Launch week checklist: what to do, day by day

Most launch checklists are a list of 40 things with no order. Then launch day arrives and you're writing your tagline at 11:50 p.m.

This one is ordered by day. It covers one launch week on one platform, from seven days out to seven days after. If you're planning several launches across a few weeks, read our guide to launching on several platforms without burning your audience too.

Short answer: Days −7 to −3: fix the site and write your listing kit. Days −2 and −1: schedule, tag links and brief your supporters. Launch day: post early, answer every comment, share once per channel. Days +1 to +7: follow up, capture feedback, add the launch to your site, and turn the attention into links.

Day −7: make the site launch-ready

Everyone who clicks through will judge the product in about ten seconds. So will platform reviewers.

• Homepage says what the product does and for whom, in one sentence, above the fold.
• Signup or download works on mobile and desktop, logged out. Actually test it.
• Pricing is visible, even if it's "free during beta."
• No leftover noindex, and the right canonical tags. Check with the meta tag checker.
• Your link preview looks right when shared. Check the image and title with the Open Graph checker.
• Analytics is installed and you can see today's visits.
• Search Console is verified and your sitemap is submitted. If not, our $0 SEO tool stack walks through it.

Day −6: write the listing kit

Write every piece once, in a doc. You'll reuse it on every platform and directory for months.

• Name, spelled one way.
• Tagline of about 60 characters: what it does, for whom.
• Short description of about 160 characters.
• Long description, 100 to 250 words, problem first.
• Logo that works on light and dark backgrounds.
• Three to five real product screenshots.
• A demo video or GIF under a minute.
• Category, and two or three tags.

We go deeper on each field in how to write a directory listing that gets approved. The same rules apply to launch pages.

Day −5: write your first comment and FAQ answers

On most launch platforms, the maker's first comment sets the tone. Write it now, not at midnight.

• First comment: who you are, why you built it, what's different, and one specific question you want feedback on.
• Short answers to the questions you'll get: pricing, privacy, integrations, "how is this different from X?", roadmap.
• A launch-day offer, if you have one, with a clear end date.

Day −4: pick your platform and read its rules

• Pick the platform and the date. Our Product Hunt alternatives roundup compares cadence, cost and link terms.
• Read the rules. On Product Hunt, the launch guide is clear: "you cannot ask people directly to upvote your product. Instead, ask them to visit and comment."
• Check timing. Product Hunt recommends 12:01 a.m. Pacific "for makers that are planning ahead." Weekly platforms, including ours, run on a weekly board instead.
• Check link terms. Is the website link followed? Is a badge required to keep it? Decide now whether you'll accept that.

Day −3: build your list of people to tell

• Write down 20 to 50 people by name who'd genuinely want to know: early users, beta testers, founder friends, people who asked for this feature.
• Group them by channel: email, DMs, communities you're an active member of.
• Draft a short personal message for each group. Ask for feedback or a comment, not a vote.

Personal messages to people who know you work far better than a blast to strangers, and they don't cost you goodwill.

Day −2: tag links and schedule

• Build UTM links for every channel with the UTM builder, so you know on day +3 which ones worked. Example: utm_source=launch-platform-name&utm_medium=launch&utm_campaign=launch-week.
• Submit or schedule the launch. Launch free on LaunchRanked takes a few minutes; listings get human review before going live.
• Prepare social posts: one per channel, each written for that channel.
• Clear your calendar for launch day. Seriously.

Day −1: brief your supporters and rest

• Send a heads-up to your closest supporters with the date and link (or tell them it's coming).
• Double-check the listing preview: images, links, typos.
• Go to bed at a reasonable time. Launch day is long, and your replies will be better rested.

Launch day

First hour

• Confirm the listing is live and the link works.
• Post your prepared first comment.
• Send your personal messages, in batches, not all at once.
• Post once on each social channel. Pin it where you can.

All day

• Reply to every comment, thoughtfully and fast. Thank people for criticism too; it's the most useful kind.
• Log every bug and feature request in one place.
• Watch signup and error logs. Launch traffic finds bugs your tests didn't.
• Don't refresh the leaderboard every five minutes. Answer comments instead. That's the part you control.

End of day

• Thank supporters.
• Note the numbers you care about: visitors by UTM source, signups, comments.

Day +1: follow up

• Reply to anything you missed overnight.
• Email every new signup personally, or at least the first few dozen. Ask one question.
• Fix the one or two bugs most people hit.

Day +2: capture what you learned

• Write a short list: what people liked, what confused them, what they asked for.
• Update your homepage copy with the words users actually used to describe the product.
• Update your listing kit doc with any improved wording.

Day +3: make the launch work for SEO

A launch is a spike. What stays is the pages and links it leaves behind.

• Check which listings are live and whether their links are followed. Our post on dofollow vs nofollow explains why that's not the only thing that matters.
• Add a "featured on" or press section to your site if you got coverage, linking to real pages.
• Reply to anyone who wrote about you. Some will add a link if you ask nicely.

Days +4 to +7: start the long tail

• Begin directory submissions in batches: core, then category, then niche. Our directory list shows link types and review processes, and directory submissions in 2026 explains how many is enough.
• Plan your next launch on a different platform, two or three weeks out, with something new to show.
• Write one post about the launch itself: what you built, what you learned, real numbers. People link to honest write-ups.
• Put a weekly Search Console check on your calendar. The 5 reports that matter is the routine.

What success looks like

A good launch week isn't always a top-three finish. It's:

• Real users who tell you something you didn't know.
• A permanent product page on a platform that keeps it.
• A few links and listings that keep sending people after the week ends.
• A clearer pitch than you started with.

On LaunchRanked, every launch gets a permanent, SEO-ready product page and a slot on that week's leaderboard. Boost ($15) lets you skip the review queue and pick your week, and Featured ($29) adds homepage placement for your launch week and a write-up. The free launch gets the same followed link after review. Whichever platform you choose, start at day −7. The launches that go well are almost always the ones that were ready early.