagers, obsess over cross-functional alignment and ownership. The ROI is tenfold.

Curious to see what that looks like? Here’s one example I used in the past 👉