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.

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Positioning

Use April Dunford's 5-component framework:

1. Competitive Alternatives - What customers use today
2. Unique Attributes - What you have that alternatives don't
3. Value - What those attributes enable
4. Target Customer - Who cares most about that value
5. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

1. Identify Beachhead: Narrow, winnable segment
2. Dominate: Become #1 in that segment
3. 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

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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)

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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.

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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

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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

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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)