launch

Use the five-phase launch approach: Internal testing, Alpha with invited users, Beta with broader early access, Early Access expansion, then Full Launch. Map each phase to your timeline and assign tactics across owned, rented, and borrowed channels.

Prepare 2-4 weeks ahead by optimizing your tagline, visuals, and demo video, and building supporter relationships. On launch day, respond to every comment and drive traffic back to your site to capture email signups.

ORB stands for Owned, Rented, and Borrowed channels. Owned channels like email lists compound over time, rented channels like social media provide speed, and borrowed channels like partnerships give instant credibility. All should funnel back to owned channels.

Major feature updates warrant a targeted campaign: announcement email, blog post, social posts, and in-app notification, but not a full multi-channel launch. Minor updates belong in changelogs and release notes only.

Diagnose whether the cause was insufficient pre-launch audience building, wrong channels, or weak messaging. Then analyze which channels produced your existing signups, double down on those, and run a 30-day recovery plan with new distribution tactics.

Use waitlists during Alpha and Beta phases to build demand and control onboarding scale. Throttle invites in batches of 5-10% or open all at once under early access framing, depending on your capacity to support new users.