The Seven-Day Launch Checklist
8 min read
The short answer
Spend the week before launch on your tagline, your first screenshot and your FAQ — in that order, because that is the order people read them in. Days one to three are writing, days four and five are assets and testing, day six is telling people it is coming, and day seven is launching early in the UTC window and answering every comment. Anything beyond a week is usually procrastination wearing a planning hat.
Most launch checklists are enormous and mostly optional. This one is short because the things that change outcomes are few, and they are not the things people spend their week on.
Day 1 — Write the tagline
One whole day, on one sentence. Write ten versions, run each through the swap test, cut the adjectives, then show the survivors to two people who do not know the product and ask what they think it does.
If that feels excessive, remember that most people will read only this sentence. The full method is in how to write a product tagline.
Day 2 — Write the description and features
- Two or three paragraphs. First one says mechanically what it does. Second says who it is not for.
- Four to six features, written as capabilities rather than adjectives.
- Cut anything that would sit unchanged on a competitor's page.
Day 3 — Write the FAQ
This is the most-skipped step and the one with the best return. Write the questions people actually ask before they commit, including the awkward ones: pricing and its limits, what happens to their data, which platform is missing, what happens if they stop paying.
Answering these plainly does more for conversion than another paragraph of positioning, and it gives search engines and assistants something clean to quote.
Day 4 — Screenshots and video
| Asset | What works | What does not |
|---|---|---|
| First screenshot | Your real interface with real content, showing the core action | A stylised render or a logo on a gradient |
| Remaining shots | Three to five, each showing a different part | Twelve near-identical screens |
| Demo video | Under 60 seconds, silent-friendly, straight into the product | A two-minute intro with a title card |
| Logo | Square, simple, legible at 48 pixels | Detailed artwork that turns to mush when small |
Day 5 — Test it on strangers
- 1Show the page to two people outside your fieldAsk them to tell you what it does and who it is for. Do not explain first.
- 2Fix whatever confused themTheir confusion is data about your copy, not about their attention span.
- 3Check it on a phoneMost people will see it there. Check where your tagline truncates and whether the first screenshot is legible.
- 4Click every linkThe number of launches with a broken Visit link is higher than you would think.
Day 6 — Tell people it is coming
In the communities where you have been present for the last few weeks, mention the date. Not as a request for support — as information. If you have not been present in any communities, this is the day you learn that the pre-work matters, and it is worth delaying a week to do it.
Day 7 — Launch
- Post early in the UTC day so you get the full window.
- Share it once in each place you have been active, in your normal voice.
- Answer every comment, and answer the critical ones best.
- Do not spend the day refreshing the ranking. It does not help and it feels terrible.
- Write down every question you get asked more than once — that is your FAQ update.
When you are ready, submit your product. The form takes about ten minutes if you have done the week above, and the fields map directly onto it.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should I spend preparing a launch?
- About a week for a first launch. Most of it should go on writing rather than assets. Beyond a week, additional preparation rarely improves the outcome and usually delays the feedback you actually need.
- What is the best day to launch?
- It matters far less than whether anyone knew you were coming. Midweek is marginally quieter than Monday on most boards, but the difference is small compared to having told people beforehand.
- What time should I launch?
- Early in the UTC day, since launch windows run midnight to midnight UTC. That gives you the full 24 hours to gather votes, which only matters if you are close to a badge.
- Do I need a demo video?
- No, but it helps for products whose value is hard to convey in a still image. If you make one, keep it under a minute and make it work with the sound off — most people watch muted.
Keep reading
What to Do the Week After Launch Day
The traffic spike is over. Here is how to turn a day of attention into something that lasts longer than the graph.
Nine Launch Day Mistakes We See Every Week
The recurring problems that cost people a good launch, and what to do instead. Most of them are copy problems, not product problems.
How to Write a Product Tagline That Actually Gets Clicked
The one line most people will ever read about your product, and a simple test for whether yours is doing any work.