# launch-planning

Structures product launch execution using frameworks from Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter. Useful when planning a Product Hunt debut or social rollout.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 470 installs · ★ 1434
- Author: RefoundAI
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/launch-planning/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-07-16
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/launch-planning

## What it does

This skill guides product launch execution using 33 insights gathered from 18 podcast guests and newsletter essays. It directs the agent to draft GACCS briefs (Goals, Audience, Creative, Channels, Stakeholders) with clear non-goals to stop scope creep. Hard launch deadlines serve as forcing functions to finalize messaging word-for-word.

The system provides concrete templates: 10 buzz strategies drawn from 49 real-world launches, a 30-day pre-launch warm-up checklist, a 9-step community playbook, and a three-wave time-zone outreach plan for Product Hunt. A 15-minute polish checklist helps catch quality issues before public materials go live.

The workflow explicitly flags launching before finding product-market fit as a critical risk. Investors heavily weigh post-launch performance data, so burning a launch on an unvalidated product damages momentum.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill launch-planning -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/launch-planning/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/launch-planning/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill launch-planning -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/launch-planning/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill launch-planning -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/launch-planning/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills launch-planning
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/launch-planning/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill launch-planning -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills --path skills/launch-planning
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/launch-planning/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill launch-planning -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/launch-planning/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- draft a structured GACCS brief with explicit non-goals
- select a launch buzz category out of 10 practical strategies
- organize a 30-day audience warm-up schedule ahead of Product Hunt
- coordinate a three-wave global outreach plan across 24-hour time zones

## Example prompts
- Draft a GACCS brief for our upcoming developer tool launch
- Create a three-wave launch sequence for Product Hunt across time zones
- Review our launch copy using the 15-minute polish checklist

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

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BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE d547259d2709617d
```text
---
name: launch-planning
description: Help users plan, coordinate, and execute product launches that cut through market noise. This guide covers everything from internal alignment and GACCS briefs to community engagement and viral mechanics.
---

# Product Launch Planning

Build momentum and drive adoption by turning product updates into remarkable market events.

Help the user with product launch planning using insights from 18 guests and posts across Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter.

## How to Help

1. **Draft a GACCS brief** - Help users define clear project goals, target audiences, and non-goals to prevent scope creep.
2. **Select a buzz strategy** - Identify which of the ten 'remarkable' categories, such as stunts or viral videos, best aligns with the product.
3. **Sequence the launch** - Structure the rollout from manual outreach to public platform coordination.
4. **Optimize platform assets** - Guide the creation of specific assets for high-impact channels like Product Hunt or social media.

## Core Principles

### Optimize for remarkability
From "Generating buzz": "Here’s the hard truth: No one cares about your new product. As Marc Andreessen said, “everyone’s time is already allocated.”"

To break through the attention barrier, a launch must be worth making a remark about. Focus on creating something that people feel they must share with others.

### Force alignment with briefs
From "How to get your marketing team to drive more impact": "The GACCS framework (Goals, Audience, Creative, Channels, Stakeholders) keeps teams from doing busywork, drives cross-team alignment, and helps marketers produce more work that your prospects and customers—and coworkers—love. In short, it helps stop marketing work from being a waste of time."

Use structured GACCS briefs for any project longer than a tweet. Forcing alignment on goals and audiences before execution prevents wasted effort and scope creep.

### Use deadlines as forcing functions
Claire Butler: "This was a forcing function for us to do our messaging and positioning. And I remember there was more than one day where we locked ourselves in a conference room and I made Dylan and show at the time have this positioning up on the big screen and made them agree on it word for word."

Set hard launch dates to compel final decisions on brand and messaging. This forces stakeholders to resolve internal strategic debates and commit to a core direction.

## Templates & Frameworks

- **10 Strategies for Generating Launch Buzz** (Generating buzz) - A categorized framework of the ten most common strategies companies use to launch something 'worth remarking about,' based on analysis of 49 real-life examples.
```
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