What's the 'do not miss' piece of advice to give for PMM's for product launches?

Find the magic in the launch. It's so easy to go through the checklist of activities and spend months getting every little detail right for a launch, that we sometimes get too in the weeds and forget to take a step back and think about that 'aha' moment that will make the launch feel magical to your ICP. Assume they'll see your email, and read your blog post and click your push notification and so on - what is it that makes their eyes light up? What makes them want to go talk about the launch to a friend, or post about it on social? It could be a funny tagline, an amazing launch video, a cool incentive or giveaway, a cool resource you've created or a relevant influencer that you've partnered with. At the end of the day, your target buyer is a person, and you need to strike an emotional connection with them for your launch to resonate.

No launch is the same. A Bill of Materials checklist is nice, but no launch should ever map 1:1 with your checklist. Use it as a starting point, but flex items on or off the checklist based on what your users need out of that feature.

Make sure you are clearly aligned on an impact-oriented goal for your launch, e.g. Is this intended to help you improve win rates? Get more at-bats? Open more TAM?

Then, as you work across your internal partner stakeholders, you'll more easily drive alignment behind a consistent "why" -- whether it's helping sales reps understand how this will help them hit their number, align with demand gen on expectations for pipeline/awareness efforts, and more.

It also will help you track success not just at the moment of launch (which likely has more targeted OKRs such as press coverage, awareness, and so on) but as a part of an on-going program for this product/feature. A launch is just a 'moment' in the journey of this product for your customers, and by rallying behind the impact goal you'll be best positioned to maximize the impact of this moment.

As a self-professed planner, my top piece of advice is to make sure you stay on top of things with some sort of tracking mechanism, whatever works best for you. That said, no matter how much you plan, there will be some last minute change or someone who goes out sick or something that fails on the morning of, so even though I am a planner at heart, I am also realistic and know that I have to go with the flow. So my don't miss piece of advice is don't let things get to you. Plan, plan, plan but also plan for change. The more flexible you can be the better!

My best 'do not miss' piece of advice for product launches to make sure that your product positioning is solid and differentiated. It needs to be rooted in specific benefits. The best rule of thumb is if your competitor can slap their name on your main message, then you need to rethink it. Your messaging, value props and benefits need to feel unique and specific to your product. What is the one thing that your product does that a competitor cannot claim. Make sure that is the focal messaging of your product launch.

This is a great question! There are three areas that I believe are crucial to launches, and to being an effective product marketer overall.

The first is to really get to know your target audience. This goes beyond simply identifying who they are. It’s about deeply exploring their challenges, needs, and behaviors. During product launches, you'll encounter a flood of opinions and ideas about tactics, channels, and messaging. Using your audience as your North Star will guide you through these discussions. By tailoring your messages to address their specific needs and resonate on a personal level, you not only engage them more effectively but also stand out in a competitive marketplace.

The second key piece of advice centers on communication and alignment. Ensure strong alignment not only within your marketing team but also across other departments like Sales, Product Development, and Customer Service. Clearly define your RACI (or your preferred framework), establish detailed workback plans, and set clear timelines for approvals. When everyone is synchronized and following a unified strategy, it significantly amplifies the impact of your launch.

And don't forget the role of data. Leveraging data-driven insights from the development stage all the way through to after the launch can really steer your strategy in the right direction. Set clear goals, keep an eye on how things are going, and be ready to adjust based on what the data is telling you. This not only helps fine-tune your efforts but can also dramatically boost your outcomes.

One that I think we are all guilty of (myself included!) - don't forget to check back on how the feature is performing 30/60/90/180 days after the launch. It's so easy to have the big bang and then move onto the next one, but don't forget to think about the full lifecycle of the launch and how you are keeping it alive in the longterm.