A product launch plan, research to deck. Built on your budget.

Product launch plan is a DFIRST skill that puts your whole launch in one folder: market research, positioning with three key benefits, a media plan that adds up to your budget, a big idea with a key visual, ads, a landing page, a newsletter and the launch deck. Firsty, the DFIRST agent, waits for your approval between the main steps.

Every number in the deck has a source
The media plan adds up to your budget exactly
Each piece lists the benefits it uses

Works with

Examples. What you ask, what you get back.

Plan the US launch of the new KINETRA trail shoe for early spring. Media budget $120,000.

The positioning was approved first. The media plan's six rows add up to exactly $120,000, and each row names the key benefit it carries.

TableMedia plan: KINETRA trail, US spring

Channel	Weeks	Benefit used	Budget
Instagram and Facebook ads	1 to 6	Grips on wet rock	$34,000
YouTube pre-roll	2 to 5	Light enough to run from the door	$26,000
TikTok creators (4)	1 to 4	Grips on wet rock	$18,000
Google Search	1 to 6	Cushioned for long days	$16,000
Trail race sampling (3 races)	3 to 6	Cushioned for long days	$14,000
Email and retargeting	2 to 6	Light enough to run from the door	$12,000
Total			$120,000

Adds up to the budget: $120,000. Benefits from the approved positioning.

positioning.mdus-trail-market-research.md

Launch plan for SOL CLUB SPF 50 in California, media from early May, budget $60,000. Put it all in a deck.

Three slides from the launch deck, in SOL CLUB's yellow and red. Each number names the file it came from, down to the page or the row.

02The gap we fill

Buyers who say their sunscreen leaves a white cast.

61%ca-sunscreen-survey.pdf, p. 7

03Media plan

Five channels, early May to mid-June.

$60,000media-plan.xlsx, Total row

Before any media: positioning for ZESTA Lime in the US, with three key benefits, against SIPP and VOLT.

Positioning with three key benefits, each backed by a product fact or a review, and the rivals' claims beside them. Media planning waited until Ama approved it.

DocumentPositioning: ZESTA Lime, US

Positioning

For people cutting sugar who still want a treat: real lime and light sparkle, nothing else.

Three key benefits

1. Zero sugar, with juice from real limes (product sheet)
2. Light sparkle that does not fill you up (customer reviews)
3. Made in Barcelona from Spanish citrus (brand story)

Where rivals stand

SIPP: Calm and premium, by the pool
VOLT: Energy, night, gaming
ZESTA Lime: A daytime treat with no sugar

Decision Approved by Ama, 12 Feb

The media plan starts from this version.

zesta-lime-sheet.pdfreviews-q4.csvCompetitors: SIPP, VOLT

How it goes. The same steps every time.

Firsty follows the skill’s steps in order and stops where the choice is yours. Nothing paid starts without your yes.

1
Firsty researches your market, competitors, prices and audience
2
Firsty writes your positioning with three key benefits
You approve the positioning before the media plan
3
Firsty builds the media plan and three big ideas for the campaign
You pick one big idea before the key visual
4
Firsty makes the ads, a landing page and a newsletter
Asks before anything paid
5
Firsty puts it all in a launch deck, with a source for every number

Done when

Every number in the deck has a source
The media plan adds up to your budget exactly
Each piece lists the benefits it uses
Change a benefit later and you see what needs redoing

At a glance.

What Product launch plan needs from you and what it hands back.

You bring: A link to the product, the market and the media budget with its currency.
Defaults: A launch six weeks from today on the brand's own accounts, unless you give a date and channels.
You get: A launch folder with an index: positioning, the media plan as a Table, the big idea and key visual, ads, a landing page, a newsletter and the deck.
The money: The media plan's rows add up to your budget to the last unit of your currency.
The deck: Every number on a slide names where it came from.
Paid steps: Firsty asks before making the ads or anything else that costs.

Part of this skill. Each task also has its own page.

When you ask for one of these on its own, Firsty runs it with this skill.

Seasonal positioning Keep your offer relevant to the moment.

Questions people ask.

About Product launch plan and how it fits the rest of DFIRST.

How do I write a product launch plan?

Start with the product, the market and the budget. A good plan then answers, in order: who it is for and why they will care, which channels get how much, what the big idea is, and what you will put out. This skill works in that order and stops for your approval between steps.

Will the media plan match my budget exactly?

Yes. The rows of the media plan add up to the budget you give, in its currency, with nothing left over or missing. Each row names the channel, the weeks and the key benefit it carries, so you can see where the money goes and why.

Does it book the media or publish the ads?

No. You get the plan, the ads, the landing page and the newsletter as drafts in your launch folder. Nothing is booked, posted or sent by Firsty. You take each piece to your ad accounts and mailing tool when you are ready.

What happens if I change a key benefit later?

Every piece in the launch folder lists the benefits it uses. When you change one, you can see which ads, pages and slides rest on it and need redoing, instead of checking the whole launch by hand.

Where do the numbers in the launch deck come from?

From the research Firsty does on your market, competitors, prices and audience, and from your own files in the Data Room. Each number on a slide shows its source, so you have an answer when someone asks where a figure came from.

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