Product ships 12 features this quarter. PMM asks: "Which ones should we launch?"
Product: "All of them! They're all important!"
PMM launches all 12 with full GTM treatment. Team is exhausted. None of the launches get proper attention. Impact is diluted.
This happens because most teams treat every product update like a major launch instead of tiering based on business impact.
Good launch strategy isn't about launching everything equally. It's about focusing resources on launches that matter most.
Here's the framework for tiering product launches.
The Launch Tier Framework
Tier 1 is your major launch, reserved for 2-3 launches per year maximum. This is a new product or game-changing feature with significant revenue impact—we're talking $5M+ in ARR potential. You execute full GTM treatment: press outreach, launch events, demand gen campaigns, comprehensive sales enablement. This consumes 6-8 weeks of PMM time, so you choose carefully.
Tier 2 is your standard launch for 4-6 launches annually. These are significant features or capabilities with moderate revenue impact of $1M+ ARR. You run standard GTM: well-crafted blog posts, email announcements, sales enablement materials. This takes 3-4 weeks of focused PMM time.
Tier 3 covers minor launches, 10-15 per year. These are feature additions or enhancements with incremental revenue impact. Light GTM here: a solid blog post and in-app announcement. Budget 1-2 weeks of PMM time.
Tier 4 is "ship it"—unlimited volume. Bug fixes, small improvements, quality-of-life updates. These have no direct revenue impact and get no GTM beyond a changelog entry. You spend 0-1 days of PMM time, often just updating release notes.
Here's the reality: most features ship as Tier 3-4. PMM should focus energy on Tier 1-2 launches that actually move the business forward.
The Launch Tier Decision Framework
Score each launch on 3 dimensions:
Dimension 1: Customer Impact (0-10 points)
Score 10 points if this solves major pain for 80%+ of your customer base. Score 7-9 points if it solves significant pain for 50%+ of customers. Score 4-6 points if it addresses moderate pain for 30%+ of customers. Score 1-3 points if it solves minor pain or benefits less than 20% of customers. Score 0 points if it solves no customer pain and exists purely for internal needs.
Ask yourself three critical questions: What percentage of customers actually have this problem? How painful is the problem on a 1-10 scale? Will customers actively seek out this feature, or is it something they'll barely notice?
Dimension 2: Revenue Impact (0-10 points)
Score 10 points for $5M+ ARR potential—this opens a new market or drives major expansion. Score 7-9 points for $1M-$5M ARR potential. Score 4-6 points for $250K-$1M ARR potential. Score 1-3 points for anything under $250K ARR. Score 0 points if there's no revenue impact.
Ask the revenue questions that matter: Will this drive new customer acquisition? Will this drive expansion revenue through upsells? Will this improve retention and reduce churn? Most importantly, what's the realistic revenue potential in Year 1, not some fantasy three-year projection?
Dimension 3: Competitive/Strategic Importance (0-10 points)
Score 10 points if this is critical for competitive parity or strategic differentiation—the kind of thing where you're losing deals without it. Score 7-9 points for strong competitive advantage. Score 4-6 points for moderate competitive benefit. Score 1-3 points for minor competitive considerations. Score 0 points if there's no competitive impact.
Ask the competitive questions sales can answer: Are we losing deals specifically because we don't have this? Does this differentiate us meaningfully from competitors? Is this strategically important for the company's long-term direction, or is it just feature parity?
Calculate Total Score (0-30 points)
Score 25-30 points and you have a Tier 1 major launch. Customer impact hits 9-10, revenue potential exceeds $5M, competitive importance is critical. Example: launching a new product line that enters an adjacent market.
Score 18-24 points and you're looking at Tier 2, a standard launch. Customer impact is 7-8, revenue potential ranges from $1M-$5M, competitive advantage is strong. Example: a major feature that 60% of your customers have been requesting.
Score 10-17 points and this is Tier 3, a minor launch. Customer impact is 4-6, revenue potential is $250K-$1M, competitive benefit is moderate. Example: a feature enhancement that improves an existing workflow without fundamentally changing it.
Score 0-9 points and you've got Tier 4, ship it without ceremony. Customer impact is minimal at 1-3, revenue is under $250K, competitive impact is minor. Example: UI improvements and bug fixes that users barely notice.
Tier 1: Major Launch Playbook
Use this 2-3 times per year maximum. The criteria are strict: score 25-30 points, launch a new product or game-changing feature with $5M+ ARR potential, and ensure CEO or executive involvement is warranted. This is the full show.
Your GTM activities span 6-8 weeks and break into three phases. Pre-launch runs 4-6 weeks before go-live. Get executive alignment and messaging approval first—if leadership isn't bought in, you're dead in the water. Run a customer advisory board or beta program to validate the product. Brief industry analysts like Gartner and Forrester. Develop your press strategy and conduct embargoed briefings with tier-1 publications. Plan your launch event or webinar. Coordinate partnership announcements if you have them.
