B2B product launch checklist (free template)

A B2B launch rarely goes wrong on launch day. It goes wrong three weeks earlier, when the pricing was still open, sales hadn't seen the demo and nobody had written the email. This checklist puts every task on a date, counted back from launch day, so you see what is late while there is still time to fix it.

It is written for a small team: a GTM manager or product marketer, a founder, one or two engineers and whoever sells. Copy the phases as they are, change the dates to yours and delete the tasks that don't apply.

How to use the checklist

• Pick launch day first. Every date below counts back from it.
• Put one name on each task. In a small team, write it in the task itself, like "Launch page copy (Sam)".
• Go through it once a week, in the same meeting. When a task slips, give it a new date instead of leaving it on the old one.

Six weeks out: decide what you are launching

• Write one sentence that says what you are launching and who it is for. If the team can't agree on it, sort that out before anything else.
• Decide how big the launch is. A new product needs a launch page, a press list and a customer event. A new feature may need only an email and a changelog post.
• Set launch day. Avoid public holidays in your main markets and the week of your industry's biggest event.
• Choose the number that will tell you it worked, and check it two weeks after launch. For example signups, demos booked or upgrades from existing customers.
• List who has to sign off, such as legal, security or finance, and ask them now.
• Look at what your competitors shipped in the last three months, so your launch doesn't claim a first they already have.

Four weeks out: positioning and pricing

• Write the positioning on one page: the problem, who has it, what changes for them and why they would pick you over the alternatives.
• Write the main message in your customers' words. Take phrases from sales calls and support tickets.
• Settle pricing and packaging. Which plans get it, whether it costs extra and what changes for existing customers.
• Draft the launch page, or the changes to an existing product page.
• Choose the channels: the customer email, the prospect email, the blog post, LinkedIn, the in-app announcement and any partners.
• Book outside help now if you need it, such as a designer, a video editor or a customer who agrees to give a quote.

Two weeks out: build the assets

• Write, design and review the launch page.
• Take product screenshots and record a short demo on the finished product, not a mockup.
• Draft the launch blog post and the announcement email.
• Write the help docs and the changelog entry.
• Give sales one page with the questions buyers will ask and how to answer when a competitor comes up. A battlecard works well for this.
• Give support a short list of the questions they will get on day one, with the answers.
• Ask two or three customers to try it early and tell you what is unclear.

One week out: rehearse

• Run the demo from start to finish on the live product, with someone who hasn't seen it.
• Brief the sales team: what is new, who to call first, the price and the answers to likely objections.
• Brief support and customer success on what changes for existing customers.
• Schedule the email, the blog post and the social posts. See how to schedule a LinkedIn post and how to schedule a post on X.
• Check your tracking. The launch page counts visits, the signup button counts clicks and you know where to look on the day.
• Agree on a go or no-go time the day before, and who makes the call.

Launch day

• Start with the go or no-go check. The product works in production, the page is ready and the email is queued.
• Switch the feature on or publish the page, then send the email.
• Post on social and send the links to the team, so they can share them too.
• Launching on Product Hunt as well? Follow the step-by-step guide.
• Ask one person to watch support and social all day and answer fast.
• Write down every question and complaint. You will use them next week.

The week after

• Follow up with everyone who signed up or booked a demo within two days.
• Collect what sales and support heard, and fix the page where people got confused.
• Compare the result with the number you chose six weeks out.
• Hold a 30-minute review of what worked and what to change, and add it to the checklist for next time.
• Watch how your competitors respond over the next weeks, like a price change, a new comparison page or a copy of your feature.

Copy the checklist into Plainrival Timeline

Plainrival Timeline is a free launch planner for this list. It has a calendar, a dated checklist for each day and a progress bar for each plan. No setup and no AI.

1. 1

   Create a timeline for the launch

   Free accounts have one timeline, which is enough for one launch.

2. 2

   Add one plan per phase

   Name them after the phases above, from Six weeks out to The week after. Each plan gets its own progress bar.

3. 3

   Put each phase on its date

   Count back from launch day, add a day for each phase and type its tasks into that day's checklist.

4. 4

   Tick tasks off and share

   The bars fill as the team ticks tasks off. Export the timeline as a picture for the weekly launch sync.

For the export styles, see share your launch timeline as one picture.

To see what your competitors change after you launch, Plainrival also checks their public pages every day and sends a weekly brief of the changes that matter. Start free and set up your launch timeline today.

Questions

Questions about product launches

How far ahead should you plan a B2B product launch?

Six weeks is enough for most feature launches at a small team. A new product or a new pricing model needs longer, because positioning and sign-off take more time. Add the extra weeks at the start.

Who should own a product launch at a small company?

One person, usually the GTM manager or product marketer, or the founder if there is neither. They don't do every task. They keep the dates and follow up on what slips.

What goes in a product launch announcement email?

What is new, who it is for, one screenshot and one button to try it. Send it to existing customers first, then to prospects.