---
name: go-to-market-playbooks
description: Master product launches, positioning, messaging, and GTM strategies. Use when planning launches, entering markets, or positioning products.
---

# Go-to-Market Playbooks

## Overview

Comprehensive guide to go-to-market (GTM) strategies, product positioning, launch planning, and market entry tactics.

## When to Use This Skill

**Auto-loaded by agents**:
- `launch-planner` - For GTM strategies, positioning, and distribution playbooks

**Use when you need**:
- Planning product launches
- Positioning new products
- Entering new markets
- Rebranding or repositioning
- Competitive differentiation

## GTM Strategy Types

### 1. Product-Led Growth (PLG)

**Model**: Product drives acquisition, conversion, expansion

**Funnel**:
```
Free Signup → Activation → Expansion → Paid → Advocacy
```

**Characteristics**:
- Self-serve onboarding
- Freemium or free trial
- Virality built-in
- Low-touch sales

**Examples**: Slack, Dropbox, Notion, Figma

**When to Use**:
- Low price point (<$100/month)
- Easy to understand product
- Quick time-to-value
- Network effects

**Playbook**:
1. **Frictionless Signup**: Email-only, no credit card
2. **Aha Moment Fast**: <5 minutes to value
3. **Viral Loops**: Invites, sharing, collaboration
4. **Usage-Based Limits**: Paywall at usage threshold
5. **Self-Serve Upgrade**: One-click payment

---

### 2. Sales-Led Growth

**Model**: Sales team drives revenue

**Funnel**:
```
Lead → MQL → SQL → Demo → Proposal → Close
```

**Characteristics**:
- High price point ($10K+ annually)
- Complex product
- Custom implementation
- Relationship-driven

**Examples**: Salesforce, SAP, enterprise software

**When to Use**:
- Complex sales cycle
- High contract values
- Custom solutions
- Long sales cycles (3-12 months)

**Playbook**:
1. **Lead Generation**: Events, content, partnerships
2. **Qualification**: BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)
3. **Demo**: Customized to pain points
4. **Proof of Concept**: Pilot/trial with champion
5. **Procurement**: Legal, security, contracts
6. **Onboarding**: CSM-led implementation

---

### 3. Community-Led Growth

**Model**: Community drives adoption and revenue

**Funnel**:
```
Awareness → Community Join → Engagement → Conversion → Advocacy
```

**Examples**: GitHub, HashiCorp, Figma, Discord

**When to Use**:
- Developer tools
- Open-source foundation
- Network effects
- Passion-driven users

**Playbook**:
1. **Build in Public**: Share roadmap, engage users
2. **Developer Advocates**: Evangelize, educate
3. **Events**: Conferences, meetups, webinars
4. **Content**: Tutorials, docs, blog posts
5. **Open Source → Enterprise**: Freemium model

---

### 4. Partner-Led Growth

**Model**: Partners drive distribution

**Examples**: Shopify apps, Salesforce AppExchange, AWS Marketplace

**When to Use**:
- Complement existing platforms
- Need distribution
- Ecosystem play

**Playbook**:
1. **Integration**: Deep platform integration
2. **Marketplace Listing**: Optimize for discovery
3. **Co-Marketing**: Partner webinars, content
4. **Revenue Share**: Align incentives
5. **Partner Enablement**: Training, support

---

## Positioning Framework (April Dunford)

### The 5 Components

**1. Competitive Alternatives**
What do customers use today if not your product?

**2. Unique Attributes**
What do you have that alternatives don't?

**3. Value (Benefits)**
What value do those unique attributes enable?

**4. Target Customer**
Who cares most about that value?

**5. Market Category**
What context makes the value obvious?

---

### Positioning Process

**Step 1: List Competitive Alternatives**
```
Alternatives for Project Management Tool:
- Asana, Monday.com, Linear
- Spreadsheets
- Email + meetings
- Do nothing
```

**Step 2: Identify Unique Attributes**
```
What we have that they don't:
- AI-powered task prioritization
- Real-time async collaboration
- Built-in analytics dashboard
```

