Product Launch Media and Public Relations Checklist

As a Product Marketer, I’m always keeping track of the questions that come up over and over again with my clients.

One popular question is about media and PR prep Q&A before a major product launch or announcement. Many companies often question whether they can prep for a PR announcement in-house with their Head of Communication, in-house PR, Head of Marketing, or whether they should hire an outside PR agency to manage the process.

My answer is always different based on the needs of the client, the goals of their launch, and whether they have the capital or not for a full PR and media announcement.

But in general, whether you hire an outside agency or not, every company should at the very least have thoughtful answers to every single questions that a media outlet or customer could ask.

I can’t go through every single scenario, so instead I’ve put together the top questions that every company should be prepared to answer and talk about when launching a new product or service at a conference, press release or blog.

Company Questions:

1. What are the big milestones for [insert your Company] from the last 6–9 months? What are some major goals for the year ahead?
2. When do you plan to launch your next product?
3. Do you have any important new hires?
4. How do you expect to grow and scale?
5. When do you expect to close your next round of funding?
6. Why is your product important in the market today?
7. When do you plan to go international or expand into new markets or verticals?

Questions on Market Sizing

1. How many customers do you have deployed on your platform?
2. How much does your product cost?
3. If I sign up today, when can I expect shipment?
4. Where can I buy it?
5. What are your current customers saying about the product?
6. What’s your retention score in your early access / beta programs?

Questions about the Product

1. How many returns have you had so far (hardware)? What’s your churn rate (software)?
2. Which verticals are you in?
3. What version are you launching and what does your roadmap look like for the year ahead?
4. How is your product compared to [insert alternative product].

Questions about Competitors

1. Who do you see as your biggest competitors?
2. How are you different from them?
3. What’s the alternative today to your product?

Questions about developers (if necessary)

1. How many developers are building apps or integrating with your product?

Questions about Partnerships

1. Who are you partnering with?
2. Ecosystem partners v strategic partnerships?

Questions about security?

1. What is your security protocols for this product?
2. What standard of user privacy and protection does this product offer?

Questions about extensibility, platform, integration

1. What can I customize?
2. Is it possible replace the default tech?
3. Do you build custom apps?

If you enjoyed this article, stay in touch! And if you’re seriously interested in go-to-market, check out my online class on Product Marketing & Go-To-Market.

I also wrote the book “Product Marketing Debunked. The Essential Go-To-Market Guide” which you can purchase on Amazon.

Product Launch Media and Public Relations Checklist was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.