Launch Channels (ORB: Owned / Rented / Borrowed)

Position in workflow: v0.9 Offer Construction (Hormozi) → v0.9 Launch Channels (ORB) → v0.9 Launch Metrics

Execution Mode

Default is standard. See .claude/rules/08-skill-execution-modes.md for selection logic.

Mode	What this skill produces
quick	1 channel per layer (3 channels total); single-week sequence
standard	2–3 channels per layer; pre-launch / launch / post-launch sequence; attribution plan per channel
deep	Full portfolio; per-channel content strategy; budget allocation; per-channel ROI projection; channel-mix risk register

Framework: Owned / Rented / Borrowed (ORB)

ORB classifies every distribution channel by who controls the audience. The rule: own the relationship, rent the platform, borrow the reach — and balance the portfolio so no single channel can take you out.

Layer	Definition	Examples	Cost	Compounding
Owned	You control the audience and the channel	Email list, website, product itself, blog you host, customer base	Time + tools	High — every additional list member compounds future launches
Rented	You build presence on someone else's platform	Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Slack/Discord communities, podcasts you host	Time	Medium — platform changes rules; audience is portable but messy
Borrowed	You access someone else's audience temporarily	Press, podcast guesting, influencers, paid acquisition, integrations, partnerships, affiliate	Money or favor	Low — one-time reach unless converted to Owned/Rented

The Channel Allocation Principles

1. Build Owned before launch, rent through launch, borrow at launch. Without an owned audience, the launch is a one-shot dependent on borrowed reach.
2. Pick channels your best-fit segment already uses. Pulled from the Positioning best-fit characteristics — not from "what's popular this quarter."
3. One channel per layer to start. Too many channels at once = no signal which is working. Add channels by tier 2–3 only once tier-1 attribution is clean.
4. Convert Borrowed → Owned aggressively. Every press hit, podcast guest spot, or partnership should funnel to an owned channel (email signup, demo request) — otherwise it's vanity reach.
5. Borrowed scales reach; Owned scales repeat. A launch is a moment; the goal is a list.

Consumes

• GTM-* positioning statement (from v0.9 Positioning) — Best-fit characteristics define where this segment actually spends time
• GTM-* offer card (from v0.9 Offer Construction) — The unit being distributed; channels must accommodate the offer's complexity
• PER-* personas (sharpened by Positioning) — Channel behavior data
• BR-* product type (from v0.2) — Clone/Innovation/Slice/Wrapper channel mixes differ: Clone leans Borrowed-paid, Innovation leans Owned-content, Slice leans Rented-community
• KPI-* baseline targets (from v0.3 Outcome Definition) — Per-channel attribution targets must roll up to baseline KPIs
• DEP-* release readiness (from v0.8) — Channels only fire after DEP- criteria met

Produces

• GTM-* with Type=Channel (one per channel) — Channel name, layer (O/R/B), best-fit fit rationale, content plan, attribution plan, owner, timeline phase
• GTM-* channel-mix matrix (one entry) — Portfolio summary: which channels in which phase, with budget/effort allocation
• GTM-* with Type=Sequence — Pre-launch / launch / post-launch channel firing order

Execution

Step 1: Map the best-fit segment's channels

From the Positioning best-fit characteristics, list where this segment is right now. Be specific:

• Owned channels they already subscribe to (newsletters, podcasts)
• Rented platforms they actively use (with handles / community names)
• Borrowed sources they trust (publications, influencers, conferences)

Do not guess. If you don't know, that's a CFD- research gap.

Step 2: Audit your existing assets

What do you already have in each ORB layer?

Layer	Asset	Reach (est.)	Activation	Notes
Owned	Email list
Owned	Existing customers
Rented	Founder Twitter
Rented	Company LinkedIn
Borrowed	Press relationships
Borrowed	Partner integrations

This audit reveals leverage — most launches over-rely on Borrowed because they have no Owned to lean on. Honest audit prevents that.

Step 3: Pick channels per layer [standard+]

Mode	Owned	Rented	Borrowed
quick	1	1	1
standard	2–3	2–3	2–3
deep	Full portfolio	Full portfolio	Full portfolio

For each candidate channel, score:

• Fit: Does best-fit segment actually use this? (1–5)
• Reach: How many of them does this channel touch? (Est.)
• Effort: What's the time cost per launch wave? (Hours)
• Cost: Direct $ cost?
• Attribution: Can we measure conversion from this channel?

Drop any candidate below Fit 3/5 — no channel is worth it if best-fit doesn't show up there.

Step 4: Sequence the launch

Three phases:

Phase	Timeline	Channels active	Purpose
Pre-launch	T-30 to T-1	Owned + Rented (warm)	Build anticipation, grow list
Launch	T-0 to T+7	All three (Borrowed peaks here)	Maximum reach
Post-launch	T+7 to T+30	Owned + Rented (sustain)	Convert reach to relationship

Quick mode collapses this to a single week. Deep mode extends to 90 days with explicit content per phase.

