I have a confession: I used to think product launches were simple.

As I got promoted to Sr PMM, Director and then VP, I would eagerly hand off launch responsibilities to the junior product marketers on my team (I’m sorry!). I preferred to spend time on “strategic” activities like segmentation, messaging, pricing — you get the picture.

And then one day I realized…product launch is the culmination of those strategic activities. Now, I see the error of my ways and look at every product launch as the ultimate strategic challenge.

Andy, Jason and I break down product launches on our podcast Ready for Launch. It’s fun, but we’re often making hypotheses or guesses about other people’s launches based on limited information.

So, I thought it was time to break down one of my own. For the first time in my career I can share the real numbers behind my launches, because it’s finally my business, not someone else’s.

A few weeks ago, I shared how I repositioned the PMM Camp community. Today, I’m sharing how I used this new positioning to fuel my launch week (called an open cart, in the creator world). I’ll walk you through my goals for launch, the strategies and tactics I prioritized, and the actual results.

No gatekeeping here.

Breaking down my $20,163 launch

The first thing you need to know is that I run four community-focused launches a year. One week of each quarter I open the doors to new PMM Camp community members, and the first open cart of 2025 ran from January 14 to January 20.

Launch Goals & Strategy

For this launch, I had two primary goals:

• Increase the conversion rate of the waitlist

• Increase the ratio of new members who purchase annual plans (vs quarterly)

To achieve these goals, I prioritized three main launch strategies: update my messaging, optimize my waitlist, and provide an irresistible offer.

Update My Messaging

I wrote about this extensively in the January 12 edition, so I’ll just share the tl;dr here. I spent 20+ hours rewriting and redesigning the landing page for the PMM Camp community to speak directly to its target audience: product marketing leaders.

This included a shift to feature-first messaging, clarification of what a PMM leader is, a personal letter from the founder (me!), and more.

Not only did I use this new messaging on my website, but I used it in all of my marketing assets for launch — from waitlist nurture emails to LinkedIn content.

Optimize My Waitlist

The conversion rate of my waitlist declined during my last launch in October, so I knew it was time to refresh. I had been adding product marketers to the list for over a year, and it was becoming lukewarm.

For this launch, I started from scratch. I let everyone on the old waitlist know if they still wanted to remain on the list, they needed to join the new one. This meant that heading into the launch, everyone on the waitlist was fresh and had a higher level of intent.

I completely rebuilt and rewrote every email in the waitlist nurture flow to incorporate my new messaging. Personally, I hate getting spammed with emails (I mean, who doesn’t). I only sent a total of three emails during my open cart week. I probably should send more (marketing best practices would agree), but I lean towards an ideal customer experience and keep it tight.

This means every email needs to count. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised with the results (more on this below).

Provide an Irresistible Offer

Members who purchase an annual plan get a discount that’s equal to three free months of membership. But, I wanted to add an extra incentive to drive an increase in annual plans.

I partnered with my friend Jason Oakley to offer a free subscription to his product the Jetpack and positioned the bonus as a “win-now” offer. It was a powerful way to drive conversions by giving members not just the core community benefits but also a toolkit they could use immediately in their roles.

This partnership also meant I unlocked additional co-marketing distribution channels via Jason’s LinkedIn and newsletter.

Launch Execution

With my messaging refined, the waitlist optimized, and an irresistible offer in place, it was time to execute. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the open cart week unfolded:

Day 1: Launch Day

The goal: Drive an early surge in sign-ups from the most engaged audience — my waitlist.

• I kicked things off with an email to the fresh waitlist, making it clear that registration was officially open. The messaging leaned into urgency (“One week to join”) and exclusivity (“Here’s who is already in the community”).

• Jason and I both shared a LinkedIn post highlighting the PMM Camp and Jetpack offer.

Midweek: Keeping Momentum

The goal: Sustain momentum from launch day and keep visibility high.

• Mid-launch, there’s always a natural lull. People who were ready to buy have already converted, and the rest are waiting until the last minute or are on the fence.

• To keep interest up, I focused on storytelling via:

  • A LinkedIn post featuring my philosophy on why building a network is your secret weapon (rather than a hard sell on the product itself).

  • A second waitlist email with a personalized video I recorded of myself giving a tour of PMM Camp.

Final 24 Hours: Closing the Cart

The goal: Convert procrastinators and get prospects over the fence.

• On Sunday, I used the promotion spot in my newsletter to highlight the PMM Camp and Jetpack offer. I also reinforced that there was only 24 hours left to join.

• On Monday, the final day, I sent the third email to the waitlist. This time, I showcased real testimonials from PMM Camp members and promoted the Jetpack offer again.

That’s it — a fairly simple promotion strategy: 3 emails, 2 LinkedIn posts, and a newsletter ad.

Results & Learnings

One week after launch, here’s where things landed:

✅ Waitlist conversion rate increased to 15%: The fresh waitlist strategy paid off, as did the new email nurture flows. Conversion rates improved significantly (from 7% to 15%) compared to the October launch without sacrificing on total number of conversions.

✅ More members chose the annual plan: 74% of new members chose the annual plan, despite a price increase of $50. The Jetpack bonus worked exactly as intended — it nudged more people toward the annual plan over the quarterly option. Anecdotally, I’ve seen this ratio increase naturally over time as PMM Camp gets more visibility and exposure. That said, I’m confident the offer helped boost numbers.

✅ Email performance exceeded expectations: All three launch emails had 60%+ open rates, and the launch day email hit a 16% click-through rate — a strong indicator that the new messaging resonated.

✅ $20,163 in recurring revenue generated: This launch not only grew the community but also reinforced the value of leaning into annual memberships for long-term stability. More annual sign-ups mean less churn risk and a more predictable revenue stream.

I’m pleased with the results, but of course there’s always the feeling you could have done more. That said, here’s three lessons I’m reflecting on post launch:

• Waitlists work — if they’re fresh. A year-old waitlist full of lukewarm leads wasn’t doing me any favors. Resetting it made a huge difference in conversion rates, and I already have 50 new waitlisters since closing the cart last week!

• Less email, but more intention. I didn’t spam people, but every email mattered. Even with just three emails, I drove strong engagement and conversions.

• Final-day urgency is everything. The last 24 hours accounted for a meaningful portion of sign-ups. People need that extra nudge to take action.

Although launch can be an exciting time, building a strong community isn’t about short-term spikes. It’s about sustained, thoughtful growth (I’m almost 2 years into this journey now). Every launch builds on the last, and my focus remains on creating a space that not only attracts top PMM leaders but keeps them engaged long-term.

I’ll be taking all these learnings into the next PMM Camp launch in April. Until then, the focus shifts back to delivering value to members and making sure they get the most out of the community.

I’d love to know — are there any launch strategies you think I should test? Share your ideas and I’ll incorporate them into my next launch (and report back).

CAMPER ESSENTIALS

🧣 Supplies: I’m in Banff this weekend for a little winter getaway. Luckily, my Super Puff is keeping me warm!

🎧 Playlist: If you’re hungry for more product launch breakdowns, check out my podcast Ready for Launch. Now’s the time to catch up before we drop Season 2.

🗓️ Events: April Dunford is coming to Camp on February 19! Join us for a private book club and discussion where we can ask April questions about both books, Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch. Free for all community members — register in the Bonfire tab.

Off to Lake Louise for a little skate!