AMA: Twilio Director of Product Marketing, Lindsey Weinig on Product Launches

Best case, I partner with the product team to define the core KPI(s) for a product launch. Often product adoption is the goal of the launch, but sometimes a product is launched with other intentions like decreasing churn or increasing revenue through other product/feature adoption. Depending on the nature of the product, KPIs may include new signups for free trials, paid upgrades, add-on purchases/total value, NPS, or active users of the new product that was launched. I also like to measure KPIs across marketing activities associated with the product launch in order to continuously improve. This can include email engagement, advertisement and social impressions, landing page traffic and blog post views etc. It's helpful to gather and benchmark these metrics to determine the most successful activation activities driving the core KPI(s) that should be considered for future launches with the same/similar core KPI(s) and target buyer or user.

As a Product Marketer, there are a couple considerations for internal launch and enablement that help guide the process, assets and activities including, product readiness stage (Pilot, Beta, GA), and launch size (T-shirt sized). First, we usually take ownership over launch activities when the product has reached a Beta stage. We partner with the product team to stay informed through the earlier product readiness stages to ensure we deeply understand the problem, target, and solution details. We then begin to ramp up our internal and external activities as the product becomes more broadly available and ready for the market. The materials and activities involved in the internal launch of a product also depends on the size. We use T-shirt sizing with considerations for revenue opportunity (competitive differentiation, appetite/TAM, innovation, application to trends etc.) as defined by the product marketer. The larger the size/opportunity the more resources and activities we tend to include with the launch. Internal launches in Beta or later and Medium+ all include a few key assets. * First, the key PMM asset is a Product Launch Brief - this document outlines the positioning, functionality, timeline/milestones, target audience, competitive position, and key deliverables expected for the launch. This resource is then used across teams to develop marketing and internal resources. * Most launches also include an internal FAQ - usually developed in concert with the Product Manager and a few of the key stakeholders (likely account executives or solution engineers). This is a living document that grows throughout the enablement process as new questions are asked and edge cases are uncovered. * A sales-play with target accounts and outreach templates is also an impactful internal resource for launches. * Additional assets can be developed for external audiences, but also used for internal enablement like a pitch deck, one-pager, demo, customer testimonial, and even videos depending on the size of the launch. Finally, the activities included in the internal launch usually include: * Live and recorded webinar training (highlighting the key components of the launch from the brief and the assets available) * Slack/email announcement of the launch * Mention in the next all-hands meeting for the company and/or department.

Unfortunately there are many reasons a product launch can fail or underperform: * Doesn't solve a felt problem by the target audience * Solves a problem for a different target audience * Is not differentiated enough in a competitive market * Is not priced correctly * Doesn't function as expected (bad UX, unreliable, etc.) * Target audience doesn't know about it (isn't marketed well or discoverable) In my experience the most likely reason a product launch fails or underperforms is when it is solving an internally-defined problem vs. a problem felt by the target audience. Sometimes these can converge into a successful launch but often this internally-focused type of launch is destined for failure.

My number 1 recommendation is documentation. First, identify your key stakeholders across product, marketing and sales and document what is working and what isn't in recent launches. Then gather any process or standardization used across the product team for their launches. Ask questions like: * how do they document the value of their launch? * how do they share the status across launches? * how do they determine product readiness (Pilot, Beta, GA) Then, consolidate your internal research findings into a proposal with definitions for product readiness, sizing, and suggested deliverables for future launches. Share with your key stakeholders for their feedback. Pilot your new process to test and iterate with your next launch, ensuring that you include a retro post-launch to ensure continuous improvement. If your startup is like those I've worked at in the past, there may be hesitation about over-engineering your new process, so you may need to prioritize the parts that will impact the biggest pain points from your research.

For a launch of any significant size, the most valuable action on my checklist is a post-launch retro. You will always want to measure KPIs and ensure positioning is accurate, but the retro is often overlooked. A well-run retrospective can uncover meaningful insights to both improve the recent launch success as well as avoid unnecessary challenges and uncover new opportunities in future launches. It also builds partnerships across teams reinforcing the value of the key stakeholders involved in the launch. A retro can take on several formats and be run live virtually, in-person or asynchronously, but the key attribute is open communication and unbiased documentation. I like the 'what worked' 'what didn't go well' and 'Actions/Improvements'. I'm old-school in that I prefer post its on a whiteboard, but you can also use virtual platforms like Figjam.

Product Marketing can often bring in the voice of the customer to influence in the development process. I've been involved in product launches from ideation to general availability and the most powerful insights come directly from customers. Interviewing customers on their pain points, to validate the problem we need to solve; and then interviewing other customers on the solution, to validate what the team built solves the problem we identified, have been enlightening and have heavily influenced the eventual product/feature launch. Product Marketing can also bring in strategic insights from Analysts, market trends, and competitive insights to further strengthen the specifics of a product launch.