You've built it. You've tested it. Now comes the scariest part: showing it to the world. I'll be honest - I delayed my first launch by 6 weeks because I kept finding "one more thing" to fix. That was perfectionism masquerading as preparation.
Here's the truth: Your launch won't be perfect. You'll find bugs. Some people won't get it. That's fine. The goal isn't a flawless launch - it's getting real users so you can learn what actually matters. Let's make it happen.
LLM Launch Planning Assistant
Create your personalized launch strategy:
My app: [name and one-sentence description] Target audience: [who is this for?] Main benefit: [what problem does it solve?] Current status: [Ready? Need 1-2 more days? Testing phase?] Help me plan my launch: 1. Write 5 different ways to describe my app (1 sentence each) 2. Suggest where my target audience hangs out online 3. Create a launch week timeline (what to do each day) 4. Draft a launch tweet (under 280 characters) 5. List 10 places I should share this (communities, forums, etc.) 6. Suggest metrics I should track from day 1 7. Create a "What could go wrong?" checklist Be specific and actionable - I'm launching in 7 days.
Pro Tip:
Save all 5 app descriptions. A/B test them to see which resonates most.
Pre-Launch Week (7 Days Out)
Don't just wake up one day and tweet "I made a thing!" Build momentum first.
Prepare Your Assets
Screenshot Gallery
Take 5-10 screenshots of your best features. Clean, annotated, showing value.
Demo Video
60-second screen recording showing the happy path. Use Loom (free). No fancy editing needed.
Launch Copy
Draft your launch post. Edit it 3 times. Sleep on it. Edit again.
Build Your Launch List
Where will you share? Make a spreadsheet:
- • Product Hunt (prepare account, get 3 friends ready to upvote)
- • Reddit (find 2-3 relevant subreddits, read their rules)
- • Twitter (draft thread, prepare images)
- • Indie Hackers (great community for feedback)
- • LinkedIn (if B2B app)
- • Your personal network (email 10 friends who'd care)
Soft Launch to Friends
Send your app to 5-10 friends. Ask for brutal honesty. Watch them use it via Zoom. Take notes. Fix the obvious bugs.
Important: Don't defend your choices. Just listen and fix.
Final Checks
The Perfectionist's Trap
The mistake: "I'll launch when [the design is perfect / I have 50 features / everything is flawless]"
The reality: You'll never feel ready. Launch anyway.
The rule: If you're not slightly embarrassed by your v1, you waited too long. Ship it. Learn. Improve. That's the cycle.
Launch Day (Hour by Hour)
Today's the Day!
Morning (8-10 AM)
- • 8:00 AM: Coffee. Deep breath. Final smoke test of app.
- • 9:00 AM: Post to Product Hunt (if launching there)
- • 9:15 AM: Tweet your launch thread
- • 9:30 AM: Post to Reddit (max 2 subreddits)
- • 9:45 AM: Share on LinkedIn
- • 10:00 AM: Email your personal list
Afternoon (12-6 PM)
- • Monitor everything: Analytics, Twitter mentions, Product Hunt comments
- • Respond fast: Reply to every comment within 30 minutes
- • Fix critical bugs: If something breaks, fix it IMMEDIATELY
- • Share wins: "We just hit 50 signups!" posts build momentum
- • Take screenshots: Document your first users, comments, milestones
Evening (6-10 PM)
- • Review metrics: How many signups? Which channel worked best?
- • Thank supporters: Shout out people who shared your launch
- • Triage feedback: Make a list of what to fix tomorrow
- • Celebrate: You launched! That's huge. Seriously.
- • Sleep: Tomorrow starts the real work
PM Insight: The Comment Response Strategy
Amateurs: Post and disappear. Come back 5 hours later to "check how it's doing".
Pros: Treat launch day like customer support. Be online. Respond to EVERY comment.
Why it works: People upvote/share products with engaged creators. A thoughtful response to "How is this different from X?" can turn a skeptic into a customer. Plus, you'll get invaluable feedback in real-time.
Rule: Block your calendar. Launch day is a full-time job.
Post-Launch Week (Days 1-7)
The launch spike is over. Now what? This is where most launches fizzle. Don't let yours.
Keep the Momentum
- Share user wins: "Sarah made her first invoice in 30 seconds!"
- Behind-the-scenes content: Share your builder journey
- Ship quick wins: Fix bugs users mentioned, announce updates
- Follow up with users: Email asking for feedback
Watch Out For
- !Analysis paralysis: Don't spend 3 days analyzing metrics. Ship improvements instead.
- !Feature creep: Users will suggest 100 features. Pick 2 that matter most.
- !Burnout: You're exhausted. Take breaks. Marathon, not sprint.
- !Comparison trap: "Their launch got 1000 users!" Focus on YOUR 10 users.
The Growth Phase (Weeks 2-12)
Launch was the starting gun, not the finish line. Now you transition from "getting users" to "keeping users" and "growing sustainably."
Talk to Your Users (Weekly)
Set up 5 user interviews per week. 15 minutes each. Ask:
- • What problem were you trying to solve?
- • What almost stopped you from signing up?
- • What feature do you wish existed?
- • Would you recommend this to a friend? Why/why not?
Track the Right Metrics
Watch These:
- • Daily active users
- • Signup → first action conversion
- • User retention (day 7, day 30)
- • Revenue (if monetized)
Ignore These (for now):
- • Total signups (vanity metric)
- • Page views (unless ad-based)
- • Social media followers
- • Bounce rate minutiae
Build in Public
Share your journey. Numbers, failures, wins. Weekly updates keep people engaged and attract new users.
Template: "Week [X] Update: [Users] users, [Revenue] revenue, learned [Lesson]. This week I'm shipping [Feature]."
PM Insight: The Weekly Shipping Ritual
The secret: Ship something user-facing every single week.
It doesn't have to be huge. It could be:
- • A bug fix users complained about
- • A small quality-of-life improvement
- • A new feature (if you can ship it in a week)
- • Better onboarding copy
Why it matters: Users who see regular improvements stick around. Stagnant apps die. Weekly shipping builds habit and prevents perfectionism paralysis.
Launch Readiness Checklist
The Launching Truth:
Perfect launches don't exist. Successful launches do. Ship it. Learn from it. Improve it. The only way to fail is to never launch at all.