Product Launch
Overview
A launch is your best opportunity to create momentum, generate buzz, and acquire customers at scale in a short window. Most solopreneurs launch quietly and wonder why no one notices. This playbook shows you how to launch with impact — turning launch day into launch week, and launch week into sustained growth.
Step 1: Define Your Launch Goals
A launch without clear goals is just noise. Before planning tactics, answer:
What does success look like?
- Revenue target? (e.g., $10K in first month)
- User/customer target? (e.g., 100 signups, 20 paying customers)
- Awareness target? (e.g., 10K impressions, 500 email signups)
- Press/social mentions? (e.g., featured on Product Hunt, 3 industry blogs)
Pick 1-2 primary goals. Everything in your launch plan should ladder up to these.
Launch goal → Tactic mapping:
- Revenue goal → Pre-sales, launch discounts, urgency
- User growth → Free tier, viral loops, community activation
- Awareness → PR outreach, influencer partnerships, paid ads
- Validation → Beta program, early adopter interviews, feedback loops
Step 2: Build Your Pre-Launch Strategy (4-6 Weeks Out)
Great launches are won in the pre-launch phase. You build momentum BEFORE launch day, so when you hit "go," there's an audience ready to act.
Pre-launch timeline:
6 Weeks Before Launch: Build Your Waitlist
Create a simple landing page with:
- Headline stating the problem + solution
- Bullet points of key benefits
- Email signup form ("Join the waitlist — launching [date]")
- Social proof if you have any (testimonials from beta users, logos, early results)
Drive traffic to the waitlist from:
- Your existing email list ("something new coming — sign up to get early access")
- Social media (tease the launch, link to waitlist)
- Relevant communities (Reddit, Slack, forums — if allowed, or via helpful engagement)
Goal: 50-200 waitlist signups by launch (or 10x your target customer count).
4 Weeks Before Launch: Create Launch Content
Prepare content to go live on launch day and the week after:
- Launch blog post (the story, the problem, the solution, the demo)
- Demo video (2-3 min walkthrough showing the product in action)
- Social posts for launch week (7-10 posts across platforms)
- Email sequence for waitlist (3 emails: 1 week before, launch day, 3 days after)
- FAQ or help docs (so people can self-serve questions)
Rule: All content should be DONE 1 week before launch. Launch week is for execution, not creation.
2 Weeks Before Launch: Seed Early Reviews
Reach out to:
- 5-10 people in your network who would be ideal customers
- Ask them to try the product early (give them beta access or a preview)
- Request honest feedback + a testimonial if they like it
- If appropriate, ask if they'd share on launch day
Why this matters: Social proof on day 1 builds credibility. "Just launched!" with zero reviews = risky click. "Just launched — here's what early users are saying" = trust.
1 Week Before Launch: Notify Your Audience
Send an email to your list and post on social:
- "Launching [Product] in 7 days"
- Brief reminder of what it does
- Exclusive launch offer or bonus (e.g., "First 100 customers get 30% off")
- CTA: "Mark your calendar" or "Reply with questions"
Goal: Build anticipation. Prime people to act on launch day.
Step 3: Launch Day Execution
Launch day is a coordinated push across all channels. Treat it like an event, not a quiet announcement.
Launch day checklist (complete in this order):
- [ ] 8 AM: Publish launch blog post on your site
- [ ] 8:30 AM: Send launch email to waitlist ("We're live! Here's what's new.")
- [ ] 9 AM: Post on Product Hunt (if relevant — tech/SaaS products perform well here)
- [ ] 9:15 AM: Post on Twitter/X (thread format works best — announce, explain value, demo link, ask for RT)
- [ ] 9:30 AM: Post on LinkedIn (longer post with story + value + CTA)
- [ ] 10 AM: Post in 2-3 relevant communities (Reddit, Slack, Discord — add value, don't spam)
- [ ] 12 PM: Respond to every comment, reply, and question across all channels
- [ ] 6 PM: Send launch email to your main email list (not just waitlist — your full audience)
- [ ] Throughout the day: Engage on social, thank supporters, amplify user posts
Launch day content structure (social posts):
HOOK: "Today's the day — we're launching [Product]!"
PROBLEM: "We built this because [specific pain point we kept hearing]."
SOLUTION: "Here's what it does: [3 key features or benefits]."
DEMO: "See it in action → [link to demo video or site]"
CTA: "Try it free / Grab the launch discount / Let me know what you think"
Pro tip: Schedule posts in advance so you're not scrambling. Use Buffer, Hootsuite, or native platform scheduling.
Step 4: Launch Week Momentum (Days 2-7)
Launch day is just the start. Most solopreneurs go quiet after day 1 and lose all momentum. Extend the launch into a full week.
