Make your launch count: the Launch It Online playbook
Every launch is different, but the same few steps come up again and again. Launch It Online sets them out here in order.
Set things up
Leave no gaps on the page
Fill the gaps before launch day: description, features, FAQs and your founder profile, with a photo and at least one personal link.
Line up screenshots
Show, do not tell: real screenshots of the product, a crisp logo and, if you have one, a short demo video.
Pick a week you can be there
Launch when you have time to take part. A week with a free diary lets you reply quickly and share updates as they happen.
Tell people it is coming
Get your announcement ready early: one short message, adapted for each place you post, plus an email to your list.
When your listing goes live
Tell your users
Send one clear email: what you launched, where to see it, and a thank you. Put the launch link in your welcome email as well.
Talk to people
Answer every question and comment on your listing and on your posts, the same day if you can. Thank people for feedback.
Post it everywhere you are
Put the listing link in a short post on each network you use, pin it, and point your profile link at it for launch week.
Take it to communities
Share in Reddit, Slack and Discord groups where self-promotion is allowed, and read each group's rules first. Use Show HN only for something people can try.
Play fair: ask people who genuinely use your product to take a look, never for votes from extra or borrowed accounts. One person, one vote, and votes can never be bought.
During launch week
Keep the page current
Keep editing through the week. A new FAQ for each repeated question and up-to-date screenshots keep the page useful.
Add the badge to your site
The badge tells visitors you launched, and it links to your listing page. Put it in your footer or on your about page.
Share a second time
Do not just repeat yourself. A follow-up LinkedIn post with what you learnt on launch day gives people a reason to look again.
Submit to the right directories
A launch is rarely one place. Choose a few launch directories that fit your product and list it there as well.
The weeks that follow
Update it now and then
Come back to the page when something changes: new pricing, new features or new screenshots.
Check your numbers
Compare the places you shared using your analytics. Links with tracking tags show which posts and directories brought sign-ups.
Launch the next version
Keep a note of your next big update. A relaunch with a clear story about what changed works better than a reminder.
Other places to launch
Best Launch Directories compares launch directories, startup directories and AI tool lists, with each one's Domain Rating, pricing and link type, so you can pick the ones that fit.
Ways we can help
Everything above is free to do. If you want more, these are the extras Launch It Online offers, with today's prices.
- Featured launch $19
Show your listing in the homepage Featured spot for 7 days from your launch week. It is labelled Featured and adds no vote.
- Multi-site bundle $99
Write once, and your listing goes live on the other 49 launch and discovery sites for you, reworded for every site; when you edit it later, all of them update automatically.
- Done-for-you listing $149.99
We do the work on 49 other launch and discovery sites: a listing with its own description on each, and an email with every link when they are live.
- Entrance page shelf $49
Take the homepage's Sponsored slot for 7 days with your company name, logo, tagline and a website link.
- Category shelf $19
Your company at the top of your listing's category page for 7 days, labelled Sponsored.
- Newsletter shelf $29
A Sponsored place in one issue of our weekly newsletter.
- Billboard from $5
Ranked purely by contributions: whoever has put in the most is at the top. Separate from community votes, and labelled paid.
- Product review $19
Commission a structured review of your product from your public pages and your listing. It shows on your listing, labelled as paid for by the maker, and is never a vote or rating.
- Editorial founder feature $29
An article about the founder, written from their own story, profile and listing facts, then edited by one of our editors. Nothing is made up.
Prices are in US dollars; VAT is added where it is due.
Questions
- Is asking for votes allowed?
- You can tell people about the launch and let them decide. Each person has one vote, votes can never be bought, and votes from extra or borrowed accounts are not allowed.
- When should I tell people about my launch?
- On the day you launch, then once more in the same week with fresh news, so people who missed it can catch up.
- Should I launch in more than one directory?
- Several directories can make sense, as long as each one fits your product. Look at price, link type and the kind of listings each one has.
- How should I follow up my launch?
- Keep improving the page, check your analytics, and launch again when there is something new to say.
We hope it helps. The Launch It Online help centre answers the questions this page does not. Open the help centre