Part 1 - Resist the blockbuster
Hey Prompt Entrepreneur,
Want to hear something embarrassing?
Earlier this year, I spent THREE MONTHS planning what I thought would be my perfect product launch. Everything was meticulously prepared - the sales page was a work of art, the email sequence was crafted like fine poetry, and the product itself? Chef's kiss.
The result?
A whopping £3,000 in sales…
Now, that might not sound terrible. But spread over three months of prep? That's a grand total of £1,000 per month of work. I could have made more working at McDonald's. And probably got some free chips…
Fast forward to the next launch. Realised had to do it differently.
Different product, completely different approach. This time I started small, tested messaging with a tiny group, adjusted based on their feedback, and gradually built momentum.
The result this time?
£100,000.
Same person (me). Same market. Same target audience. The only difference? The launch approach.
What did I do next? I launched again. Another £100,000. And what do you think I’m doing next month? You guess it - another launch.
We’re going to spend this Playbook talking about this launch method.
And especially the wider of context of how we use launches to grow our audience and business over time rather than only for quick cash.
Let’s get started
Break Stuff
✍️
Resist the Blockbuster
- Why soft launches beat big bangs (almost) every time
- The simple checklist you need for launch success
- How to validate messaging and pricing without stress
- Setting realistic launch goals and timelines
- Using soft launches to build toward bigger wins
The AI Tool Graveyard
Here's a sobering experiment: hop onto any AI tool directory right now. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Notice anything? Most of these tools are digital tumbleweeds. Last updated: 6 months ago. Twitter account: dormant since launch. Product Hunt comments: crickets.
It's the great irony of 2024 - AI has made it easier than ever to build tools, but harder than ever to get them noticed. It’s a blessing and a curse. A double edged sword.
The ease of creation has led to a tsunami of new tools, and most are drowning in the noise. What’s great for building is also a nightmare for going to market!
Annoying! We want to AI to be working for us…but not necessarily everyone else. Ha!
I see it at every AI meetup I attend. Brilliant developers with mind-blowing tools, but no customers. Amazing solutions, but no one using them.
And you know what the worst part is? Many of these tools are genuinely useful! They're not failing because they're bad products. They're failing because of how they were launched. Because of DISTRIBUTION.
This is why our approach through these Playbooks has been different. We've been methodically:
- Validating our ideas before building (Playbook 1)
- Building fast and lean (Playbook 2)
- Testing thoroughly with real users (Playbook 3)
Now we're at the crucial moment - the launch. And we're going to do it differently than 99% of AI tools out there.
Pssst…we actually already set ourselves up for launch success back in Playbook 1 by, you know, working out what tool our customers actually wants rather than what we think they want. Smart huh?
The Soft Launch Secret
Instead of spending months crafting the "perfect" launch strategy (spoiler: there isn't one), we're going to start small and smart. Here's what that looks like:
Phase 1: The Whisper Launch This isn't even really a launch. It's more like a quiet conversation with potential users. You're basically saying "Hey, I built this thing, it’s pretty cool, want to try it?"
What's beautiful about this phase is that there's no pressure. If something goes wrong (and it will), only a handful of people see it. If you’re a theatre kid this is the dress rehearsal.
Phase 2: The Momentum Builder Once we've got those first few users and have ironed out the obvious kinks, we start to turn up the volume - but just a little. This is where we start collecting those early wins, testimonials, and use cases that will fuel our bigger launch. We’re using the results of the first users to move to our next users.
Phase 3: The Rolling Thunder Now we're starting to make some noise, but in a controlled way. Instead of one big BANG, we're creating a series of smaller launches, each one bigger than the last. This is our medium to long term strategy.
Let's use this prompt to create your personalised launch timeline
You are an AI launch strategist for AI tools and products. Create a 3 phrase graduated launch plan based on the following information:
My AI Tool:
[Brief description of your tool]
Current Status:
[Testing completed? Any beta users?]
Target Market:
[Who will use this?]
Existing Audience:
[Your current reach/following]
For each week, provide:
1. Specific goals (users, revenue, feedback)
2. Key activities and content needed
3. Success metrics to hit before advancing
4. Common pitfalls to avoid
5. Resources needed
Remember this is a graduated approach:
1: Whisper Launch (5-10 users)
2: Momentum Building (10+ users)
3: Rolling Thunder (100+ users)Input your tool’s information - as always more detail is better. Alternatively use this under the work from the previous Playbooks.
This is a high level prompt - we’ll get into the details over the rest of the week. This prompt will give you a customised timeline based on your specific situation. But here's what it typically looks like:
Week 1: The Whisper Launch
- Goal: 5-10 highly engaged users
- Activities: Direct outreach, 1-1 demos, high-touch support
- Success Metric: At least 3 users actively using the tool
- Focus: Gathering deep feedback and fixing critical issues
Phase 3: Momentum Building
- Goal: 50+ users
- Activities: Larger announcements, case studies from early wins
- Success Metric: 40+ active users, clear product-market fit
- Focus: Building social proof and launch momentum
Phase 3: Rolling Thunder
- Goal: 100+ users
- Activities: Full launch campaigns (plural), leveraging all previous wins
- Success Metric: Consistent daily sign-ups
- Focus: Scaling what's proven to work. Do more of winning strategies.
What's Coming Next
Over the next parts of this Playbook, we'll dive deep into
Part 2: The Audience Question How to launch successfully whether you have an audience or not (and how to build one along the way).
Part 3: Launch Content & Tactics Specific content types and templates for each phase of your launch.
Part 4: Momentum Building Turning early users into advocates and case studies that fuel your growth.
Part 5: Launch-Led Growth How to use launches as an ongoing growth engine for your AI business.
Remember: The goal isn't a perfect launch right out of the gate. Especially if this is your first launch it’s unlikely. No offence!
The goal instead is to start small, learn fast, and build momentum. That's how we avoid the AI tool graveyard and build something that actually grows.
PS. If you’ve got this far we’re exploring launching a 30 Day AI Entrepreneurship Accelerator where we:
1. Hone a business idea
2. Build a focused AI tool
3. Test and refine the tool
4. Market and launch
Course, community and live sessions.
Waitlist here: https://heyform.net/f/ZCCsfMqx