The product launch checklist
21 concrete tasks across before, during, and after launch — the checklist version of the launch playbook.
1.Before launch (weeks -3 to -1)
Everything here exists so that when the spike comes, every visitor has somewhere durable to land.
Submit permanent listings
OnlyFoundrs, AlternativeTo, SaaSHub, two niche directories — they need days to approve and index.
Fix your OG tags
Check how your site previews when shared — the free Link Inspector does this in one paste.
One-line description
If you can't say what it does in one line, neither can anyone sharing it.
Analytics installed
You can't learn from a launch you can't measure. Know where traffic came from.
Onboarding sanity check
Sign up as a stranger would. If it takes more than 60 seconds to first value, fix that first.
Line up day-one support
Tell your network the date. First-4-hours momentum decides the ranking.
2.Launch day
One day, five moves. Everything here is about making the spike count — and capturing it so it doesn't evaporate by Friday.
One event, not three
Product Hunt OR Show HN — pick the one matching your buyer. Splitting the day loses both.
Be present all day
Answer every comment within an hour. Responsiveness is part of what ranks.
Share the honest story
Post the build story in your communities — numbers, surprises, mistakes. Stories spread; announcements don't.
Watch the analytics, not the dopamine
Note where traffic actually comes from — that tells you where to double down after.
Capture emails
Launch traffic without capture is a party that leaves no guests. Waitlist, newsletter, account — something.
3.After launch (weeks +1 to +4)
The phase that separates launches from distribution. This is where the compounding happens — and where most founders quit early.
Community posts with proof
Share results in niche subreddits and groups — 'we launched, here's what happened' converts better than 'we launched.'
Answer buyer questions
Search Reddit/Quora/X for people asking for tools like yours. Answer helpfully.
Publish weekly
One honest post a week — each is an indexed page that compounds.
Check the listings
Confirm every directory approved you; re-submit the rejections.
Follow up with signups
Email the launch-day signups. Ask what they wanted, what confused them.
Measure and cut
After 4 weeks, identify the two channels sending real traffic. Focus there. Kill the rest.
Key takeaway — The launch isn't a day on the calendar — it's the three weeks around it. The checklist only works if all three phases happen.
4.The items most founders skip
The most-skipped items on this list are all in 'after': the weekly posts, the buyer-question answers, the analytics review. Which is odd, because that's where the compounding lives. Anyone can have one good launch day; the founders who grow are the ones whose launch keeps sending traffic in month three.
Checklist item one: the permanent listing
Two minutes, one-time $5, works for you every day after. List your product on OnlyFoundrs.
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