Launch week is orchestrated chaos. Release the press release and secure media coverage. Host a launch event or webinar targeting 200+ attendees. Publish a blog post authored by an executive—not you, an actual executive. Execute an email campaign to both customers and prospects. Run a paid advertising campaign with $20K+ budget. Coordinate a social media blitz across all channels. Conduct a sales kickoff or launch training so reps can actually sell this thing. Have customer success proactively reach out to top accounts.
Post-launch runs 4 weeks. Follow up with analysts you briefed. Develop case studies from early adopters. Build comprehensive sales enablement including battlecards, pitch decks, and demo environments. Launch the demand gen campaign to sustain momentum. Monitor performance daily and iterate based on what's working.
PMM effort: 6-8 weeks of dedicated time, roughly 200+ hours. Success metrics: media coverage in 5+ tier-1 publications, $2M+ pipeline generated in 90 days, 30%+ customer adoption within 6 months. Example: launching a new AI product line that opens an entirely new market.
Tier 2: Standard Launch Playbook
Use this 4-6 times per year. Criteria: score 18-24 points, launch a significant feature addition with $1M-$5M ARR potential, typically something customers have requested or fills a competitive gap.
Your GTM activities span 3-4 weeks across three phases. Pre-launch runs 2 weeks before go-live. Run a beta program with 10-20 customers to validate the feature. Create sales enablement materials while product is in beta. Build an internal FAQ and run training sessions for your team. Draft the email announcement and blog post so they're ready to go.
Launch week is focused execution. Publish a PMM-authored blog post—not executive level, this is yours. Send email announcements to both customers and prospects. Run a 1-hour sales training session to get reps up to speed. Trigger in-app announcements so current users see it. Post on social media, primarily LinkedIn and Twitter. Update your website and product page to feature the new capability.
Post-launch runs 2 weeks. Host a customer webinar or demo session targeting 50-100 attendees. Develop a case study from one of your beta customers. Create a sales battlecard so reps know when to pitch this. Monitor adoption metrics and gather feedback to inform the next iteration.
PMM effort: 3-4 weeks of focused time, 80-120 hours total. Success metrics: 25%+ email open rate, 50+ demo requests, $500K+ pipeline generated in 90 days, 20%+ customer adoption within 3 months. Example: launching an advanced analytics dashboard that power users have been requesting for months.
Tier 3: Minor Launch Playbook
Use this 10-15 times per year. Criteria: score 10-17 points, launch a feature enhancement with $250K-$1M ARR potential, something that's a nice-to-have improvement but not critical.
Your GTM activities run 1-2 weeks total. Pre-launch takes 1 week. Draft a short blog post and update help docs. Brief internal teams including sales and customer success on what's shipping. Write in-app messaging copy so users see the announcement.
Launch week is lightweight execution. Publish a short blog post, 500 words maximum. Trigger an in-app announcement via banner or modal. Mention it in your monthly product update email—don't send a dedicated email. Post on social media once or twice. Update help center docs so support isn't fielding questions.
Post-launch is passive monitoring. Watch usage metrics to see if anyone notices. Collect feedback from early adopters. Make small updates if needed based on what you learn.
PMM effort: 1-2 weeks, 20-40 hours total. Success metrics: 500+ blog views, 10%+ feature adoption in 2 months, positive customer feedback from those who use it. Example: a new integration with a popular tool that a subset of customers will appreciate.
Tier 4: Ship It (No Formal Launch)
Use this unlimited—weekly or even daily. Criteria: score 0-9 points, these are bug fixes and minor improvements with no significant revenue or competitive impact, the expected table-stakes functionality users assume you'll maintain.
Your GTM activities on launch day: add it to the changelog, either internal or public depending on your practice. Optionally mention it in your weekly product update email if it's worth a single line.
What you explicitly don't do: no blog post, no sales training, no dedicated announcement, no campaigns. Nothing. Ship it and move on.
PMM effort: 0-1 days, maximum 8 hours and usually much less. Success metrics: none, because there's nothing to measure. Just ship it. Example: UI polish, bug fixes, performance improvements that make the product better but don't warrant celebration.
The Launch Calendar
Plan quarterly:
Q1 2025 Launch Calendar:
| Week | Launch | Tier | PMM Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | Analytics Dashboard | Tier 2 | 100 |
| W3 | Slack Integration | Tier 3 | 30 |
| W5 | AI Content Generator | Tier 1 | 200 |
| W7 | UI Improvements | Tier 4 | 5 |
| W9 | Mobile App Update | Tier 3 | 35 |
| W11 | Bug Fixes | Tier 4 | 2 |
| W12 | API v2 | Tier 2 | 80 |
Total PMM hours: 452 hours (~70% capacity for 1 PMM)
The rule that matters: no more than 1 Tier-1 launch per quarter, maximum 2 Tier-2 launches per quarter. Break this rule and you dilute everything.
