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:

code

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:

code

- [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:

code

- [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

Mistake	Fix
Fabricating metrics or baselines	Always ask user for actual values
Assuming PRD matches shipped product	Confirm what actually shipped with user
Creating placeholder URLs	Only include links that exist
Over-using emojis	Light, work-appropriate emojis only
Making up success stories	Only include if user provides specific story
Skipping research phase	Always search for PRD/docs first

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