Daily launch week content (1 post/day on social, 1-2 emails over the week):
- Day 2: Share a customer testimonial or early result ("Here's what [User] said after trying it")
- Day 3: Behind-the-scenes content ("Why we built this / What we learned building it")
- Day 4: Feature deep-dive ("Here's how [Feature X] works and why it matters")
- Day 5: Use case or case study ("How [Customer] uses [Product] to solve [Problem]")
- Day 6: Objection handling ("Wondering if this is right for you? Here's who it's for — and who it's not for.")
- Day 7: Last call + urgency ("Launch week ends tonight — grab your [discount/bonus] before it's gone")
Email sequence (to waitlist + main list):
- Launch day: "We're live! Here's how to get started."
- Day 3: "Already seeing results — here's an early win from [Customer]."
- Day 6: "Launch offer ends in 24 hours — don't miss it."
Step 5: Post-Launch Follow-Up (Week 2+)
The launch window closes, but the work continues. Now you shift from hype to retention and iteration.
Week 2 priorities:
- [ ] Thank everyone who supported the launch (email, DM, or public post)
- [ ] Survey early customers ("What's working? What's confusing? What should we improve?")
- [ ] Fix any critical bugs or UX issues that surfaced during launch
- [ ] Analyze launch metrics (see Step 6)
- [ ] Share a post-launch recap ("Here's what we learned from launch week")
Week 3-4 priorities:
- [ ] Turn early customers into case studies or testimonials
- [ ] Re-engage people who signed up but didn't convert (email: "Still on the fence? Here's what you need to know.")
- [ ] Plan next content or feature announcement to maintain momentum
- [ ] If launch went well, consider a second wave (submit to more directories, reach out to press, run ads)
Step 6: Measure Launch Success
Track these metrics to evaluate how the launch performed:
| Metric | What It Tells You | How to Track | |---|---|---| | Waitlist signups | Pre-launch interest | Landing page analytics | | Launch day traffic | Reach and attention | Google Analytics | | Conversion rate | Traffic → signups/purchases | Analytics + CRM | | Revenue (if applicable) | Immediate $ impact | Stripe/payment processor | | Email open/click rates | Engagement with launch emails | Email tool (ConvertKit, Mailchimp) | | Social engagement | Reach and amplification | Platform analytics (Twitter, LinkedIn) | | Customer feedback | Product fit and satisfaction | Surveys, support tickets, conversations |
Post-launch review (1 week after):
- Did you hit your primary goal(s)?
- What worked better than expected? (do more of this)
- What underperformed? (diagnose why — messaging? channel? timing?)
- What would you do differently next launch?
Rule: Document your learnings. Every launch teaches you something. Write it down so you don't repeat mistakes or forget what worked.
Launch Strategies by Product Type
Different products benefit from different launch strategies.
SaaS Product Launch
- Pre-launch: Waitlist + beta program (get 10-20 users testing before launch)
- Launch channels: Product Hunt, Twitter, LinkedIn, email list
- Launch offer: Free trial + launch discount (30% off first year for first 100 customers)
- Post-launch: Onboard early users aggressively, collect feedback, iterate fast
Info Product / Course Launch
- Pre-launch: Waitlist + free mini-course (5-day email course as lead magnet)
- Launch channels: Email list (this is #1), YouTube, social
- Launch offer: Early-bird pricing (20-30% off for first week)
- Post-launch: Deliver value to first cohort, collect testimonials, open cart periodically
Service / Agency Launch
- Pre-launch: Case study from pilot client + referral outreach
- Launch channels: LinkedIn, email, direct outreach
- Launch offer: Founding client rate (discounted for first 5 clients in exchange for testimonial)
- Post-launch: Overdeliver for first clients, turn them into referral engines
Physical Product Launch
- Pre-launch: Kickstarter or Indiegogo (if applicable) or pre-orders
- Launch channels: Email, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook ads
- Launch offer: Pre-order discount + limited edition bonus
- Post-launch: Fulfill orders fast, request reviews, retarget buyers with upsells
Launch Mistakes to Avoid
- Launching with zero audience. Build a waitlist first. Launching to silence is demoralizing and ineffective.
- Launching without a clear offer or CTA. "We launched!" is not an offer. Tell people exactly what to do: "Sign up free", "Buy now", "Book a demo."
- Going quiet after launch day. Launch is a week, not a day. Sustain momentum through Day 7.
- Overpromising during launch. Hype is good, lies are not. Only promise what you can deliver.
- Not following up with early users. Your first customers are your best advocates. Nurture them.
- Skipping the post-launch review. If you don't analyze what worked, you'll repeat the same mistakes next time.