How to Socialize Launch Tiers
Problem: Product wants everything to be Tier 1
Solution: Make tiering a cross-functional decision
Launch Tiering Meeting (Monthly):
Attendees: PMM, Product, Sales, Exec Sponsor
Agenda (30 min):
- Review upcoming features from product roadmap
- Score each feature (customer impact, revenue, competitive)
- Assign tiers
- Prioritize based on PMM capacity
- Communicate decisions
Example:
Product: "Feature X is critical, we need major launch"
PMM: "Let's score it. Customer impact: 6/10 (30% of customers need it). Revenue: $500K. Competitive: moderate. Total: 15/30. That's Tier 3."
Product: "But it's important to me!"
PMM: "I understand. But we have limited bandwidth. Tier 1 is reserved for 25+ point features. Would you rather we do a mediocre Tier-1 launch for Feature X, or focus our best efforts on Feature Y (which scored 27 points)?"
Exec Sponsor: "PMM is right. Feature X is Tier 3. Feature Y deserves Tier 1 treatment."
Outcome: Aligned on tiering, realistic expectations
Common Launch Tiering Mistakes
Mistake 1 is treating everything as Tier 1. You execute full GTM for every feature because "it's all important." The problem: team burnout, diluted impact, nothing stands out to customers. The fix: score objectively using the framework, limit Tier 1 to 2-3 launches per year maximum.
Mistake 2 is letting Product decide tiers unilaterally. Product says "This is Tier 1" without running it through criteria. The problem: misalignment across teams, PMM gets overcommitted and can't deliver quality on anything. The fix: use the scoring framework, make it a joint decision with PMM, Sales, and an executive sponsor.
Mistake 3 is not communicating tiers internally. Sales thinks every launch is major, then gets disappointed when there's no press release or event. The problem: misaligned expectations damage credibility. The fix: share the launch calendar quarterly and explain what each tier means in terms of support level.
Mistake 4 is having no flexibility. You assigned tiers in January planning and stick to them even when the market changes. The problem: you miss opportunities or waste resources on things that no longer matter. The fix: re-tier if circumstances change dramatically—competitive threats, customer emergencies, or strategic pivots warrant reassessment.
Mistake 5 is that Tier-4 still gets GTM. You "just write a quick blog post" for every Tier 4 feature. The problem: death by a thousand cuts, no focus on what matters. The fix: Tier 4 equals changelog only, zero PMM time beyond updating release notes.
How to Say No to Tier-1 Requests
Product: "This needs to be Tier 1!"
PMM Response Framework:
Step 1: Validate "I understand this is important to you. Let's make sure we're giving it the right level of support."
Step 2: Apply Framework "Using our launch tier framework:
- Customer impact: 6/10 (affects 30% of customers)
- Revenue potential: $500K
- Competitive: Moderate
- Total: 15/30 = Tier 3"
Step 3: Show Trade-Offs "If we treat this as Tier 1, we'd need to:
- Delay Feature Y launch (which scored 27 points)
- Cut 40 hours from other Tier-2 launches
- Risk burnout on team
Is that the right trade-off?"
Step 4: Propose Alternative "I recommend Tier 3: blog post, in-app announcement, sales update. We'll still support it, just not full press/event treatment. Does that work?"
Usually: Product accepts Tier 3 when they see the data
Quick Start: Implement Launch Tiers in 1 Week
Day 1: Create the scoring framework document with the three dimensions and point system. Share it with Product and Sales leads for initial feedback.
Day 2: Score next quarter's features in a working session with Product. Run each feature through the framework and assign tiers based on total scores.
Day 3: Create the launch calendar showing what launches when and at what tier. Identify PMM capacity constraints so you know if the plan is realistic.
Day 4: Present the calendar and tiering approach to leadership for alignment. Get explicit buy-in that not everything can be Tier 1.
Day 5: Communicate the tiers to the broader team. Set clear expectations that Tier 3 doesn't mean Tier 1 with less effort—it means a fundamentally different level of support.
Impact: focused launch strategy that concentrates resources on high-impact launches versus treating everything equally and delivering mediocrity across the board.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Most PMM teams burn out trying to launch everything with full GTM treatment. They treat every feature as Tier 1 because they can't say no to Product. They spread resources thin across a dozen "major" launches. Nothing gets done well because everything gets half-effort.
What actually works is different. Use an objective scoring framework based on customer impact, revenue potential, and competitive importance. Execute Tier 1 for 2-3 launches per year maximum—these are your major launches that get the full show. Run Tier 2 for 4-6 launches annually—your standard launches with solid GTM support. Handle Tier 3 for 10-15 launches per year—minor launches with lightweight GTM. Ship Tier 4 unlimited—no GTM, just ship it.
The best launch programs use data-driven tiering instead of politics to decide what gets resources. They limit Tier-1 launches ruthlessly to 2-3 per year. They communicate tiers cross-functionally so everyone understands the plan. They say no to low-impact launches without apologizing. And they focus resources on launches that actually move the business forward.
If you're doing more than 3 Tier-1 launches per year, you're diluting impact. Period. Tier strategically. Focus resources. Drive business results.