Why Your 2026 Launch Strategy Should Start Now

The Narrative Advantage: Episode 41

This is the last episode of 2025, and we’re going out with something practical: how to actually integrate communications into your strategic planning for 2026—not as a bolt-on, but as something built-in from the start.

If you’ve ever scrambled two weeks before a launch wondering why nothing is landing, or if your marketing team feels constantly behind and under pressure, this episode is for you.

We’re breaking down:

• Why treating communications as downstream creates misalignment, wasted energy, and trust erosion
• The hidden costs of leaving marketing out of strategic decisions
• How to plan your 2026 launch periods with a communications flywheel (not a funnel)
• The simple shift that makes launches feel like invitations instead of surprises
• What it looks like when your marketing is integrated into planning from the beginning

This episode pairs with the Conversion Shift blog series: