The startup launch checklist that actually gets you users

Most launch checklists are a pile of tasks with no shape. This one has a shape: a launch is a week, not a day, and each phase has a job. Do the phases in order and your launch turns into users instead of a quiet blip.

Prefer to tick it off interactively? Use the free Product Hunt launch checklist, which saves your progress in your browser.

Two weeks before: build the runway

A launch with no runway is a cold start. Warm it up:

• Pick your date (Tuesday to Thursday tend to be less crowded than Monday).
• Set up a waitlist page and a BetaList listing so day one isn’t zero.
• Start posting build-in-public updates on X so people know you exist.
• Write your tagline and your launch-day story in advance.
• Prepare your gallery images and a short demo video.
• Line up 15 to 20 people who will genuinely show up.

The goal of this phase is simple: on launch morning, you are not shouting into an empty room.

Launch day: show up and stay present

• Go live early (12:01am Pacific for Product Hunt) to get a full day.
• Lead with your maker’s story, not a pitch. Say why you built it.
• Cross-list on Uneed, Peerlist, and Tiny Startups.
• Post a Show HN if your product is technical.
• Reply to every single comment within minutes. Momentum compounds.
• Message your supporters and ask for honest feedback, never for upvotes.

Presence beats promotion. The founders who win launch day are the ones actually in the thread all day.

The week after: turn attention into users

The launch is not the finish line, it’s the start of a conversation:

• Thank everyone who showed up, by name where you can.
• Post three build-in-public updates on what you learned.
• Write one honest recap on Indie Hackers: the real numbers and lessons.
• Turn the best piece of feedback into your very next update.

This is where most launches leak. The spike of attention fades, and without follow-through it turns into nothing. A few days of steady, honest updates is what converts curiosity into your first real users.

Don’t do it from memory

There are a lot of moving pieces here, and it’s easy to drop one under launch-day adrenaline. That’s the whole idea behind Wend: instead of a static list, it hands you the next move at the right time, tuned to your product, and keeps the momentum going after launch day. Start with the free tools above, and join the waitlist for the full plan.