Madison Springgate

As the PMM, I like to think of us as the quarterbacks of the launch. We determine the strategy but we have to heavily rely on our partners to execute it. At Sauce Labs, we’ve worked across stakeholders to develop a Launch Checklist Template that outlines every launch activity, with designated owners to ensure alignment on responsibilities. We also hold a Launch Team Interconnect bi-weekly meeting to review the launch timeline and GTM plan, ensuring everyone is on the same page and aware of their action items. It’s essential to get buy-in from various teams and leverage their expertise in telling the launch story. And remember, product launches should be fun! They showcase how our business is innovating and delivering cool new products, so it’s really important to make it an exciting time and celebration for all teams.

At Sauce Labs, our product marketing team owns the sizing up of each launch based on its strategic importance and business impact. Each launch is unique, and the size helps guide the level of GTM support we provide. Here’s how we break it down: * Extra Large: This is a big one— super strategic with huge revenue potential and industry impact. It solves a major problem for our customers, and is an opportunity for thought leadership and press coverage. * Large: Medium revenue potential, but still important that it solves a customer problem, potentially opening a new market or user base. * Medium: These are “table stakes” or “catch up” launches with small revenue potential, mainly requiring communications to current customers. * Small: Typically a changelog or maintenance release with minimal revenue potential, needing basic internal awareness.

It's all about strong, ongoing relationships with our product managers. I make it a point to meet weekly with my product partner to discuss the latest updates from both the product and GTM perspectives. Then, we hold bi-weekly meetings with the larger PMM and PM teams to review the roadmap. These lead up to a comprehensive monthly roadmap review, ensuring we're all on the same page and that our sales team is informed about any changes.

This is my favorite part of product launches—finding creative ways to tell the product story! * I always make sure we have at least two demos for promoting the new product. I work with my product manager and dev teams to create a technical demo that dives deep into the product specifics. I’m also a huge fan of Navattic interactive demos—they’re more high-level and highlight the core value props. * Webinars are another favorite; they’re a great way to engage directly with customers about the launch. At Sauce Labs, we have two types of launch webinars: our "Hot Sauce Releases" webinar covering all the latest launches, and specific launch webinars that focus on one product in detail. * And then I would definitely recommend doing an explainer video for larger launches - they’re a fun, visual way to communicate the product’s value and get everyone excited (especially through social)! 

When you are launching a product internally, the process needs to be collaborative and (more importantly) fun! * I first create a product launch brief that covers everything you need to know about the product - the positioning, GTM plan, competitive analysis, etc. This doc is shared widely across the company for everyone to review and give feedback. Aligning on this brief is key as it forms the foundation of our GTM strategy and guides the rest of our launch assets. * About a month before the launch, I host a GTM kickoff call with a deck to talk through the product positioning, customer evidence, and we showcase a live demo. * As the launch date gets closer, I lead a sales enablement call to dive deep into the launch details with the sales team about the product. This call not only trains the sales team on how to talk about the product with customers but also gets everyone excited about the launch. * After the product is launched, we celebrate internally with Slack and email announcements, sharing all the fun new resources for everyone to check out and post on social.

Authenticity Developers have a keen eye for marketing fluff. They really value straight talk - so get to the point! What does your product do, how it works, and why it’s better. No hype, just facts. Robust Docs This can’t be overstated! Developers rely on clear, comprehensive, and accessible docs. It’s often their first point of contact with your product, so it needs to be readily available (think SEO) and provide clear answers. Community Engagement Developers thrive in communities. I really believe that having an active, helpful community around the product is critical - I have seen this work well through forums, GitHub, and community events.

It may feel obvious but the main difference is that developers are much more self-reliant and want to get their hands dirty. They’re typically less interested in traditional marketing tactics and more in practical, no-nonsense content - think code samples, SDKs, and detailed docs. For a successful developer GTM, I recommend focusing on enabling self-service trials and adoption. At Twilio, we saw great success with users starting on free trials and self-serve options, then organically growing their usage as they got more comfortable with the product. This hands-on approach often turns developers into lifelong champions who bring the product to every company they work with.

Building a developer GTM strategy is all about understanding and connecting with developers on their terms. I start with deep research to uncover the pain points they face and the tools they’re already using. It’s critical to make sure our product seamlessly integrates into their existing workflows, so it feels like a natural extension rather than something they have to learn from scratch. At Sauce Labs, we’re fortunate to have an amazing DevRel team with industry-leading contributors to Selenium and Appium. I collaborate closely with them to create community-driven content and events—whether it’s technical blogs, open-source projects, or an engaged presence on platforms like GitHub and YouTube. We also prioritize hands-on experiences, like interactive demos or sandbox environments, because developers need to experience the product firsthand, not just hear about it.

The biggest lesson that I have learned leading technical product marketing, is that developers value trust and transparency above all else. It’s better to let the product speak for itself, and encourage developers to play around with it and explore on their own. I’ve also found that developers want to be part of the process, not just end-users. Involving them early, whether through beta programs or open-source projects, not only builds stronger relationships but also leads to better products. By treating developers as partners rather than just customers, you create a loyal community that advocates for your product.

Great question! I agree, when it comes to KPIs, we need to keep everyone on the same page from start to finish. Here’s how I like to approach it: * Pre-Kickoff: During campaign planning, I work closely with my partners in marketing to determine what our target account list and KPIs are for the launch. This is when we get aligned, and make sure that everyone understands the purpose behind each metric. * During Execution: Then as we work through the campaign, our team is great about sharing regular updates during weekly check-ins and through Salesforce dashboards. Not that we need more meetings 😉 but it is the best way that I have found to keep everyone informed and allows us to pivot when needed. * Post-Launch: After the launch, our team pulls together a report that reviews each KPI, highlights successes, and shares lessons learned. We’re also rolling out monthly metric review sessions to discuss where we saw success and areas for improvement across the funnel.