How can you ensure all stakeholders are engaged during a product launch?

If you do it strategically, a product launch can be a pivotal opportunity to not only engage customers, but also your internal stakeholders. I start with a launch tiering system that defines launch goals, the projected impact and the value that the launch will bring. Once I've defined that with the help of the Product team, I use it to identify the tactics, plan and resources needed for a successful launch.

Your product launch doesn't stop after the first day. Treat it like a long project that spawns across several weeks/months with many different stakeholders. It is important to breakdown the different stages of the launch and measure it. Example, Product Launch project: - Focus group feedback to product development ( before launch). - Communication campagin and assets (Social posts, images, videos, messaging, etc) (Before Launch). - Internal readiness with sales teams (so they understand the product to sell). - Launch event (mapping of customers to invite, communication strategy). - Co-marketing events with partners (invest in your partners to be advocate of your product). There are other things to have in mind, depending on the product.

Clear communication across all stakeholders is essential to increasing engagement. - Establish open and transparent communication channels. - Provide regular updates and progress reports. - Foster a culture of feedback and encourage questions or concerns.

This one is crucial and often overlooked—you aren't just executing a project, you're *taking ownership*. You need your stakeholders to understand clearly your role and feel confident that the launch is in good hands. I like to use the RACI model to map out which stakeholders are Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed on each milestone and action item. Hold regular syncs with the relevant parties to share progress, and be sure to hold others accountable.

You will work as Project Manager if you want your product launch to succeed. Study well your stakeholder map, you will need to "lead without authority" as many of your stakeholders don't report directly to you. You need to make sure all parties are involved and know what to do and collaborate effectively. In my experience in a product launch I needed always: CMO - To help me build the communication strategy. Sales - Help them understand how to sell the product and start generating buzz with customers. Account Management - To help me invite the most important customers to my product launch event. Partners - To create co-marketing activities to help give visibility to my product.

Let's stake out the territory, shall we? Mapping stakeholder roles and responsibilities is like creating a treasure map for your project. "X" marks the key decision-makers, influencers, and contributors, and the map leads us to their expectations, needs, and pain points. It's like a modern-day quest!

I always look at the full scope of a product launch, like this: 1️⃣ Research: Understanding the market, competitors, and user needs. 2️⃣ Development: Convert insights into actionable product features, those insights can come from focus groups of customers. 3️⃣ Testing: Validate your product in real-world scenarios, again with your focus group of customers that are testing your product. 4️⃣ Promotion: Strategize your marketing campaign, the full scope of it. 5️⃣ Feedback: Collect user testimonials to boost your product visibility.

🤝 The Power of Regular Communication & Collaboration 🤝 Effective communication & collaboration are your north stars for the success of your product launch. Here's how I do it: 1️⃣ Channels: Identify the most effective communication tools—be it emails, chat platforms, video calls, or project management tools. 2️⃣ Frequency: Decide on regular check-ins, perhaps weekly or bi-weekly, to keep everyone aligned. 3️⃣ Content: Share updates, seek feedback, clarify doubts, and discuss challenges. Transparency is key. 4️⃣ Engagement: Motivate stakeholders by celebrating small wins and acknowledging their contributions.

Feedback and insights are invaluable. Here's a a couple of ideas you can use: Collection Methods: You can try diverse tools like surveys, in-depth interviews, user reviews, and analytics to gather comprehensive feedback. Analysis: Dive deep into the feedback to identify patterns, challenges, and opportunities. Key Takeaways: Summarize learnings and insights to guide future strategies. Sharing & Action: Present your findings through insightful reports to your stakeholders and devise an action plan based on that.

PMMs are in the unenvious position of being accountable for a product launch but lacking authority over the cross-functional teams that are essential to success. Building relationships has to start well before the launch or it will be difficult for the PMM to influence other teams. Being genuine and aligning PMM goals with those of other departments goes a long way to getting the stakeholder buy-in required for success. Post-launch, regularly updating all stakeholders with launch results and praising key players in initiatives goes a long way to creating future goodwill. Holding a post-mortem to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and key learnings will keep stakeholders engaged and prep them for future launches.