1/ The launch paradox. Common misconceptions I had as a founder growing up.

One. Launch is the terminal step in a long journey?

Not true. Launch is neither beginning, nor end. Just a pit stop in the middle of a long journey.

Often very anticlimactic and disappointing

2/ Post launch disappointment is common.

If you don’t know what is coming, it can seriously dent moral.

If you understand that its just a milestone, a pit stop, you can be ready for all that needs to be done post launch.

And you won't kill yourself on your way to milestone.

3/ Launch Models.

Two. Rave party or up close and personal?

Option A. Big event. Big crowd. Buzz. Energy. Noise and Action. But no conversations.

Option B. Small reunion. Close friends. Few souls. Lots of space. Connections. Conversations. Quality time.

Pick one.

4/ Remember, what is the objective?

Traffic, conversions, customers, orders, dollars?

Which option do you think leads to the goal above?

Not A. But a series of B's.

5/ Think about this for a second, as a founder.

What do you want with customers? A or B?

Short, blunt, loud, temporary contact? Or a deep, resonating, personal connection?

Single transaction or a relationship?

6/ With A, arrangements have been made.

You have paid for the venue, the music, DJ and food.

Your worst case is no one shows up. So your team relaxes the filters, focuses on filling up the room.

It will be a great fun event. But it won't necessarily convert

7/ With B, the objective is not to fill the room but conversation and connections.

So the filters are more stringent. Qualified customers and leads only. One on one, laser sharp conversations. Quality matters.

Conversations leads to connections. Connections lead to conversion.

8/ Ten one on one conversations with qualified prospects are better than a million paid random impressions.

A launch sequence that leads to conversations, pre or post launch will convert better than one that doesn't.

Three. Launch vs a launch sequence?

9/ Launch sequence. Let me count the ways.

Growing up as a founder, I looked at launch as a singular event that would define how the market would judge us, our work, and our sprint to the finish.

The road to launch starts months before launch. And it ends months after launch.

10/ Multiple milestones.

The first is pre-build. The world needs to be told again and again and again what you are doing. You start with pre-build.

Pitch the concept at a high level and see how the world responds.

Collect emails, signups, pre-orders, feedback.

11/ This is months before you are ready to ship. You possibly only have a crude concept in your head.

At this stage the idea is contact, exposure and feedback as you evolve your product from thin air.

12/ Pre-build is followed by pre-launch.

We have a ship date. And a firm, tangible offer. What was tentative and understated is now confirmed.

The difference between the two phases is a shift in gears. We are going all out with spreading the word, driving traffic and exposure.

13/ If you have bandwidth and capacity supplement your campaign with individual outreach.

Field interviews, customer demos, beta-lists, invitation only trial accounts, dry runs, soft launch, training sessions, all help.

They all start threads that convert and spread the word.

14/ There are two schools of thoughts.

One focuses on numbers and aggregate exposure. The other focuses on quality and depth. They both have their benefits and issues.

I am a quality guy. Individual contact is how you build quality aggregate exposure. It adds up over time.

15/ Then comes launch.

When I started in tech 30 years ago, launch meant industry event or conference.

One venue to showcase your product in front of customers, partners, press and competition.

30 years later, it means you are ready to ship, process orders and customers.

16/ A good launch sequence may last anywhere from a day to a few weeks.

Four. It’s not a single event. Not a single wave, a series of waves.

Objective is building and sustaining flow of traffic, conversions, customers, orders, and dollars.

You are done when flow is stable.

17/ What does that mean?

One day flood of coverage vs drip feed exposure over time.

Don’t focus on filling up large rooms with irrelevant crowds. Don’t budget for one and done events.

Exposure is relevant content and messaging targeted for select audience.

18/ Define relevance?

Stories that matter to your audience. Content that they will want to consume because it offers value to them.

This is by far the most difficult element of a launch sequence.

Part art, part science. Driven by your audience profile.

Get the profile right.

19/ To get the profile right, start with why.

Why do you exist? Why does the product exist? Who does it help? And how?

Simple fundamental questions that we as founders often ask too late.

It's the question you should start your journey with.

20/ The final phase is post launch. We are not done yet.

Part follow up, part evolution, part planning the next waves of exposure, orders and customers.

For a startup, flow is hard. Sustaining flow is harder.

Post launch won't get you there but it will get you started.

21/ Quick wrap up.

Launch is not a single terminal event. Not a single wave. Neither the beginning, nor the end.

Connections, conversations drive conversions. Up close and personal over Rave parties.

Launch sequence start months before launch. You are done when flow is stable.

22/ Motivation.

I did this thread because I see many teams and founders underestimate what it takes to get to launch and beyond.

Creating a flow of orders for a business takes time. We have to start early, much earlier than we normally do. It doesn't end when we think it does.