/60-launch-playbook-global

name: 60-launch-playbook-global
description: "Use when a launch needs a repeatable EXECUTION playbook — a T-30 to D+7 timeline, per-function checklists for content, design, ads, sales, and engineering, a launch-day war room, an escalation matrix, and roll-back criteria. Trigger on 'launch playbook', 'launch checklist', 'launch day plan', 'launch SOP', 'war room', 'we launch in two weeks and nothing is organized'. Also use when a GTM strategy exists and nobody knows who does what on the day. Not for — the strategy and beachhead choice, see `59-go-to-market-global`; the campaign brief, see `02-campaign-brief-global`; the post-launch review, see `63-campaign-retrospective-global`; a live crisis, see `66-crisis-playbook-global`."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1
  category: strategy
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "launch playbook"
  - "launch process"
  - "launch checklist"
  - "launch SOP"
  - "war room"
  - "roll back launch"
  - "launch day plan"
  - "launch preparation"
output: "File .md — three-phase playbook: pre-launch T-30 to T-1, launch-day war room plus D+1 to D+7, post-launch; per-function checklists, escalation matrix, roll-back criteria"
related:
  - 59-go-to-market-global
  - 02-campaign-brief-global
  - 41-campaign-asset-list-global
  - 63-campaign-retrospective-global
  - 66-crisis-playbook-global

Launch Playbook (Global)

> A playbook is not a plan. A plan is for one launch; a playbook is reusable and improves after every launch. Successful launches are not luck — they are the product of correct preparation and disciplined execution. Run `59-go-to-market-global` first for the GTM plan; this playbook is the execution layer underneath it.

Information gathering

Read the GTM plan and the campaign brief if available. If missing, ask up to 4 questions:

1. **What is launching, and on what date?** Product or offer, exact D-day, and any blackout dates in the period. 2. **Who is on the team?** Content, design, media buying, sales/support, engineering — who can do what? 3. **What assets exist already?** Landing page, creative, email sequence, tracking — status of each. 4. **What did the last launch teach you?** Read the previous retrospective and update the playbook; never reuse the old version unchanged.

Principles

1. **Update the playbook after every launch.** Lessons from the retrospective must land in the playbook. 2. **"No-go" is a valid decision.** Launching at the wrong time is worse than launching late. 3. **Only the leader decides go/no-go.** Never delegate it. 4. **Plan backwards from D-day.** Every task has exactly one owner and a deadline with a specific time and timezone. Keep a one-day buffer before launch for the unexpected. 5. **Ads are built and left Paused.** They go live on D-day only, never earlier.

Phase 1 — Pre-launch (T-30 to T-1)

T-30 to T-21: Foundation

• [ ] Offer finalized: price, bundle, guarantee, bonuses locked (no changes after this point)
• [ ] Positioning and core message locked (from `58-positioning-global` or the GTM plan)
• [ ] Landing page brief handed to design/dev
• [ ] Content team briefed: angles, hooks, visual direction
• [ ] Media buyer briefed: audience research, account structure, ads plan
• [ ] Full asset list built (run `41-campaign-asset-list-global`)
• [ ] Claim substantiation file started: every performance, health, or income claim has evidence on record

T-21 to T-14: Build

• [ ] Landing page live, tracking verified green (pixel, server-side events, UTMs)
• [ ] Pre-launch email sequence written (3-5 emails), unsubscribe and sender identity compliant with CAN-SPAM/GDPR
• [ ] Designer has the brief and the asset list (T-14 checkpoint)
• [ ] Teaser content starts: 1-2 posts per week, problem-aware, NO offer reveal
• [ ] Warm-audience ads live (engagement objective, low CPM)
• [ ] Email #1 sent: name the problem
• [ ] Seeding in relevant communities (Reddit, Discord, Slack, niche forums) following each community's self-promotion rules
• [ ] Creators / UGC partners briefed, with disclosure requirements stated (FTC requires clear #ad or #sponsored disclosure on paid endorsements)

T-7: Ramp up

• [ ] Teasers move to daily cadence
• [ ] Designer submits MVP concept > leader approves (T-7); complex assets such as the landing page finished by T-5
• [ ] Email #2: reveal the problem, hint at the solution
• [ ] Ads budget increased (traffic to landing page to build custom audiences)
• [ ] Social proof collected: testimonials from beta users or existing customers
• [ ] FAQ content published: handles the common objections

T-3: Final prep

• [ ] All content approved and scheduled (medium-complexity assets — carousels, banner sets — done by T-3)
• [ ] Ads fully built and Paused, waiting for D-day
• [ ] Landing page final QA: load time, forms, payment (card, PayPal, wallets), mobile rendering
• [ ] Email #3: "Doors open [date] — want to be told first?"
• [ ] Team brief: who does what, at what hour, in which timezone (war room roster)
• [ ] Inbox coverage assigned with response scripts ready
• [ ] Fast assets (statics, stories) done by T-1

T-1: Go / no-go check

• [ ] Tracking 100% working
• [ ] Payment tested successfully across every method offered
• [ ] All links resolve, no 404s
• [ ] Offer copy correct (price, bonuses, deadline)
• [ ] Consent, privacy notice, and unsubscribe paths verified
• [ ] Team confirmed ready
• **LEADER SIGN-OFF: GO / NO-GO** — any missing item means NO-GO

Per-function checklist (before D-day)

| Function | Checklist | |----------|-----------| | Content | Captions, scripts, and creative approved by leader; hashtags and UTM links complete; schedule set or a person on duty to post; backup content if creator delivery slips | | Design | Correct size per platform; assets follow the timeline T-14 brief > T-7 concept > T-5 complex > T-3 medium > T-1 fast; quick-asset standby on launch day | | Ads (media buyer) | Pixel and tracking verified; campaigns built and Paused; budget matches plan