**Step 3: Map Attributes to Value**
```
AI prioritization → Save 5 hours/week on planning
Async collaboration → Works across timezones
Analytics → Measure team productivity
```

**Step 4: Find Best-Fit Customer**
```
Who cares most?
- Remote-first startups (20-100 people)
- Product/engineering teams
- Fast-paced, data-driven culture
```

**Step 5: Choose Category**
```
Options:
A. "Project Management" (crowded)
B. "AI Productivity Platform" (new category)
C. "Team Operating System" (abstract)

Choice: B - Differentiated, clear value
```

---

### Positioning Statement Template

```
For [target customer]
Who [need/opportunity]
[Product] is a [category]
That [key benefit]
Unlike [alternative]
We [primary differentiation]
```

**Example**:
```
For remote product teams at fast-growing startups
Who struggle with async collaboration and context switching
Acme is an AI-native team productivity platform
That automates busywork so teams ship faster
Unlike Asana or Monday which are just task trackers
We combine planning, collaboration, and intelligence in one tool
```

---

## Messaging Hierarchy

### Structure

**Level 1: Company Messaging**
- Mission/vision
- Brand positioning
- Core values

**Level 2: Product Messaging**
- Product positioning
- Value propositions
- Key differentiators

**Level 3: Feature Messaging**
- Feature benefits
- Use cases
- Proof points

---

### Messaging Formulas

**Before-After-Bridge (BAB)**
```
Before: [Current pain]
After: [Desired state]
Bridge: [How product gets them there]

Example:
Before: "Teams waste 10 hours/week in status meetings"
After: "Imagine if everyone knew what's happening without meetings"
Bridge: "Our AI generates status updates automatically from your work"
```

**PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solve)**
```
Problem: [Identify pain]
Agitate: [Make it worse]
Solve: [Your solution]

Example:
Problem: "Your team is drowning in Slack messages"
Agitate: "You miss critical updates, decisions get lost, and new hires can't find context"
Solve: "Acme organizes all team knowledge automatically"
```

---

## Launch Strategy

### Launch Tiers

**Tier 1: Major Launch**
- New product
- Major rebranding
- Strategic pivot
- Full PR, events, marketing

**Tier 2: Feature Launch**
- Significant new capability
- Blog post, email, social
- Targeted outreach

**Tier 3: Improvement**
- Bug fixes, small features
- Release notes, changelog

---

### Launch Timeline (Tier 1)

**T-minus 8 weeks: Preparation**
- [ ] Define positioning and messaging
- [ ] Create launch plan
- [ ] Assemble launch team
- [ ] Set goals and metrics

**T-minus 6 weeks: Asset Creation**
- [ ] Landing page
- [ ] Product video
- [ ] Demo scripts
- [ ] Sales collateral
- [ ] Press kit

**T-minus 4 weeks: Beta Program**
- [ ] Recruit beta users
- [ ] Gather feedback
- [ ] Capture testimonials
- [ ] Refine product

**T-minus 2 weeks: Enablement**
- [ ] Train sales team
- [ ] Train support team
- [ ] Internal launch
- [ ] Press briefings

**T-minus 1 week: Final Prep**
- [ ] Go/no-go decision
- [ ] Asset review
- [ ] Monitoring setup
- [ ] Rollback plan

**Launch Day**
- [ ] Feature flag on
- [ ] Announcement (blog, email, social)
- [ ] Press release
- [ ] Monitor metrics
- [ ] War room for issues

**Post-Launch (Week 1-4)**
- [ ] Daily metrics review
- [ ] Feedback triage
- [ ] Bug fixes
- [ ] Amplification (webinars, case studies)

---

### Launch Channels

**Owned**:
- Website/landing page
- Blog
- Email list
- In-app notifications
- Social media

**Earned**:
- Press (TechCrunch, VentureBeat)
- Product Hunt
- Hacker News
- Industry publications
- Influencers

**Paid**:
- Google Ads
- Social ads (LinkedIn, Twitter)
- Retargeting
- Sponsored content

**Partnerships**:
- Co-marketing
- Integration announcements
- Channel partners

---

## Market Entry Strategy

### New Market Assessment

**TAM/SAM/SOM**:
```
TAM (Total Addressable Market): Everyone who could use product
SAM (Serviceable Available Market): Segment you can reach
SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market): Realistic target

Example:
TAM: All project management users = $50B
SAM: Remote startups 20-100 people = $2B
SOM: 1% market share in 3 years = $20M
```

