Go-to-Market (GTM) and launches are not interchangeable. GTM is the broader commercial strategy covering pricing, packaging, and segmentation. A launch is a specific, event-based moment within that GTM plan designed to create urgency and capture buyer attention.

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A product launch isn't merely a release date; it's a strategic, coordinated campaign. Its primary goal is to change the market's perception, generate demand, and create momentum across the entire funnel, moving beyond a simple product announcement.

Avoid the trap of trying to achieve everything with one launch. Instead, define a single primary KPI—such as press mentions, sales rep message adoption, or a specific user action—and build the entire campaign strategy around optimizing for that one goal.

The weeks following a launch are for intense learning, not just promotion. The goal is to quickly identify high-adopting customer segments and then execute mini 'relaunches' with tailored messaging specifically for them, maximizing impact and conversion.

Founders must consider their sales motion (e.g., PLG vs. enterprise sales-led) when designing the product. A product built for one motion won't sell effectively in another, potentially forcing a costly redesign. This concept extends "product-market fit" to "product-market-sales fit."

A more effective mental model than PLG vs. SLG is analyzing which activities create new demand versus which ones harvest existing demand. Both sales and product can serve either function. Creating demand is always the harder, more critical challenge for any revenue engine.

A dual-track launch strategy is most effective. Ship small, useful improvements on a weekly cadence to demonstrate momentum and reliability. For major, innovative features that represent a step-change, consolidate them into a single, high-impact 'noisy' launch to capture maximum attention.

Instead of a rigid plan, early-stage companies should establish core GTM "tent poles": a defined ICP, answers to the four essential questions of value, and an engagement model. These elements provide structure but can be flexibly adjusted based on market feedback without causing the entire strategy to collapse.

Fal treats every new model launch on its platform as a full-fledged marketing event. Rather than just a technical update, each release becomes an opportunity to co-market with research labs, create social buzz, and provide sales with a fresh reason to engage prospects. This strategy turns the rapid pace of AI innovation into a predictable and repeatable growth engine.

As software commoditizes, the buying experience itself becomes a key differentiator. Map the entire customer journey, from awareness to renewal, and design unique, valuable interactions at each stage. This shifts the focus from transactional selling to creating a memorable, human-centric experience that drives purchasing decisions.

Don't force your sales team to learn and sell a completely new product. Instead, integrate the new capability into an existing, successful product, making it "first" or "default" for that channel. This reduces sales friction and complexity, leveraging established momentum for adoption.

Treat Go-to-Market as the Strategy and a Launch as a Key Moment Within It | RiffOn