1 min lesson
Launch tiers
Use one lesson detail to answer "What's the first thing you'd do when handed a new feature to launch and why does it come before writing any copy?" Keep it direct.
Step 1 of 2
Launch tiersscale effort to stakes
Choose the tier with product before building assets, because it sets the asset list, the channels and who you pull in.
- Tier
- Tier 1: major release
- Examples
- A new Agent capability, a model leap, a pricing/packaging shift
- What you produce
- Full narrative: blog, landing page, demo video, founder/X push, DevRel content, enablement
- Effort
- Weeks; cross-functional
- Tier
- Tier 2: notable feature
- Examples
- A meaningful Tab or ⌘K improvement, a new integration
- What you produce
- Blog or deep changelog, demo clip, one or two channels, light enablement
- Effort
- Days; mostly solo
- Tier
- Tier 3: incremental
- Examples
- Quality-of-life fixes, small additions
- What you produce
- Changelog entry, maybe a single tweet if it delights
- Effort
- Hours
| Tier | Examples | What you produce | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1: major release | A new Agent capability, a model leap, a pricing/packaging shift | Full narrative: blog, landing page, demo video, founder/X push, DevRel content, enablement | Weeks; cross-functional |
| Tier 2: notable feature | A meaningful Tab or ⌘K improvement, a new integration | Blog or deep changelog, demo clip, one or two channels, light enablement | Days; mostly solo |
| Tier 3: incremental | Quality-of-life fixes, small additions | Changelog entry, maybe a single tweet if it delights | Hours |
Save the full narrative for releases that change how a developer works.
"I'd start before any copy. With product and eng, I'd dogfood the feature and watch a handful of real developers use it until I can name the use case where it clearly wins. If I can't name one, I'd say it isn't ready. Once it passes, I'd set the tier with product, since that decides the assets and channels. Then I'd position it, write the blog, landing page, demo and video myself, sequence the channels and set my targets before launch day."
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Optional practice