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Launch & growth

Launch and growth prompts

Getting a feature in front of everyone, and reading what happens next.

The stage

The stage where a decision meets the whole user base at once, and the metrics either confirm it or they don't.

  1. 01

    Write launch comms that name the actual change

    A feature is going to 100 percent and the announcement (in-app, email, or changelog) needs to say something real.

    The prompt
    Here is what this feature actually does, technically and in terms of what a user can now do that they couldn't before. Write three versions of a launch announcement: an in-app banner (under 20 words), a changelog entry (2 to 3 sentences), and an email (under 100 words with a single clear action).
    
    Each version should name the specific, concrete thing that changed for the user. None should use "exciting," "new and improved," or similar language that doesn't tell the reader what actually changed if they skip the rest of the sentence.
    
    What changed: [describe it plainly]
    Where it lets you down

    It reaches for enthusiastic, vague marketing language as a default register ("we're bringing you a smarter, more seamless experience") that survives even after the instruction to avoid it, because that phrasing is extremely common in its training data for this exact task. Read the first five words of each version alone. If they don't say what changed, rewrite.

  2. 02

    Read a metric move for what it's actually telling you

    A metric moved after a launch and it's tempting to declare victory or defeat before checking what's actually behind the number.

    The prompt
    Here is a metric before and after a launch, plus context on what else was happening at the same time (other launches, seasonality, marketing pushes, anything relevant). Before concluding this launch caused the move, list what else could plausibly explain it, and for each, state whether the timing and magnitude of the move is more consistent with the launch or with the alternative.
    
    Then give me a plain statement: how confident should I be that this launch specifically caused this move, and what additional data would raise that confidence.
    
    Metric: [before, after, and dates]
    Other context: [anything else happening in the same window]
    Where it lets you down

    It treats the launch as the default explanation and other factors as afterthoughts to rule out, rather than weighing them evenly, because you framed the launch first. Ask it to independently rank all the plausible explanations by how well each one's timing matches the data, not just check the launch off first.

  3. 03

    Draft a win-back message grounded in why people actually left

    A win-back campaign is being planned and the draft keeps being generic because the actual reason people churned hasn't been named.

    The prompt
    Here is data or research on why users in this segment actually churned: [paste your churn reasons, quotes, or data]. Write a win-back message that addresses the specific reason, not a generic "we miss you" message.
    
    Write two versions: one that leads with what's changed since they left (if something has), and one that asks a single question to find out if their specific reason for leaving has been resolved for them, without assuming it has.
    
    Do not write a message that would make sense for someone who churned for a completely different reason. If the message is generic enough to send to any churned user, it needs to be more specific.
    Where it lets you down

    It defaults to a generic re-engagement tone regardless of the specific churn reason you gave it, because "we miss you, here's what's new" is the dominant pattern for this task type. Check whether the message would need to change at all if you swapped in a different churn reason. If it wouldn't, it's too generic.

  4. 04

    Check a growth loop for where it actually breaks

    A growth loop (referral, viral, content) exists on paper and it's worth checking where the actual drop-off is before investing more in it.

    The prompt
    Here is a growth loop described step by step: [describe each step, for example "user completes a budget, sees a shareable summary card, shares it, a friend clicks the link, a friend signs up"]. For each step, estimate what would have to be true for that step to have a high completion rate, and flag which step is most likely to be the actual bottleneck based on how these kinds of steps typically perform, and why.
    
    Then suggest, for the step you flagged, two ways to test whether that's really where the loop breaks, using only data we could plausibly already have or cheaply add, not a large new build.
    
    Loop: [describe your loop]
    Where it lets you down

    It flags the most commonly cited bottleneck for that type of loop in general (for example, "share to click" is a well known drop-off point) without adjusting for anything specific about your actual product or flow. Ask it to name what's specific about your version of this step that would make its estimate wrong.

  5. 05

    Segment a metric before declaring it moved

    An overall metric held steady or moved slightly, but there's a suspicion it's actually two different stories cancelling out.

    The prompt
    Here is an overall metric that stayed roughly flat after a change. Before concluding the change had no effect, suggest 3 to 4 ways to segment the user base that might reveal it moved differently in different groups and cancelled out overall (for example, by signup cohort, by platform, by whether they'd already done the related action before the change).
    
    For each segmentation, state what result would suggest the change actually worked for a subgroup even though the top-line number looks flat.
    
    Metric and change: [describe what changed and the overall metric result]
    Where it lets you down

    It suggests generic segmentation axes (platform, geography) without connecting them to why this specific change might affect groups differently, producing a checklist rather than a reasoned hypothesis. Push it to explain, for each segment it suggests, the specific mechanism by which this change would affect that group differently.

  6. 06

    Write the post-launch retro prompt

    Two weeks after a launch, before memory of the actual decisions fades into a vague sense of how it went.

    The prompt
    Help me run a post-launch retro for [feature]. Here is what we predicted would happen (the hypothesis and target metric) and what actually happened (the real numbers).
    
    Write five specific questions for the retro that compare the prediction to the actual result, not generic questions like "what went well." At least one question should address what we'd do differently in the experiment design itself if we ran this again, and at least one should address whether the stopping rule or guardrail we set in advance actually got used the way we planned.
    
    Prediction: [your original hypothesis and target]
    Actual result: [what happened]
    Where it lets you down

    It writes generic retro questions ("what went well, what didn't") that could apply to any launch, rather than questions that reference your actual prediction and actual number. Check that each question would be impossible to answer without knowing the specific numbers from this launch.