Episode 59 | September 19, 2022
Why most product launches fail—and how to fix them
Discover why product launches fail and how to fix them with Karthik Suresh. Learn proven go-to-market strategies to align teams and drive success.
Why most product launches fail—and how to fix them
Product launches are high-stakes events, yet too often they fall apart not from a bad product, but from poor planning. Think of a launch not as a finish line but as a symphony—every team, from product and marketing to sales and support, must be in sync for it to resonate.
In Episode 59 of Insights Unlocked, Karthik Suresh, co-founder and CTO of Ignition, offers a behind-the-scenes look at what truly makes or breaks a product launch. Drawing from his experience at companies like Facebook and as a startup founder, he outlines the common pitfalls that derail even the most promising go-to-market strategies.
Why launches fail: No process, no alignment
The failure of product launches rarely comes down to the product itself. It’s often the result of a broken product launch process or lack of cross-functional alignment.
“You deploy your latest feature to production and send out an email—that’s not a launch,” Karthik explains. “You need a process. You need to message your value prop, train your teams, and be intentional about how you go to market.”
The internal misalignment he describes is striking. Support teams aren't briefed. Sales doesn't know what they're pitching. Marketing is caught flat-footed. It’s like trying to launch a rocket while engineers are still wiring the control panel.
GUIDE
Competitive analysis with UserTesting
What a strong go-to-market strategy looks like
According to Karthik, a comprehensive go-to-market strategy includes more than just launch day tactics. It’s a structured roadmap built on five pillars:
- Clearly defined objectives and KPIs
- A deeply understood buyer persona and ideal customer profile
- Strategic messaging and product positioning
- A multi-channel launch plan
- Internal enablement and stakeholder communication
He emphasizes the importance of stakeholder buy-in across the organization, noting that internal alignment is just as critical as external promotion.
The emotional context of a launch
The episode also weaves in the human side of product development, touching on how customer feedback, inflation, and market conditions shape decision-making. One powerful moment features a user talking about cutting back on shopping due to high gas prices—a real-world insight that impacts product strategy.
“Inflation has definitely affected us all,” Karthik shares. “As a founder, you don’t take much cash out of the company, so these economic shocks are very real when it comes to planning, scaling, or even launching a product.”
These insights underscore the importance of integrating user insights and market readiness into any launch planning effort.
Final thoughts: build with intention
Whether you're working in a lean startup or a large enterprise, the success of a launch hinges on having the right structure—and empathy. It’s not just about building the thing. It’s about making sure the world is ready for it, and your teams are equipped to support it.
“Sending an email is not a launch,” Karthik said. “You need to communicate the why, align your teams, and orchestrate every part of the experience. That’s when a product truly lands.”
Episode links:
- Taking the guesswork out of product development: This on-demand webinar explores how to launch products with greater confidence by integrating real human insights throughout the development process. It emphasizes reducing post-launch rework by aligning product strategies with customer needs from the outset.
- A guide to customer-first innovation and discovery: This comprehensive guide provides a step-by-step approach to identifying market gaps, validating ideas early, and ensuring solutions meet customer needs. It offers best practices for each stage of the discovery and innovation process to drive meaningful business outcomes.
- Using customer insights to turn around a product failure: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Stephen shares his experience and lessons learned in reviving a failed product launch. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding customer problems over the urgency to ship, emphasizing the role of customer insights in product development.
- 6 stages of the product development process: This blog post outlines the essential steps in designing and launching a successful product, from ideation to post-launch analysis. It underscores the significance of user feedback and iterative testing in creating products that resonate with customers.