Step 5: Plan per-channel attribution

Every channel gets an attribution plan that ties to KPI-:

Channel	UTM / tracking	KPI- attribution target	Conversion event
Owned: Email	utm_source=email	KPI-XX signup	clicked email → reached offer page
Rented: Twitter	utm_source=twitter	KPI-XX signup	clicked tweet → reached offer page
Borrowed: PH	utm_source=producthunt	KPI-XX signup	PH referrer → reached offer page

If a channel can't be attributed, demote it to "supporting" status (still useful for context, but don't count it).

Step 6: Convert Borrowed → Owned [standard+]

For every Borrowed channel, define the next step that converts to Owned. Examples:

• Press hit → article includes "join our list for [bonus]"
• Podcast guest → custom URL with email opt-in
• Product Hunt launch → "early-access list" signup as primary CTA, not "buy now"

If a Borrowed channel has no conversion-to-Owned plan, the launch is leaking value.

Step 7: Build the channel-mix matrix

A single GTM-* entry summarizing the portfolio. See output template below.

Output Template

GTM-XXX: Channel — [Channel Name]
Type: Channel
Layer: [Owned | Rented | Borrowed]
Owner: [Person / team]
Status: [Planned | Active | Live]

Channel: [Specific platform or property]
Best-fit fit: [Why this channel reaches PER-XXX — anchored in Positioning best-fit characteristics]
Fit score: X/5
Reach estimate: [#]
Effort per wave: [Hours]
Cost: [$]
Attribution: [Tracking method, e.g., utm_source=...]

Content plan:
  Pre-launch: [What goes out, when, what messaging]
  Launch: [...]
  Post-launch: [...]

Conversion-to-Owned [if Borrowed]: [How this channel funnels to email list / signup]

Linked IDs: PER-XXX (segment), GTM-YYY (positioning), GTM-ZZZ (offer), KPI-AAA (attribution target)

GTM-XXX: Channel-Mix Matrix
Type: Sequence
Status: Approved

Pre-launch (T-30 to T-1):
  Owned: GTM-AAA (email), GTM-BBB (blog)
  Rented: GTM-CCC (Twitter)
  Borrowed: — (none active yet)

Launch (T-0 to T+7):
  Owned: GTM-AAA, GTM-BBB
  Rented: GTM-CCC, GTM-DDD (LinkedIn)
  Borrowed: GTM-EEE (Product Hunt), GTM-FFF (Press)

Post-launch (T+7 to T+30):
  Owned: GTM-AAA (drip sequence)
  Rented: GTM-CCC (results / social proof posts)
  Borrowed: GTM-FFF (case study placements)

Total budget: $X (Borrowed: $X; Rented tools: $Y; Owned: $Z)
Total effort: X hours/week pre-launch; Y hours during launch week

Linked IDs: GTM-YYY (positioning), GTM-ZZZ (offer), DEP-AAA (release readiness), KPI-BBB (attribution rollup)

Anti-Patterns

Pattern	Signal	Fix
Borrowed-only launch	"We'll launch on Product Hunt and Twitter" with no email list	Build Owned for 30+ days pre-launch or accept the one-shot risk
All channels at once	8 channels in launch week, no idea which worked	Cut to 1 per layer until attribution is clean
Channels not used by best-fit	"We should be on TikTok" when segment is on LinkedIn	Drop the channel; segment fit > channel popularity
No conversion path	Press hit drives traffic to a homepage with no CTA	Every Borrowed channel needs an email-capture CTA
Sequence flattening	All channels fire on launch day	Pre-launch matters — borrow only after Owned and Rented are warm
Vanity reach	"We got 50k impressions" but no signups	Drop the channel or fix attribution

Quality Gates

Before proceeding to Launch Metrics:

• At least one channel per layer (Owned + Rented + Borrowed), each with Fit ≥ 3/5
• Every channel traces to best-fit characteristics from Positioning
• Every channel has an attribution plan (UTM or equivalent)
• Every Borrowed channel has a defined conversion-to-Owned path
• Sequence covers pre-launch, launch, post-launch phases (standard+)
• Channel-mix matrix GTM-* entry exists and references all channel GTM-* entries

Downstream Connections

Consumer	What it uses	Example
Launch Metrics	Per-channel attribution targets become KPI- entries	Per-channel UTM → KPI-channel-signups
Feedback Loop Setup	Active channels become feedback sources	Twitter mentions → CFD- entries
v0.9 Tactical playbooks	AEO audit, alternatives pages, cold outreach, HN/Reddit launch all attach to specific channels named here	Channel = AEO target
v1.0 Crossing the Chasm (Moore)	Channel mix shifts per adoption stage	Early-adopter channels ≠ early-majority channels

Detailed References

• Corey Haines, Marketing Skills repo — launch skill (ORB classification)
• Joe Pulizzi, Content Inc. (Owned-first compounding)
• (No bundled references/ — read source skills for depth)