Two dates run the whole launch
Cart open and cart close are custom values. Every content release, announcement and close-ladder message is offset from one of them. Change the pair and the launch moves wholesale, which is what you want at 11pm the night before you decide to push a week.
The close ladder is where launches are won
Four touches in the last 48 hours, ending with a final-hour SMS. The close ladder is the part of a launch most people write at midnight and regret; here it is written, timed and sitting in the snapshot before you start.
Payment plan as a downsell, not a default
The payment plan is offered only to people who reached checkout and did not buy. Offering it to everyone from the start reliably lowers total revenue, because buyers who would have paid in full take the plan instead.