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The No-BS Product Launch Checklist (From Someone Who's Done It Wrong)

The No-BS Product Launch Checklist

I've launched products that flopped. I've launched products that exceeded expectations. The difference usually wasn't the product itself—it was the preparation.

This is the checklist I wish I had for my first launch. No fluff, no "build an email list of 100k people" nonsense. Just the stuff that actually matters.

Two Weeks Before Launch

Technical Reality Check

  • [ ] Load test your app. Seriously. Nothing kills momentum like your site going down when you hit the front page.
  • [ ] Set up error monitoring. Sentry, LogRocket, whatever. You need to know when things break before your users tell you.
  • [ ] Test your signup flow. Every. Single. Path. Password reset, email verification, OAuth—all of it.
  • [ ] Prepare for scale. Even modest success can 10x your traffic. Is your database ready? Your CDN?

Content You Actually Need

  • [ ] Write your launch copy. One paragraph describing your product. If you can't do this clearly, your product positioning needs work.
  • [ ] Create screenshots and a demo video. Under 2 minutes. Show the core value prop, not every feature.
  • [ ] Prepare answers to obvious questions. Pricing, data security, integrations. You'll get asked these 50 times.

The Boring Admin Stuff

  • [ ] Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Use a template if you must, but have something.
  • [ ] Set up basic analytics. You need to know where users drop off.
  • [ ] Payment processing is working. Test transactions. Multiple times. Different cards.

One Week Before Launch

Build Your Launch List

  • [ ] Email your existing users. If you have beta users, tell them launch is coming. Ask them to be ready to support.
  • [ ] Identify 10-20 people who will share. Not "influencers"—real people who genuinely like your product. Reach out personally.
  • [ ] Prepare your social posts. Twitter thread, LinkedIn post, whatever fits your audience. Write them now, not launch day.

Platform Prep

  • [ ] Create your SaasList listing. Fill out every field. Good screenshots. Honest description.
  • [ ] Queue up other platforms. Product Hunt, Hacker News, relevant subreddits. Know their rules and best practices.
  • [ ] Prepare a launch email. For your mailing list. Have it drafted and ready.

Mental Prep

  • [ ] Set realistic expectations. 99% of launches don't go viral. Define what success looks like for you.
  • [ ] Plan for the day after. Launch day is chaos. The real work starts when the traffic normalizes.

Launch Day

Morning

  • [ ] Post to your primary platform first. Give it a few hours before spreading elsewhere.
  • [ ] Monitor comments and questions. Respond quickly. Be a human, not a marketing bot.
  • [ ] Watch your error logs. Things will break. Fix them fast.

Throughout the Day

  • [ ] Share authentically on social. Tell your story. Why you built this. What it means to you.
  • [ ] Thank people who engage. Every upvote, every share. Acknowledge them.
  • [ ] Take notes. What questions are you getting? What confusion exists? This is product feedback gold.

Do NOT

  • [ ] Obsessively refresh the leaderboard
  • [ ] Get into arguments with critics
  • [ ] Make promises you can't keep
  • [ ] Disappear after the initial posts

The Week After Launch

Immediate Follow-Up

  • [ ] Email everyone who signed up. Thank them. Ask what would make the product better for them.
  • [ ] Fix the bugs you discovered. Prioritize what affects the most users.
  • [ ] Write a launch retrospective. What worked? What didn't? You'll thank yourself before the next launch.

Building on Momentum

  • [ ] Reach out to people who engaged. Turn commenters into customers, or at least advocates.
  • [ ] Update your listing. Add testimonials, new features, better screenshots.
  • [ ] Plan your next milestone. What feature or improvement will give you another reason to share?

The Stuff Nobody Tells You

Your launch probably won't change everything. Most successful products are built through consistent work, not viral moments. A good launch is nice. It's not a business strategy.

The best marketing is a product people want to talk about. Spend more time making your product better and less time on launch tactics.

You'll feel terrible at some point. Launch day anxiety is real. The post-launch depression when traffic dies down is real. It's all normal.

Nobody cares as much as you do. And that's fine. Most people will glance at your product for 5 seconds. Design for that reality.

Quick Reference Card

Print this out. Stick it on your wall.

Before launch: Does it work? Can I explain it? Can I handle traffic?
During launch: Be present. Be helpful. Be human.
After launch: Follow up. Fix stuff. Keep building.

That's it. Everything else is optimization.

Launching soon? Submit your product on SaasList and we'll help you get discovered by people who actually want to find tools like yours.