"It is critical to design a process that allows you to launch vastly different product experiences within specific communities so your product can reach critical mass."

4 reasons why most product launches hurt growth

1. You kill your most valuable channel (WOM)

   • WOM - user tried the product → exceeds expectations → tells others — "Holy shit this is awesome!"

   • Who you expose the product to is the other half of the equation. An un-targeted launch exposes the product to users for whom the product hasn't been built, they will have a negative experience, killing WOM

2. You slow down validating your product/feature hypothesis

   • Qualitative - NPS

   • Quantitative - flat retention curves

3. You deplete your ability to get your audience's future attention

   • Attention is like a fuel tank. Easy to deplete, hard to fill

   • Don't notify the entire user base

4. You fail to set yourself up for continued success

   • Think about the machine (loops) that will keep on growing even after the launch

How to Launch A Product or Feature To Enable Growth

1. Scope: narrow down to a specific target audience

2. Figure out access

3. Filter: existing usage data, user submitted, and passive data

4. Search for success signals

   1. Qualitative: NPS, surveys

   2. PMF: high retention curves

   3. Feature/product fit

5. Leverage

Author: Brian Balfour

Source: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/how-to-launch-a-product-or-feature-to-maximize-growth