#118- The Product Launch Playbook with Derek Osgood

#118- The Product Launch Playbook with Derek Osgood

Author: User Interviews March 1, 2023 Duration: 46:47

According to Derek Osgood, it takes a "great product and product marketing collaboration" to get people to adopt products. But with such a small window of opportunity and many moving parts, it's easy to get it wrong. So how do massively successful brands execute a winning product launch?

Join Erin and JH as they welcome guest Derek Osgood, CEO of Ignition, to examine the key components of a product launch. Derek shares his perspective on branding at scale as he outlines critical aspects to consider before, during, and after launch. He also provides a step-by-step walkthrough of a successful go-to-market strategy, complete with specific marketing tactics for planning, targeting, collaboration, and research.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • What makes a successful product launch?
  • The elements of a winning launch
  • Best research practices, tactics, tips, and tools
  • Common mistakes and oversights

Highlights:

  • [00:03:37] The ingredients to a successful launch
  • [00:08:34] Walkthrough of a successful launch (plus a laundry list of important questions to consider)
  • [00:12:11] Internal marketing and the importance of communicating across teams
  • [00:17:17] How teams get it wrong, dos and don'ts
  • [00:20:39] A simplistic way to segment your audience
  • [00:26:25] Message testing tips - the how, when, and why
  • [00:32:02] Specific tactics and tools Derek uses to find pricing and understand features

Sources mentioned in the episode:

About Our Guest

Derek Osgood is a product marketing specialist, entrepreneur, and Founder & CEO of Ignition, a platform that helps brands streamline go-to-market strategies. He has launched several products that have collectively generated over $1 billion in revenue. Before Ignition, Derek worked as Director of Product Marketing at Rippling, Director of Marketing and Growth at BBVA, and as a Product Manager at Playstation. 


Awkward Silences is a conversation about the human side of building things. Hosts Erin May and Carol Guest, both VPs at User Interviews, don't just talk about theory-they get into the messy, real-world practice of talking to users and making sense of what they say. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the craft of user research, featuring candid chats with the practitioners who do this work every day. You'll hear stories about navigating tricky interviews, the weight of interpreting qualitative data, and how genuine understanding directly shapes better products and smarter business decisions. This isn't a dry lecture; it's a geeky, relatable dive into the questions and quiet moments that define UX research. The Awkward Silences podcast lives in the intersection of technology and business, focusing on the people and processes that connect them. Listen for practical insights, empathetic strategies, and the occasional shared laugh about the inevitable fumbles that come with trying to understand anyone. It’s for anyone who believes that building effectively starts with listening well.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Awkward Silences
Podcast Episodes
#189 - Throwback: Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:44
This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.This episode welcomed Ruby Pryor, founder of Rex, a consulting firm specializing in UX research and strategic design.This episode gets into what…
#184 - Use Context For More Influence with Kristen DeLap of Econify [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:34
Ben talks with Kristen DeLap, fractional COO at Econify, to explore how UX'ers can build influence without formal authority. Kristen brings a unique perspective, having evolved from interior design to leading product tea…
#182 - The Future of Research (In a Moment of Change) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:40
Ben sits down with Basel Fakhoury, CEO and Co-founder of User Interviews, and Baran Erkel, Chief Strategy Officer at UserTesting, for a conversation about the research industry's evolution. With AI reshaping customer beh…
#181 - Why We Need Design Now More Than Ever with Karl Randay of 383 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:19
Ben Wiedmaier sits with Karl Randay, Experience Director at 383, to explore how designers can stay relevant in an increasingly automated world. Karl shares insights from working with major brands like Hilton and Jaguar o…