**Market Entry Checklist**:
- [ ] Market size validation
- [ ] Competitive landscape
- [ ] Regulatory requirements
- [ ] Localization needs (language, currency, compliance)
- [ ] Distribution partners
- [ ] Pricing for market

---

### Beachhead Strategy (Geoffrey Moore)

**Concept**: Dominate one narrow segment before expanding

**Process**:
1. **Identify Beachhead**: Narrow, winnable segment
2. **Dominate**: Become #1 in that segment
3. **Expand**: Adjacent segments

**Example**:
- Facebook: Harvard → Ivy League → All colleges → Everyone
- Amazon: Books → Electronics → Everything
- Salesforce: Sales teams → All CRM → All cloud software

---

## Competitive Strategy

### Competitive Intel

**What to Track**:
- Product features and roadmap
- Pricing and packaging
- Marketing messages
- Customer reviews
- Funding and news

**Sources**:
- Competitor websites, blogs
- G2, Capterra reviews
- LinkedIn (hiring = roadmap hints)
- Earnings calls (public companies)
- Customer conversations

---

### Battle Cards

**Format**:
```
# Competitor X

## Overview
- Company size, funding
- Target customers
- Key strengths

## When They Win
- [Scenario where they're strong]

## When We Win
- [Our advantages]

## Differentiation
- Feature comparison
- Positioning vs them

## Objection Handling
Q: "Why not use [Competitor]?"
A: "[Response emphasizing our unique value]"

## Proof Points
- Customer wins from competitor
- Case studies
```

---

## Pricing & Packaging

### Pricing Models

**Freemium**:
- Free tier + paid upgrade
- Examples: Slack, Dropbox, Notion

**Free Trial**:
- 14-30 day trial + paywall
- Examples: Netflix, SaaS tools

**Usage-Based**:
- Pay for what you use
- Examples: AWS, Stripe, Snowflake

**Tiered**:
- Good/Better/Best packages
- Examples: HubSpot, Salesforce

**Per-Seat**:
- Price per user
- Examples: Zoom, Asana

---

### Packaging Strategy

**3-Tier Model (Good-Better-Best)**:
```
Starter: $10/user/month
- Core features
- Email support
- Target: Small teams

Professional: $25/user/month
- All Starter features
- Advanced features
- Priority support
- Target: Growing teams

Enterprise: Custom pricing
- All Professional features
- Custom integrations
- Dedicated support
- SLA
- Target: Large organizations
```

**Value Metric**: What you charge for
- Per user (Slack)
- Per event (Segment)
- Per API call (Stripe)
- Storage (Dropbox)

Choose metric that scales with value delivered

---

## GTM Playbook Summary

```
Choose GTM Motion:

Low-touch, self-serve → PLG
High-touch, complex sale → Sales-Led
Developer product → Community-Led
Platform complement → Partner-Led

Then:
1. Position (find differentiation)
2. Message (communicate value)
3. Launch (create awareness)
4. Optimize (iterate and scale)

Key Success Factors:
- Clear positioning
- Focused beachhead
- Aligned team
- Measured results
```

---

## Resources

**Books**:
- "Obviously Awesome" - April Dunford (positioning)
- "Crossing the Chasm" - Geoffrey Moore (market entry)
- "Product-Led Growth" - Wes Bush (PLG strategy)
- "The Mom Test" - Rob Fitzpatrick (customer discovery)

**Frameworks**:
- April Dunford positioning canvas
- Jobs-to-be-Done framework
- Lean Canvas (market fit)

**Tools**:
- Competitors: Crayon, Klue
- Launches: Product Hunt, BetaList
- Analytics: Mixpanel, Segment