Get AI summaries of any video or article — Sign up free
How to build a go to market (GTM) plan thumbnail

How to build a go to market (GTM) plan

Notion·
5 min read

Based on Notion's video on YouTube. If you like this content, support the original creators by watching, liking and subscribing to their content.

TL;DR

Create a GTM page inside a projects database and define core properties like timeline, launch date, DRI, collaborators, and priority so every launch entry stays consistent.

Briefing

A go-to-market (GTM) plan becomes far easier to execute when it’s built as a single, structured workspace—complete with launch context, deliverables, meeting links, and date-driven checklists. Instead of scattering planning across docs, spreadsheets, and chat threads, the approach uses Notion pages and databases to keep cross-functional teams aligned from the first draft to the post-launch review.

The process starts by creating a dedicated GTM page inside a projects database. The plan is given a timeline (start and end dates) plus a single launch date, and it’s tied to people through “person” properties for the directly responsible individual (DRI) and collaborators. A “priority” property helps teams gauge how important the work is to the company. Notion’s database properties are treated as the backbone of consistency: once the team defines the properties, every new GTM entry must fill in the same core fields.

The page body is then organized into three major sections—About, Execution, and Launch Day—using large headers. The About section is where launch-critical context lives: a product summary, the team involved, the target audience, and a general breakdown of the product. This section can also link out to supporting documents using Notion backlinks, so partners don’t have to hunt for requirements, research, or assets across the workspace.

To manage execution, an inline table is added to hold launch deliverables. Each deliverable becomes a row with structured fields such as DRI (person), status (select), and team (select). Deliverables can store rich content—Figma files, PDFs, images, or even GitHub gists—directly within the database pages, keeping artifacts and ownership together. Status and team options are defined up front by typing the allowed values, and colors can be customized to make progress visually scannable.

Because launches generate meeting notes, the plan also connects the GTM page to a separate meeting-notes database using a relation property. That creates a live set of links on the GTM page, so anyone can jump to the relevant notes without navigating back to the database.

Finally, the plan handles action items with checklists rather than more databases. A pre-launch checklist and a “last day run of show” list tasks with owners and dynamic dates. Team members can be tagged directly in checklist items, and dates can be made relative (e.g., “Friday 10 am”), so the displayed deadline updates based on when the page is viewed. After launch, a postmortem section captures results and customer feedback, including synced blocks from metrics or qualitative notes.

With colors, images, and a table of contents for fast navigation, the GTM document becomes a centralized operating system for launch work—turning planning into a trackable workflow with clear ownership, deadlines, and follow-through.

Cornell Notes

The GTM plan is built as a structured Notion page that centralizes launch strategy, ownership, deliverables, meeting context, and execution checklists. It starts with a projects database entry that defines timeline, launch date, DRI, collaborators, and priority. The page’s About section captures product and audience context, while an inline deliverables table tracks each asset with a DRI, status, and team, plus links to rich files. A relation property connects the GTM page to meeting notes stored in a separate database. Pre-launch and launch-day tasks are managed with checklists that support tagging owners and using dynamic dates, then a postmortem section records outcomes and feedback.

Why define properties (timeline, launch date, DRI, collaborators, priority) at the database level instead of writing everything in free text?

Database properties enforce consistency across every GTM entry. Once the projects database is configured with properties like timeline (start/end), launch date, DRI (person), collaborators (person), and priority (select), every new GTM page must include those fields. That makes it easier to compare launches, assign ownership quickly, and keep cross-functional partners aligned on the same core metadata.

How does the deliverables table turn a launch plan into an execution system?

An inline table stores launch deliverables as rows, each with structured fields such as DRI (person), status (select), and team (select). Deliverables can also hold rich content inside each row’s page—Figma files, PDFs, images, or GitHub gists—so assets and ownership live together. Status options are created by typing allowed values and can be color-coded for quick progress scanning.

What’s the benefit of linking meeting notes via a relation property?

Meeting notes often live in a separate database, but teams still need them attached to the specific GTM effort. Using a relation property connects the GTM page to the corresponding meeting notes entries, producing clickable links directly on the GTM page. That standardizes how meetings are stored and makes the right notes accessible without searching through databases.

Why use checklists (with tags and dynamic dates) for pre-launch and launch-day tasks?

Checklists keep action items lightweight and readable without building another database. Tasks can tag team members using @ mentions, which triggers updates in their workspace. Deadlines can be dynamic by typing relative expressions like “Friday 10 am,” so the displayed date updates depending on when the page is viewed. Completed items are marked with a check, automatically crossing out the task.

What should go into the About section to align cross-functional partners early?

The About section should include the product summary, the teams and team members involved, the goal, the target audience, and a general breakdown of the product. Adding backlinks to supporting documents (via Notion’s link/backlink workflow) ensures partners can access requirements, research, or assets without leaving the GTM page.

How does the postmortem section close the loop after launch?

A postmortem section turns launch work into measurable learning. It’s used to review what happened, assess results, and capture customer feedback or metrics. The plan also supports pulling in synced blocks (by copying and pasting with paste-and-sync), so performance data and qualitative insights can be referenced in the same place as the launch plan.

Review Questions

  1. What database properties would you include for a GTM entry to ensure ownership and scheduling are captured consistently?
  2. How would you structure deliverables so that each asset has a DRI, a status, and a team assignment?
  3. What’s the difference between using an inline deliverables table and using checklist items for tasks?

Key Points

  1. 1

    Create a GTM page inside a projects database and define core properties like timeline, launch date, DRI, collaborators, and priority so every launch entry stays consistent.

  2. 2

    Use an About section to capture product context—summary, audience, goals, and team involvement—so cross-functional partners start aligned.

  3. 3

    Track launch assets in an inline deliverables table with structured fields for DRI (person), status (select), and team (select), and store rich artifacts directly in each deliverable.

  4. 4

    Connect the GTM page to meeting notes using a relation property to keep relevant discussions one click away.

  5. 5

    Manage pre-launch and launch-day execution with checklist items that tag owners and support dynamic dates for deadlines.

  6. 6

    Add a postmortem section to record outcomes, customer feedback, and metrics, using synced blocks when possible.

  7. 7

    Use a table of contents and visual styling (colors/images) to make the GTM page easy to navigate under time pressure.

Highlights

A single Notion GTM page can centralize strategy, deliverables, meeting links, and action checklists—reducing the need to coordinate across scattered tools.
Deliverables become trackable when each row has a DRI, a status, and a team, with rich files stored alongside the assignment.
Relation properties let meeting notes live in their own standardized database while still appearing as direct links on the GTM page.
Dynamic dates in checklists (like “Friday 10 am”) automatically adjust based on when the page is viewed.
A post-launch postmortem can pull in synced metrics or customer feedback so learning stays attached to the launch plan.

Topics

  • GTM Planning
  • Notion Databases
  • Deliverables Tracking
  • Meeting Notes Relations
  • Launch Checklists