What testing frameworks do you use to evaluate the effectiveness of messaging for a launch?

We generally start with the launch goals and then define more granular metrics leading up to the launch goals to measure the effectiveness of our messaging. Here are some initial ideas to consider: 

• Conversion rates across the funnel - Did the messaging drive the desired actions at each customer touchpoint from initial engagement to sign up/trial/purchase? 
• Signups, purchases, and/or adoption (depending on launch goals)
• Landing pages, emails, posts, and ad performance - How did individual assets and channels perform relative to benchmarks? 
• Sales asset usage and engagement - Which assets, talking points, and messaging were used, and how did prospects and customers engage? Highspot will show you which sales assets are being used the most and which are driving the most customer engagement, while Gong.io provides sophisticated insights into sales calls to determine what’s working and what’s not.
• Finally don’t forget to capture qualitative feedback on your messaging from customers, prospects, and internal stakeholders. While presumably, you’ve done this pre-launch, another round of feedback post-launch will provide further insights you can quickly apply to post-launch campaigns for a fast follow.

I find UserTesting to be a great tool for getting a quick directional read for how your messaging will perform with your target. I typically test for comprehension and emotional response or in other words did the target understand the product benefit and how they feel about it.

Note that UserTesting will give you about 15 responses, so paid media may be a better bet if you are interested in testing messaging at scale. Also, if you have a customer advisory council or an early beta tester group, test your messaging with that audience as well. This group can give great feedback on whether your product actually delivers on the promise in your message.

One of my biggest criteria for success is how much messaging is repeated. Whether that's by your sales team, customers, media/articles, etc. So I tend to bring testing and validation into the messaging process pretty early and collect that qualitative data. I'm a big fan of going directly to account reps and sales engineers, and getting their honest feedback and see if it's something they'd actually repeat to customers. If you're able, go directly to customers and see if these are the words they'd use, and that these are the leading benefits to them. Or industry analysts to see if it matches with what they've heard from their clients. Because I think getting this in depth feedback is so valuable, I actually don't over-rotate on frameworks or process here. 

In terms of how effective a launch was and the messaging's impact - that can depend on the goals of the launch. You can run A/B tests on web, emails, etc to see if the new messaging is creating more views/clicks/etc. One of my favorites is to work with SDRs to try out new emails and call scripts with the messaging and see if it increases response rates or meetings secured.

• a/b testing emails and landing pages
• using an agency to survey audiences for large brand campaigns
• direct user interviews
• interviewing your frontline teams
• competitive research

Sometimes you don't have time to do all of the above and you have to go with your gut and then evolve it over time as you get to know your product, users, and market better.