The most common launch mistake I see with AI tools is a simple one: "If we build a good tool, people will use it."
LOL Nope. Not happening. Sorry.
The AI tool graveyard is littered with incredible products that nobody ever heard about. Amazing solutions to real problems that died in silence because their creators thought quality was enough.
Look, I get it. We're builders. We love creating things. We want to believe that if we just make something good enough, the world will beat a path to our door.
Here's the reality: You need to be EVERYWHERE during launch. Social media, communities, newsletters, DMs - anywhere your potential users might be. You need to be telling people about your tool constantly.
Why? Because people are busy.
The launch might be everything for you. But not for everyone else.
As a builder though you probably don’t know what you should be talking about. How do you promote the launch?
That's exactly what we're covering today. I've got entire playbooks dedicated to each of these areas (social media strategy, content creation, community building). But right now, we're going to blast through the essentials you need for launch.
Think of this as your rapid-fire guide to making major noise about your AI tool.
Let’s get started:
Going Loud
Here's a brutal truth: The AI tool graveyard is full of amazing products that nobody knows about.
Every week I see brilliant developers launch powerful tools into complete silence. They post once on Launch Day and then... nothing. Not even crickets. Hell, crickets would be great!
They're falling into the "quality = success" trap.
Sure, quality matters. But in 2024, with new AI tools launching every single day, quality isn't enough. You need to be constantly telling people about your tool:
And you need to be doing this everywhere, all the time. Exhausting? Yup. But increasingly necessary.
I’m going to absolutely blast through this. Again, refer to other Playbooks for detailed instructions as, honestly, each type could be its own mini-course.
Show don't tell. People need to see exactly how your tool helps in real situations. Their real situations specifically.
Structure:
Turn early wins into compelling stories. Especially important after the Whisper launch as you start to get more testimonials and reviews. We use these to knock through skepticism using social proof.
Structure:
Show the human side of your tool. Specifically your building and launch experiences. Put yourself in this content as much as possible. People care about people.
Structure:
Position your tool as the answer. Remember all the problems we identified that our tool addresses? Yup - those are the core of this content type. We’ll literally work through them one at a time.
Structure:
Make your tool accessible. These are quick videos that are technically for actual users. BUT non-users will see them and think “wait that’s cool…what tool is this?”
Structure:
Here's a prompt to help generate these different content types:
You are an AI content strategist for tool launches. Help create launch content based on:
Tool Details:
1. Tool name and purpose
2. Main problem it solves
3. Key features/benefits
4. Target user profile
5. Unique selling points
Generate specifically for the following channel: [Channel name]
Ask which of 5 content types I want and create 5 posts/scripts (accordingly for channel):
1. Use Case Breakdown
Show exactly how your tool helps in real situations. Include:
- Problem hook
- Current pain points
- Tool demonstration
- Results showcase
- Next steps
2. Success Story
Turn early wins into compelling stories that address skepticism:
- Initial situation
- User skepticism
- The trial
- Specific results
- User quote
3. Behind-the-Scenes
Show the human side of development:
- Development insights
- Challenges overcome
- Feature evolution
- User feedback impact
- Future vision
4. Problem-Solution Post
Position your tool as the solution:
- Problem statement
- Market gap
- Your solution
- Validation
- Call to action
5. Quick Tips & Tutorial
Make your tool accessible while attracting new users:
- Single valuable tip
- Step-by-step guide
- Visual demonstration
- Time/value benefit
- Usage suggestion
For each piece provide:
- Complete content outline
- Key messaging points
- Best platform(s) for this content
- How to adapt for different platforms
- Ways to engage and encourage sharing
Focus on authenticity and real value demonstration rather than marketing speak.
This prompt will run through a process of making 5 posts of the specific type. Small batch generation (a few posts at a time) will lead to much better results than getting the model to make 100 posts simultaneously.
You’ll notice there is also a parameter to enter your channel of choice. Be specific here - not just Twitter/X but Twitter Thread or Twitter Post. Not just TikTok but TikTok <60 second video or TikTok 2 minute video. Research what is working on the channel right now and follow that as a basic guide.
During launch week you should be everywhere:
Don't worry about being "too much" during launch. You're building awareness. And only you can “see” all of it. For most people it’ll just be another post or video flashing past their awareness. If they even see it at all.
I’ve grown my audience to 250,000 through VOLUME. Massive amounts of writing. Massive amounts of video work. Sheer overwhelm.
“What about quality???” (I can hear you, all the way at the back there!). The thing about volume is that it forces you to also nail quality.
If you are posting 5 videos a day and they are all flopping guess what? The videos need to be better. And you know this because you’re seeing them eat dirt 5 times a day.
So you skill up. You get better. You have to.
And by putting out so much content you are also gifted the ability to do so - you’re putting your reps in.
Volume overcomes quality issues. Get posting.
P.S If you’ve got this far we’re exploring launching a 30 Day AI Agent Accelerator where we:
1. Hone a business idea
2. Build a focused AI tool
3. Test and refine the tool
4. Market and launch
Course, community and live sessions.
Waitlist here: https://heyform.net/f/ZCCsfMqx