Go-to-Market Playbooks

Overview

Comprehensive guide to go-to-market (GTM) strategies, product positioning, launch planning, and market entry tactics.

When to Use This Skill

Auto-loaded by agents:

• launch-planner
• For GTM strategies, positioning, and distribution playbooks

Use when you need:

• Planning product launches

• Positioning new products

• Entering new markets

• Rebranding or repositioning

• Competitive differentiation

GTM Strategy Types

Four core GTM motions. Pick based on product complexity, price point, and distribution model.

Motion Model Best For Examples

Product-Led (PLG) Product drives acquisition, conversion, expansion Low price (<$100/mo), quick time-to-value, network effects Slack, Dropbox, Notion, Figma

Sales-Led Sales team drives revenue High contract values ($10K+), complex sales cycles Salesforce, SAP

Community-Led Community drives adoption Developer tools, open-source, passion-driven users GitHub, HashiCorp, Discord

Partner-Led Partners drive distribution Platform complements, ecosystem plays Shopify apps, AWS Marketplace

Deep dive: See references/gtm-strategy-types-guide.md for full playbooks, funnels, and step-by-step tactics for each motion.

Positioning

Use April Dunford's 5-component framework:

• Competitive Alternatives - What customers use today

• Unique Attributes - What you have that alternatives don't

• Value - What those attributes enable

• Target Customer - Who cares most about that value

• Market Category - What context makes the value obvious

Positioning Statement Template:

For [target customer] Who [need/opportunity] [Product] is a [category] That [key benefit] Unlike [alternative] We [primary differentiation]

Deep dive: See assets/positioning-statement-template.md for the full 5-step positioning process with worked examples.

Messaging

Three-level messaging hierarchy:

• Level 1: Company messaging (mission, brand, values)

• Level 2: Product messaging (positioning, value props, differentiators)

• Level 3: Feature messaging (benefits, use cases, proof points)

Key formulas:

• Before-After-Bridge (BAB): Pain -> desired state -> how product bridges the gap

• PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solve): Identify pain -> make it worse -> your solution

Deep dive: See assets/messaging-formulas-template.md for full formulas with examples.

Launch Strategy

Launch Tiers

Tier 1: Major Launch - New product, major rebranding, strategic pivot. Full PR, events, marketing.

Tier 2: Feature Launch - Significant new capability. Blog post, email, social, targeted outreach.

Tier 3: Improvement - Bug fixes, small features. Release notes, changelog.

Launch Channels

Channel Type Examples

Owned Website, blog, email list, in-app, social media

Earned Press (TechCrunch), Product Hunt, Hacker News, influencers

Paid Google Ads, LinkedIn/Twitter ads, retargeting, sponsored content

Partnerships Co-marketing, integration announcements, channel partners

Deep dive: See assets/launch-timeline-template.md for a Tier 1 launch checklist from T-8 weeks through post-launch.

Market Entry Strategy

TAM/SAM/SOM

TAM (Total Addressable Market): Everyone who could use product SAM (Serviceable Available Market): Segment you can reach SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market): Realistic target

Beachhead Strategy (Geoffrey Moore)

Dominate one narrow segment before expanding.

• Identify Beachhead: Narrow, winnable segment

• Dominate: Become #1 in that segment

• Expand: Adjacent segments

Examples: Facebook (Harvard -> Ivy League -> all colleges -> everyone), Amazon (books -> electronics -> everything)

Market Entry Checklist

• Market size validation

• Competitive landscape

• Regulatory requirements

• Localization needs (language, currency, compliance)

• Distribution partners

• Pricing for market

Competitive Strategy

Competitive Intel

What to Track: Product features/roadmap, pricing, marketing messages, customer reviews, funding/news

Sources: Competitor websites/blogs, G2/Capterra reviews, LinkedIn (hiring = roadmap hints), earnings calls, customer conversations

Battle Cards

For each competitor, document:

• Overview (size, funding, target customers, strengths)

• When they win vs. when we win

• Feature comparison and positioning

• Objection handling scripts

• Proof points (customer wins, case studies)

Pricing & Packaging

Five core pricing models: Freemium, Free Trial, Usage-Based, Tiered, Per-Seat.

Pick a value metric that scales with customer value (per user, per event, per API call, storage).

Deep dive: See references/pricing-packaging-guide.md for pricing model details and 3-tier packaging strategy.

GTM Playbook Summary

Choose GTM Motion:

Low-touch, self-serve -> PLG High-touch, complex sale -> Sales-Led Developer product -> Community-Led Platform complement -> Partner-Led

Then:

1. Position (find differentiation)
2. Message (communicate value)
3. Launch (create awareness)
4. Optimize (iterate and scale)

Key Success Factors:

• Clear positioning
• Focused beachhead
• Aligned team
• Measured results

Resources

Books:

• "Obviously Awesome" - April Dunford (positioning)

• "Crossing the Chasm" - Geoffrey Moore (market entry)

• "Product-Led Growth" - Wes Bush (PLG strategy)

• "The Mom Test" - Rob Fitzpatrick (customer discovery)

Frameworks:

• April Dunford positioning canvas

• Jobs-to-be-Done framework

• Lean Canvas (market fit)

Tools:

• Competitors: Crayon, Klue

• Launches: Product Hunt, BetaList

• Analytics: Mixpanel, Segment

Deep Dive Files

File Contents

references/gtm-strategy-types-guide.md Full PLG, sales-led, community-led, partner-led playbooks

references/pricing-packaging-guide.md Pricing models, 3-tier packaging, value metrics

assets/positioning-statement-template.md April Dunford 5-step positioning process with examples

assets/messaging-formulas-template.md BAB and PAS messaging formulas with examples

assets/launch-timeline-template.md Tier 1 launch timeline checklist (T-8 weeks to post-launch)