Launching an AI App: A Blunt Checklist for Week One

You built the app. Now nobody knows it exists.

Week one decides whether you get a first user or a quiet repo. This is the checklist I would run, blunt version.

Free stuff to grab first

• AI Employees: eight open source roles, MIT licensed, free on every plan including Free. Pick the ones you want and the repo plus an install prompt come with them.
• Product Hunt: free to use. Its launch page says to launch at 12:01 am Pacific if you have no scheduling constraints.
• Show HN guidelines: read them before you post. They are short.
• BetaList: a site for finding early-stage startups. It has a Submit startup button. The page does not say what a standard submission costs, so check before you assume it is free.

Day 0: before you launch

• Write one sentence that says who it is for and what it does.
• Make it usable without signup if you can. Show HN says to make the project easy to try, ideally with no signups or email requirements.
• Set a goal. Product Hunt tells you to set goals before launching. Pick a number. Ten real users beats a hundred upvotes.
• Use a personal account. Product Hunt prohibits company accounts.

Day 1: launch on Product Hunt

• Submit it yourself. Product Hunt says there is no discernible advantage to a third-party hunter.
• Do not beg for upvotes. Their rule: ask people to visit and comment instead.
• Answer every comment. Fast.

Asking for comments is allowed. Asking for upvotes can get you flagged as a spammer.

Day 2: Show HN, only if it qualifies

Show HN wants something people can run, built by you, ready for users.

It does not want landing pages, sign-up pages, or quickly generated one-off projects. Be honest with yourself here. If your app is a waitlist page, skip this.

Start the title with "Show HN". Explain how and why you built it.

Day 3 to 5: get the small stuff done

• Submit to directories.
• Reply to every person who tried it.
• Fix the first thing three people complain about.
• Write down what you learned while it is fresh.

Day 6 and 7: get help from other founders

This is the part I built for.

Launch day is lonely. You need people who will look at your launch, leave real feedback, share it, and say something true about it. I used to be a domain reseller and blogger. I know what shouting into a void feels like.

So I launched Favors.dev. The page calls it "the marketing co-op for founders who ship."

Here is how it works, straight from the live page:

• Members help each other's launches with testimonials, shares and feedback.
• You earn points for verified help. A 10-second launch favorite is +2. A 45-minute newsletter mention is +400.
• Points are credited only after the work is verified by scraping, AI grading or approval.
• You spend points on a rally: a bundle of favors for your own launch.
• Points are earned, never bought.
• Joining is free, no card. You get 50 points on signup and 200 more after your first favor.

There is also a launch directory and a launch calendar, and members get a public project page with a backlink.

Trade favors, earn points, launch faster. That is the whole idea.

The week in one list

1. Day 0: one sentence, no-signup demo, a number goal.
2. Day 1: Product Hunt, personal account, no upvote begging.
3. Day 2: Show HN only if it qualifies.
4. Day 3 to 5: directories, replies, one fix.
5. Day 6 and 7: line up favors so launch two has support.

You are not done after week one. Product Hunt says you can launch again when you ship significant new iterations.

Small ask: if you are building with AI agents, come hang out in the Vibe Coding is Life community, on Facebook or Skool.