Launch Announcement

Purpose

Create crisp, clear, customer-centric internal launch announcements for new features and experiments. This skill generates structured communication for cross-functional teams (product, eng, design, data, sales, CS, marketing, leadership) about shipped features.

When to Use This Skill

Activate when:

• User invokes /launch-announcement
• Writing internal launch announcement for shipped feature
• Communicating feature release to internal stakeholders
• Documenting feature launch after deployment

When NOT to use:

• External customer communications (press releases, blog posts)
• Pre-launch feature previews or teasers
• Roadmap updates (use roadmap-updating instead)

Workflow

Step 1: Announce and Research

Announce to user: "I'm researching existing documentation to pre-fill the announcement template. Looking for PRDs, experiments, and related product documentation."

Search workspace:

• Look in datasets/product/prds/ for matching PRD
• Check datasets/product/roadmap.md for feature references
• Search datasets/meetings/ for customer signals related to the feature

Report findings: Tell user what you found and what information you can pre-fill.

Step 2: Gather Missing Information

Ask user for information not found in documentation:

Required inputs:

• Org/Team name: Which team shipped this?
• Feature name: What is the feature called?
• Short descriptor/tagline: Brief descriptor for title
• Rollout details: GA, beta, experiment, A/B test? Who is exposed?
• What actually shipped: Confirm specifics match documentation (often differs)

Optional inputs (ask if not found):

• Customer segment/persona: Who is this for?
• Customer problem details: Expand on PRD's customer statement if needed
• Detailed components that shipped: What specific pieces were delivered?
• Surfaces/pages where it appears: Where in product?
• "Coming soon" items + timing: What's next and when?
• Success metrics (baseline + targets): Actual values, not assumptions
• Monitoring/VOC plans: How will you track this?
• Early success story: Any early customer wins?
• Contributor list by function: Who to thank?
• Resource links: Videos, FAQs, docs, playbooks

CRITICAL: Never fabricate numbers, names, or metrics. Always ask user when information is missing.

Step 3: Structure Announcement

Follow this exact section ordering:

1. Launch Title

Format: [emoji] [Org/Team name] launches [Feature name] [short descriptor] [emoji]

Example emojis: :rocket:, :sparkles:, :chart_with_upwards_trend:

2. Context & Overview (1-2 paragraphs)

• Short history of the problem
• How it affected customers
• What this launch changes and why it matters
• Customer-first language (their pain, not just tech)

Source from PRD background section if available.

3. Customer Problem

Structure as persona statement:

I AM [who the customer is]
I AM TRYING TO [their goal]
BUT [what's blocking them]
BECAUSE [root cause]
WHICH MAKES ME FEEL [emotional impact]

Source from PRD's customer statement if available.

4. What Was Launched?

• 1-2 sentence summary (GA/beta/experiment, exposure)
• Bullet list of key components with:
  • What it is
  • How it works (high level)
  • Why it matters for customers
• Where it shows up in product
• Coming soon items with timeframes

Always confirm with user - shipped product often differs from PRD.

5. From → To (value shift)

Show before/after in bullets:

- [Old state] → [New state]
- [Limited capability] → [Comprehensive capability]
- [No insight] → [Clear confidence]

Source from PRD, but confirm with user for accuracy.

6. How Will We Define Success?

List metrics with baseline and target:

- [Metric description]
  - Baseline: [value and unit]
  - Target: [desired value and % change]

NEVER assume metrics. Always confirm with user. Source from PRD/EDD but validate.

7. What's Next?

• Current status (experiment, phase 1, etc.)
• What you'll be monitoring
• Future phases or related initiatives
• Dependencies or upcoming improvements

Check roadmap, but validate with user.

8. Early Success Story (optional)

2-4 sentences about real customer impact already observed.

Only include if user provides specific story. Do not fabricate.

9. Shout Outs & HUGE THANKS

• Brief paragraph acknowledging cross-functional effort
• List people grouped by function:
  • Product, Design, Engineering, Data Science/Analytics
  • PMM, Sales/CSM/Support
  • Trust & Safety/Policy/Legal
  • Leadership/Sponsors
  • Special thanks

10. Resources (optional)

• Demo/walkthrough videos
• Internal docs, FAQs, playbooks
• Enablement materials

Only include if links exist. Do not create placeholder URLs.

Step 4: Write Announcement File

Output location: datasets/product/launch-announcements/{YYYY}/launch-{feature-slug}.md

Format requirements:

• Markdown with bold section headers
• Blank lines between sections
• Bullet lists where indicated
• Light, work-appropriate emojis (similar to examples)

Tone:

• Clear, confident, customer-first
• Appropriately celebratory ("we shipped!")
• Use "we" for team, "our customers" for users
• Avoid jargon unless standard in org

Acceptable jargon:

• "C1" = customer of ours (brands, businesses)
• "C2" = business' customers (subscribers, members)

Step 5: Confirm with User

Show user the announcement and ask:

• "Does this accurately reflect what was shipped?"
• "Any corrections or additions needed?"

Quality Gates

Information Accuracy:

• No fabricated numbers, names, or metrics
• Shipped features confirmed with user
• All metrics validated (baseline + target)

Citation Requirements:

• Reference PRDs and source documents when used
• Customer quotes attributed with dates

Style Compliance:

• Bold section headers used consistently
• Blank lines between sections
• Emojis used appropriately (not overdone)

Common Mistakes

Success Criteria

• Announcement file written to correct location
• All 9 required sections included (10 if resources available)
• No fabricated information (TBD if unknown)
• Customer-centric language throughout
• User confirms accuracy of shipped features
• Metrics validated with user
• Template structure followed exactly

Related Skills

• prd-creation: Source for customer problem and requirements
• meeting-synthesis: Source for customer signals and quotes
• content-style: General content quality standards