The Complete Product Launch Checklist for Indie Hackers

Product Launch Checklist for Indie Hackers

Launching a product is stressful. Here is a checklist to make sure you do not miss anything.

Before Launch (4-8 weeks)

Validation

• [ ] Talked to 20+ potential customers
• [ ] Built landing page and collected emails
• [ ] Pre-sold or got letters of intent
• [ ] Validated pricing with target customers

Product

• [ ] Core features working reliably
• [ ] Tested with 10+ beta users
• [ ] Fixed critical bugs
• [ ] Performance is acceptable
• [ ] Mobile responsive (if applicable)

Business

• [ ] Legal entity established
• [ ] Terms of service written
• [ ] Privacy policy in place
• [ ] Payment processing set up
• [ ] Customer support email ready

Marketing

• [ ] Landing page optimized
• [ ] Email sequence written
• [ ] Social media accounts created
• [ ] Launch assets ready (screenshots, demo video)
• [ ] Press kit prepared

Week 1 Before Launch

• [ ] Email beta testers about launch date
• [ ] Schedule social media posts
• [ ] Prepare launch day content
• [ ] Test all signup and payment flows
• [ ] Set up analytics tracking
• [ ] Prepare customer support templates
• [ ] Brief any partners or affiliates

Launch Week

Monday (Soft Launch)

• [ ] Email list gets early access
• [ ] Monitor for bugs
• [ ] Respond to feedback quickly
• [ ] Fix critical issues immediately

Tuesday-Thursday (Public Launch)

• [ ] Post on Product Hunt
• [ ] Share on Hacker News
• [ ] Post on Indie Hackers
• [ ] Share on Twitter/X, LinkedIn
• [ ] Email your list again
• [ ] Reach out to relevant communities
• [ ] Engage with every comment

Friday (Follow-up)

• [ ] Thank early customers publicly
• [ ] Share launch results
• [ ] Address any issues
• [ ] Plan next marketing push

Week After Launch

• [ ] Follow up with all signups
• [ ] Collect testimonials
• [ ] Analyze feedback
• [ ] Plan feature updates based on feedback
• [ ] Start content marketing
• [ ] Reach out to potential partners

Key Metrics to Track

Metric	Target (First Month)
Signups	100+
Conversion rate	2-5%
Churn	Under 10%
NPS	50+
Revenue	Cover basic costs

Common Launch Mistakes

1. Launching too early - Product not ready, bugs everywhere
2. Launching too late - Perfectionism kills momentum
3. No marketing plan - Hope is not a strategy
4. Ignoring feedback - Customers tell you what they want
5. No follow-up - Launch is just the beginning

Post-Launch Marketing

After the initial buzz fades, you need sustainable marketing.

Content Marketing

• Write blog posts about problems your product solves
• Create tutorials and how-tos
• Share customer success stories
• Guest post on relevant blogs

Community Building

• Build in public on Twitter/X
• Share updates weekly
• Engage with your community daily
• Create a Discord or Slack for power users

Partnerships

• Integrate with complementary products
• Reach out to influencers in your niche
• Cross-promote with non-competing products

The Reality Check

Most launches do not go viral. That is normal.

Typical launch results:

• 10-50 signups from friends and network
• 5-20 signups from communities
• 1-5 paying customers
• Months of iteration before product-market fit

This is fine. The goal is to learn and improve, not to get rich quick.

Final Thoughts

A launch is a milestone, not a destination. The real work starts after launch.

Build something people want, talk to your customers, and keep improving. That is how successful products are made.

---

Need a head start on your SaaS launch? SaaSLaunch gives you a complete boilerplate with auth, payments, email, and more built in.