# GTM 0 to 1 launch Human Guide ## What This Is For Launch new products from idea to first customers. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for growth marketing: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return. Use this as a human-readable version of the GTM 0 to 1 launch agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions. ## When To Use This - Use this when you need a repeatable process for GTM 0 to 1 launch. - Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt. - Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact. ## When Not To Use This - Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer. - Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant. - Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review. ## What You Need Before Starting - The goal or business outcome you want. - The audience, customer segment, or market context. - Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance. - Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements. - A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like. ## Step-By-Step Workflow 1. State the job clearly: "Use the GTM 0 to 1 launch guide to help me with..." 2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints. 3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output. 4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below. 5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed. ## Skill-Specific Guidance - "How do we launch this product?" - "First customer acquisition strategy" - "We launched but nobody's using it" - "Product Hunt vs direct outreach?" - "We have awareness but no conversion" - "How do I know if this is working?" - Feature launches that feel like new products - Finding first 10-50 customers - Validating product-market fit - Diagnosing why early traction stalls - Messaging sounds like competitors - Differentiation requires explaining complex technical details ## Decision Points And Nuance The original skill emphasizes: When to Use, Core Frameworks, Press ≠ Growth (The Launch That Got 12 Signups), The Three-Layer Diagnosis (Why Launches Stall), The First 10 Customers Framework, The 2-Week Experiment Cycle, Partner-Led Market Entry (When You Don't Have Distribution), PMF Validation Checklist, Decision Trees, Why Is Our Launch Stalling?. Use these questions to steer the work: - What is the intended audience or buyer? - What source material must be preserved? - What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion? - What examples represent the desired quality bar? - What should the assistant avoid? ## Common Mistakes - Users sign up but don't complete first workflow - Fix: Define a single shared north star. Use it as tiebreaker for every decision: "Does this help us win a customer?" Cut activities that don't ladder up. Make progress visible weekly, not quarterly. - Convert to paying customers (don't give away for free — free users give different feedback than paying ones) - Every successful experiment must become a playbook before scaling. Structure: Goal → Steps → Expected output → Metrics → Risks. If someone unfamiliar can't execute the playbook, it's not documented well enough. - One-off wins don't compound. Systematized experiments do. The goal isn't a single launch — it's building a repeatable machine for testing assumptions at speed. - 5. Partner-Led Market Entry (When You Don't Have Distribution) - Don't pursue partnerships everywhere. Dominate 2-3 categories per quarter: - If you don't have these, you don't have PMF yet. Don't scale marketing/sales. ## Copy-And-Paste Prompt ```text Use the GTM 0 to 1 launch human guide. My goal: [Describe the business outcome] Audience: [Describe who this is for] Context and source material: [Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy] Constraints: [Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items] Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result. ``` ## Final Checklist - [ ] The output matches the original goal. - [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer. - [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved. - [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit. - [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person. ## Source This guide was generated from the github/awesome-copilot skill entry for `gtm-0-to-1-launch`. ## Source Skill Notes These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic. # 0-to-1 Launch Launch new products from idea to first customers. The goal isn't headlines — it's finding 10 customers who can't live without you. ## When to Use **Triggers:** - "How do we launch this product?" - "First customer acquisition strategy" - "We launched but nobody's using it" - "Product Hunt vs direct outreach?" - "We have awareness but no conversion" - "How do I know if this is working?" **Context:** - New product launches - Feature launches that feel like new products - Finding first 10-50 customers - Validating product-market fit - Diagnosing why early traction stalls --- ## Core Frameworks ### 1. Press ≠ Growth (The Launch That Got 12 Signups) **The Pattern:** Coordinated a feature launch with full press tour. TechCrunch, VentureBeat, product blogs. Big announcement day. **Result:** - 50K impressions - 12 signups - 2 conversions **Why It Failed:** Optimized for media buzz, not user value. The feature wasn't ready for self-serve. It needed education, context, hand-holding. Press gives you eyeballs. But eyeballs without activation = vanity. **What Works Better:** Email 50 target customers directly. "We built [feature] because teams like yours struggle with [problem]. Want early access?" Walk them through setup personally. Get feedback, iterate. **Result:** 50 emails → 15 replies (30% reply rate) → 8 trials → 4 conversions (50% trial-to-paid). **The Lesson:** Early customers come from direct outreach, not press coverage. Press matters later (Series A announcement, major milestone). For 0-to-1, it's distraction. --- ### 2. The Three-Layer Diagnosis (Why Launches Stall) **The Pattern:** You launched. You have some awareness. But conversion is weak. The problem lives in one of three layers, and each requires a different intervention. **Layer 1: Positioning Problem** Symptoms: - Messaging sounds like competitors - Differentiation requires explaining complex technical details - Buyers see you as interchangeable with alternatives - Sales conversations get derailed by comparison questions Diagnosis: You're "fighting an asymmetric war on the wrong front" — competing on features against better-funded companies. Map where competitors claim unique value. Find the position they can't easily copy. Fix: Stake a claim you can own structurally (not just through product features). Test with outbound messaging before committing product resources. **Layer 2: Experience Problem** Symptoms: - Strong awareness but weak activation - Users sign up but don't complete first workflow - Multiple entry points creating decision paralysis - Documentation is feature-centric, not outcome-centric Diagnosis: Flexibility without opinionated defaults is a liability, not a feature. Users face the "paradox of choice" — too many options, not enough guidance to the aha moment.