The startup launch checklist: what to do before, during and after launch week
A practical launch checklist for indie makers: what to prepare the week before, how to run launch day, and the follow-ups that turn one spike of traffic into steady signups.
· 3 min read
Launching is not one day. It is a week of prep, a day of showing up, and a few weeks of follow-up. Makers who treat it as a single post usually get a single spike. Makers who treat it as a short project get signups for months.
Here is the checklist we would follow ourselves.
The week before launch
Make the product page do the selling
Your landing page will get more visitors on launch day than on any other day this month. Before anything else, check that a stranger can answer three questions in five seconds: what is it, who is it for, and what do I do next.
- One headline that says what the product does, not how it feels.
- One screenshot or short video of the product actually working.
- One call to action above the fold. Free trial, sign up, or install.
- A price, or at least a clear "free to start".
Prepare your launch assets
Every launch board and directory asks for roughly the same things. Get them ready once:
- A square logo, at least 240×240.
- A tagline under 60 characters.
- A short description (two or three sentences) and a long one (a few paragraphs).
- Three to five screenshots at the same size.
- A demo video, if you have one. Even 30 seconds of screen recording helps.
On UppLaunch you can paste your URL and the form fills itself in from your site, so most of this comes for free if your landing page is in good shape.
Write your list of people to tell
Write down everyone who might care: early users, people who gave feedback, communities you are already part of, friends who build things. Do not mass-message strangers. A short, personal note to 30 people beats a blast to 3,000.
Launch day
Launch early in the week
Weekly boards reset on a fixed day. UppLaunch opens a new board every Monday, so a Monday launch gets seven full days of visibility. A Friday launch gets the weekend.
Show up in the comments
The single biggest difference between launches that get traction and ones that do not is whether the maker replies. Answer every question. Thank people for feedback, even the critical kind. Every reply is a second chance for someone to look at your product.
Share it where you already are
Post on X, LinkedIn, your newsletter, and any community where you are an active member. Tell the story behind the product rather than just dropping a link: why you built it, what was hard, what you want feedback on.
Ask for feedback, not upvotes. People are happy to help with an honest opinion, and the upvotes tend to follow.
The weeks after launch
Turn the spike into a habit
Launch traffic drops fast. Before it does, make sure every visitor has a reason to come back: an email signup, a free plan, or a changelog they can follow.
Collect the long-tail value
The quiet benefit of launching is everything that stays behind. Each launch page is indexed by Google, cited by AI search tools, and often links back to your site. On UppLaunch, a free launch keeps a dofollow backlink for as long as the badge is on your site.
Relaunch when you ship something big
A big feature is a reason to launch again. If you ship meaningfully every month or two, a relaunch puts you back in front of people who missed you the first time. You can even relaunch from Claude without opening the dashboard.
The checklist
| When | Task |
|---|---|
| 7 days before | Landing page passes the five-second test |
| 5 days before | Logo, tagline, descriptions, screenshots ready |
| 3 days before | List of people and communities to tell |
| Launch day | Submit early, share the story, reply to everyone |
| Week after | Follow up with everyone who commented or signed up |
| Every month | Add the product to one or two new directories |
Ready when you are. Launch on UppLaunch for free.
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