Launch Runway

When to use this

• A new product is about to go live and needs a launch plan.
• A product launched flat and the seller wants to understand what was missed.
• A relaunch of a product that never gained traction.
• Planning the launch budget and timeline before committing inventory.

Launch budget by category tier

The framework. The Four-Phase Runway

Phase 0. Pre-launch (before go-live)

• The listing is complete and converting-ready: title, bullets, the full image set (see amz-listing-images), A+ Content, backend keywords, the keyword map.
• The unit economics work and the break-even ACoS is known (see amz-fba-calculator).
• Inventory is checked in at FBA with enough depth to survive the launch spike. a stockout mid-launch is fatal.
• The first reviews are arranged: Vine units enrolled (see amz-vine-program).
• The launch budget is set: ad spend plus any deal fees.

Phase 1. Days 1 to 7. Ignition

• Price slightly low to lift early conversion. not a fire sale, a gentle edge.
• Turn on Sponsored Products: an auto campaign for discovery and an exact campaign on the launch-priority long-tail keywords (see amz-ppc-campaign and amz-keyword-research).
• ACoS will be high. that is expected. Phase 1 buys rank, not margin.
• The first Vine reviews start landing.

Phase 2. Days 8 to 21. Velocity

• Hold the ad push. Start reading the search term report. negate the drains, raise bids on the converters.
• Graduate converting discovery terms into the exact campaign.
• Consider a Lightning Deal or a coupon for a mid-launch velocity spike (see amz-deal-finder and amz-coupon-strategy).
• Watch organic rank on the launch-priority keywords. it should be climbing.

Phase 3. Days 22 to 30. Stabilize

• Begin easing the launch price toward the target price, in steps, watching that conversion and rank hold.
• Shift ad budget from pure discovery toward the proven harvest keywords. ACoS should be falling toward target.
• The product should now hold rank with less ad support. that is the launch succeeding.

Step by step

1. Collect inputs. The product, the listing readiness, the unit economics and break-even ACoS, the inventory position, the keyword map, the review plan, and the launch budget.
2. Audit Phase 0. Mark every pre-launch item done or not done. If anything is not done, the plan is to finish Phase 0 before go-live, full stop.
3. Build the Phase 1 to 3 calendar. Specific actions per phase, with the daily and weekly checkpoints.
4. Set the price ladder. The launch price, and the steps back up to the target price across Phase 3.
5. Set the ad plan per phase. Campaign types, the ACoS expectation per phase (high in Phase 1, falling by Phase 3), and the budget split.
6. Set the metrics and the alarms. Organic rank on the priority keywords, units per day, conversion rate, and the alarms: a stockout risk, conversion below expectation, rank not climbing by mid-launch.
7. Run the quality check, then deliver.

Output format

## Launch Runway. [product]

### Phase 0. Pre-launch audit
[item] . [done / not done]
Go-live gate: [clear / finish Phase 0 first]

### Phase 1. Days 1 to 7. Ignition
Price: [launch price]   Ads: [setup]   ACoS expectation: [high]
Actions and checkpoints: ...

### Phase 2. Days 8 to 21. Velocity
Actions: [search term report, graduations, deal or coupon]
Watch: organic rank climbing on [priority keywords]

### Phase 3. Days 22 to 30. Stabilize
Price ladder: [steps back to target]
Ad shift: [discovery to harvest]   ACoS expectation: [falling to target]

### Metrics and alarms
Track: organic rank, units/day, conversion rate
Alarms: [stockout risk, low conversion, rank not climbing]

Worked example

Quality check

• The Phase 0 audit is run first, and an incomplete Phase 0 blocks go-live.
• Each of the four phases has its one clear job, and the actions match the job.
• Phase 1 ACoS is expected to be high. the plan does not judge the launch on it.
• A price ladder steps from the launch price back to the target price across Phase 3.
• The plan tracks organic rank on the priority keywords, not just total sales.
• Alarms cover the launch killers: stockout, weak conversion, rank not climbing.

Common mistakes

• Launching into an incomplete listing. The early-traffic verdict is spent on a listing that cannot convert.
• Judging Phase 1 by ACoS. Phase 1 buys rank. a high ACoS there is the plan working, not failing.
• Stocking out mid-launch. The single most damaging launch failure. momentum and rank are lost and do not fully return.
• Never raising the price. Camping at the launch price forever and never reaching the target margin.
• No keyword focus. Spreading the launch across head terms instead of winning the priority long-tail first.
• Quitting at day 14. The launch is 30 days. Phase 3 is where bought rank becomes organic rank.

Built by Jay GPT Pro