Hey friends,

A few months ago, I spoke with a founder who had built one of the smartest AI copilots I’ve seen all year. It could summarize complex documents in seconds, generate insights, and even draft emails automatically.

There was just one problem.
Almost no one knew it existed.

They had spent months perfecting the model, refining prompts, tuning accuracy — but when launch day came, traction flatlined. Fewer than 500 visitors, barely any sign-ups.

The founder told me later, “We thought the hardest part was getting the model to work. Turns out, the hardest part was getting anyone to care.”

That conversation stuck with me. Because it’s the same story I’ve heard from dozens of AI builders lately — brilliant technology, invisible to the world.

And that’s where your Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy comes in.

In today’s AI economy, building something valuable isn’t enough. You need a plan to educate, attract, and retain users long before your product hits production.

So in this edition, we’ll break down exactly how to do that — step by step.

By the end, you’ll know:

Let’s dive in.

— Naseema Perveen

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

Here’s the first truth: you’re not just launching a product — you’re launching new behavior.

When users try an AI tool for the first time, they’re not only asking “Does this work?” — they’re asking “Can I trust this?”

That means your GTM motion has to do more than sell features. It has to educate, build trust, and show real outcomes early.

Let’s unpack a few ways AI GTM breaks the usual rules:

1. Education precedes activation
People don’t understand what your AI can or can’t do. Your marketing must teach before it sells. Think Loom tutorials, before/after demos, micro-explainers.

2. Value emerges from context
AI feels magical only when it’s solving a specific workflow pain point. That’s why generic “AI platforms” struggle, while niche copilots thrive.

3. Trust drives retention
If users don’t believe the output, they churn. Early GTM must showcase accuracy, transparency, and data safety.

4. Differentiation fades fast
Every AI product looks similar at launch. GTM is how you build identity — through positioning, tone, and community.

When OpenAI, Jasper, or Harvey gained traction, it wasn’t just model performance. It was the story, the clarity of the use case, and the motion they used to build credibility fast.

Here’s the roadmap I’ve seen work consistently across successful AI startups — from indie builders to enterprise founders.

Every good GTM plan starts here: Who are you for, and what promise are you making?

If you can’t answer this in one sentence, pause the build.

Your value narrative is the thread that connects your product, marketing, and sales:

“We help [target user] achieve [specific outcome] by automating [painful task] using [AI mechanism].”

Examples:

This is your north star. You’ll use it for your landing page headline, pitch deck, email copy, and every social post.

Next, define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP):

Once you understand your ICP, you can tailor your messaging to resonate emotionally — not just technically.

Think of this as your GTM hypothesis — your best guess for how you’ll reach your first 1000 users.

Ask yourself:

From there, choose your primary GTM motion. Don’t try all at once — pick one to start:

1. Product-Led Motion (PLG)

2. Sales-Led Motion

3. Content-Led Motion

Pick one. Commit for 60 days. Learn from feedback. Then layer the others.

Before a public launch, the smartest AI founders run a private beta.

Why? Because early users are your first marketers.

They give you:

Here’s how to structure it:

1. Create scarcity

2. Personalize onboarding

3. Build feedback loops

4. Capture proof

By the time you go public, you should have a small army of advocates ready to vouch for you.

Most founders think launch = “post on Product Hunt.”
That’s only 5% of it.

A real GTM launch is an orchestrated campaign across multiple touchpoints.

Here’s how to plan it.

Where does your audience live?

Don’t post everywhere. Go deep on one or two.

Your core message should answer three questions in one line:

Example:

“We built a copilot that clears your support inbox 80% faster — no setup, no training data.”

A good launch feels like a story unfolding, not a single announcement.

After launch day, you’ll face the GTM hangover. Traffic slows, excitement dips. This is when real growth starts.

Here’s what to focus on:

1. Onboard intentionally
The first 5 minutes decide if users stay.
Use guided tours, templates, or pre-built examples to shorten “time to wow.”

2. Build retention loops

3. Align product and marketing
Every new feature deserves a story.
Turn release notes into social proof.
Ship → Tell → Measure → Repeat.

4. Collect and showcase outcomes
When users post wins (“Saved 4 hours!”), amplify them. That’s your best advertising.

5. Keep a cadence
Your product should feel alive.
Monthly updates, feature spotlights, customer stories — all build compounding credibility.

Most AI builders measure the wrong things.

Here’s what matters:

Your goal in the first 90 days isn’t revenue.
It’s proof that users come back.

AI products often impress once — but retention proves trust.

A great go-to-market strategy isn’t a one-time push — it’s a repeatable system of learning. This 6-week launch sprint helps you move from idea to traction through short, focused cycles. Each week has a clear objective, a tangible deliverable, and a feedback loop that refines your product and story. By the end of each sprint, you’ll know exactly what’s working, what needs adjustment, and how to scale with confidence.

Repeat every 6 weeks until you hit traction. Each loop refines message, product, and proof.

Rewind AI didn’t start with big PR or a huge ad budget. Their breakthrough came from a single clear promise:

“Rewind lets you search anything you’ve seen, said, or heard on your Mac.”

They released short demo clips showing real use cases: searching conversations, recalling screens. It wasn’t hype — it was believability.

The founders spent their first weeks doing manual onboarding calls, collecting user reactions, and sharing snippets publicly. That created curiosity loops.

Within a month, they had tens of thousands on their waitlist. All from clarity, proof, and storytelling — not a massive build.

That’s GTM in action.

Here are practical tools you can use to execute this plan:

Pro tip: record every user reaction in early demos — those clips become marketing gold later.

Here’s the shift I see in every founder who succeeds:

They stop treating GTM as “marketing” and start treating it as product discovery.

Every launch, post, or call is data.
Every reaction is insight.

If people don’t convert, that’s not failure — it’s signal.

Think like a scientist:

Before you build big, run this.

Ask yourself:

Can I convince 10 people to pay $100 for this AI product before I fully automate it?

If yes, you have traction worth scaling.
If not, you don’t need another feature — you need another story.

AI lowers the cost of building but raises the bar for marketing clarity.

In a world where anyone can build, your competitive edge isn’t just the model — it’s the momentum.

The best founders think of distribution as part of design.
Every UI element, onboarding screen, or output has a shareable moment baked in.

Your goal isn’t to go viral. It’s to build trust that travels.

✅ Value narrative defined in one line
✅ ICP and use case nailed down
✅ GTM motion selected (Product-, Sales-, or Content-Led)
✅ Early-access waitlist and beta program ready
✅ Proof assets: demo, testimonials, screenshots
✅ Launch sequence mapped across 7 days
✅ Post-launch retention and referral loops designed

If you can tick all seven, you’re ready to launch with intention.

The AI boom has made it easier than ever to build — and harder than ever to break through.

Most teams pour 90% of their energy into the product and 10% into distribution. The winners flip that ratio.

They understand that a launch isn’t a single day — it’s a continuous conversation with the market.

So, before you spend another week optimizing prompts or debating features, step back and ask:

“Who am I building for — and how will they find me?”

Because the best AI founders don’t just build products.
They build movements.

Let’s make this week the start of yours.

— Naseema💙

Writer & Editior

AI Journal Newsletter

That’s all for now. And, thanks for staying with us. If you have specific feedback, please let us know by leaving a comment or emailing us. We are here to serve you!

Join 130k+ AI and Data enthusiasts by subscribing to our LinkedIn page.

Become a sponsor of our next newsletter and connect with industry leaders and innovators.