You can reduce stress and produce a better product if you separate "release" from "launch." Release as frequently as possible, with a small unveil process. Measure and learn. Then, when you have everything that you need to make a statement in the marketplace, do a bigger launch.
Releases are what developers do to deliver new features to EXISTING users. Releases should go out as frequently as possible.
Some releases are so incremental that they might not have very much impact on the way that users think about the product. Some users will be happy because they are waiting for new features. Some users will notice improvements. We will watch some users as test subjects, and measure their usage of new features. We will ask some users for feedback and testimonials that we can use in launch promotions.
Some releases are hidden for a majority of users, waiting for a bigger unveil.
"Launch" is what the marketing and/or training people do, after the release, to show it to NEW users, and create IMPACT in the marketplace. Impact will be increased if the release has big themes and new capabilities. Launches should happen when the product is ready.
Many software producers will set a date to release a new product, and schedule a launch on that same date, with meetings and training and marketing activities. Software companies can be ripped apart by this process. It is a destructive pattern. It creates a lot of stress for the development team, because they can never be sure that they will have a good product on the pre-determined date. It creates a lot of stress for the marketing team and senior management. They schedule expenditures and media and meetings around the release date. However, they do not actually know when the release will be ready. They go into a frenzy of prioritization and micro-management as the date approaches.
You can get massive stress reduction if you learn before launch. In the new system, you will wait until all of the key features are released. You do not need to unveil them to all users. THEN, when you can see that everything looks good, you plan your launch.
You will want to have confidence that your development team will rapidly deliver the product you want, without the pressure of a fixed release date. You will gain this confidence if you see their work in frequent releases. Releases must be frequent and they should get shown on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule.
If you have confidence that your product will be great, you will not be in a hurry to launch. You will be able to wait until you are fully ready to make an impact. You will understand that the goal is not to launch. The goal is to launch a great product.