Startup Launch Checklist: 47 Tasks Before, During & After Launch Day
After launching 30+ products (including getting #1 on Product Hunt multiple times), I've distilled everything into this battle-tested checklist.
No fluff. Just the tasks that actually matter.
📋 Phase 1: Pre-Launch (2-4 Weeks Before)
Product Readiness
| Task | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core features working and tested | 🔴 Critical | Ship MVP, not perfection |
| Onboarding flow < 2 minutes | 🔴 Critical | Test with 5 real users |
| Mobile responsive | 🟡 High | 60%+ traffic is mobile |
| Loading speed < 3 seconds | 🟡 High | Use PageSpeed Insights |
| Error handling & 404 pages | 🟢 Medium | Don't show ugly errors |
| Analytics installed | 🔴 Critical | GA4, Mixpanel, or Posthog |
Content & Assets
| Task | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| One-line pitch (< 10 words) | 🔴 Critical | "X for Y" or "X without Y" |
| Landing page copy done | 🔴 Critical | Focus on benefits, not features |
| Demo video (< 90 seconds) | 🟡 High | Show, don't tell |
| Screenshots (5-8 high-quality) | 🟡 High | Include social proof |
| Logo & favicon | 🟢 Medium | Consistent branding |
| Press kit / media assets | 🟢 Medium | Logos, screenshots, founder bios |
Community Building
| Task | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Build email waitlist | 🔴 Critical | Aim for 500+ before launch |
| Create Discord/Slack community | 🟡 High | For early adopters |
| Engage in relevant subreddits | 🟡 High | Be helpful, not promotional |
| Connect with 10+ potential users | 🔴 Critical | DMs, not cold emails |
| Find 3-5 micro-influencers | 🟡 High | 1K-10K followers, high engagement |
🚀 Phase 2: Launch Week
Launch Day Tasks
| Task | Time | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Submit to Product Hunt | 12:01 AM PT | producthunt.com |
| Post launch thread on Twitter/X | + 30 min | twitter.com |
| Post on HackerNews (Show HN) | + 1 hour | news.ycombinator.com |
| Send email to waitlist | + 2 hours | Your ESP |
| Post in relevant subreddits | + 3 hours | reddit.com |
| Notify Discord/Slack community | + 4 hours | Your community |
| Reach out to influencers | Throughout | DMs |
Real-Time Monitoring
⏰ Every 2 Hours:
- Check Product Hunt ranking
- Respond to ALL comments within 30 min
- Monitor Twitter mentions
- Track signups/conversions
- Note feedback themes
Quick Win Actions
| Action | Impact | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Reply to every PH comment | 🔥 High | Low |
| Thank everyone who shares | 🔥 High | Low |
| Post progress updates | 🔥 High | Low |
| Share behind-the-scenes | Medium | Low |
| Go live on Twitter Spaces | Medium | Medium |
📊 Phase 3: Post-Launch (First 30 Days)
Week 1: Momentum
| Task | Goal |
|---|---|
| Write launch retrospective | Document learnings |
| Publish "how we built it" article | SEO + credibility |
| Collect 10+ testimonials | Social proof |
| Fix critical bugs reported | User retention |
| Email launch results to waitlist | Keep engaged |
Week 2-4: Sustain & Scale
| Task | Goal |
|---|---|
| Submit to 20+ directories | SEO backlinks |
| Start content marketing | Organic growth |
| Set up referral program | Viral growth |
| Implement top feature requests | User satisfaction |
| Reach out to podcasts | Authority building |
Directory Submission Checklist
| Directory | Type | DA |
|---|---|---|
| BetaList | Startup | 60 |
| SaaSHub | SaaS | 55 |
| AlternativeTo | Alternative | 75 |
| G2 | Software | 90 |
| Capterra | Software | 85 |
| GetApp | Software | 80 |
| StackShare | Dev Tools | 70 |
| Awesome Lists | Open Source | Varies |
🎯 Launch Day Timeline Template
🌅 Day Before:
22:00 - Final checks, go to bed early
🚀 Launch Day:
00:01 PT - Submit to Product Hunt
00:30 PT - Post Twitter launch thread
01:00 PT - Show HN submission
03:00 PT - Send waitlist email
06:00 PT - First Reddit posts
08:00 PT - Morning engagement push
12:00 PT - Midday progress update
16:00 PT - Afternoon engagement push
20:00 PT - Evening thank you thread
23:00 PT - Day 1 recap post
📈 Day After:
- Write retrospective
- Thank supporters personally
- Plan week 1 content
💡 Pro Tips from 30+ Launches
What Actually Moves the Needle
- Personal outreach > broadcast - DM 100 people, not 1 tweet to 10K
- Launch when ready - Tuesday-Thursday, avoid holidays
- Respond in < 30 min - Speed = perceived care
- Show vulnerability - "We're small but passionate" works
- Stack launches - PH + HN + Reddit on same day = compounding
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Launching on Monday or Friday
❌ Not having a waitlist before launch
❌ Ignoring negative feedback
❌ Over-promising features
❌ Treating launch as the finish line (it's the start)
📚 Resources
Need deeper playbooks? Check out these battle-tested guides:
- Launch Playbook - Complete GTM strategy from 30x Product Hunt #1 winner
- Open Source Marketing - How to get 10K+ GitHub stars
- B2B Growth Guide - PMF to $10M ARR strategies
What's your launch checklist missing? Drop a comment below 👇
I've helped launch products that reached 60K+ GitHub stars and millions of users. Happy to answer questions!
Want the full playbook? Get the complete, open-source Product Hunt Launch Playbook on GitHub — with step-by-step frameworks, templates, and real case studies. Star it to bookmark for later.
📖 Read the full series at gingiris.tools
This article is part of Gingiris Growth Tools — Iris's collection of 90+ practical playbooks for SaaS marketing, open-source growth, Product Hunt launches, and AI agent workflows. Written from 4 years co-founding AFFiNE (60K+ GitHub stars), 30x Product Hunt #1 launches, and currently bootstrapping Analook — a free AI competitor analysis tool.
Connect: gingiris.com · Skills on ClawHub · Try Analook free
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