---
watermark: ORIRO
name: launch-playbook
provider: ORIRO.ai
copyright: Copyright (c) 2026 ORIRO.ai
description: >



  Product launch — pre-launch checklist, launch strategy, distribution channels, press, community, and post-launch iteration.








  Sources: Google Search Central, GDPR text, AWS security documentation, Stripe API docs.
---

# Product Launch

## Pre-launch checklist (weeks before)

### Technical

- [ ] Performance: Core Web Vitals all green. Load test with expected traffic.
- [ ] Monitoring: Error tracking (Sentry), uptime monitoring (Better Uptime, Checkly), logging.
- [ ] Analytics: Events fire correctly. Conversion tracking verified.
- [ ] SEO: Title tags, meta descriptions, OG images, sitemap submitted.
- [ ] Email: SPF/DKIM/DMARC configured. Test all transactional emails.
- [ ] Payments: End-to-end checkout tested. Webhook handling verified.
- [ ] Auth: Login, signup, password reset all tested.
- [ ] Mobile: Test on iOS Safari and Chrome Android specifically.
- [ ] Error pages: 404, 500 pages are branded and helpful.
- [ ] Security: HTTPS, security headers, rate limiting in place.
- [ ] Backups: Database backups verified. Restore tested.

### Business

- [ ] Legal: Terms of Service, Privacy Policy live and linked.
- [ ] Support: Customer support channel set up and staffed.
- [ ] Billing: Pricing page live, billing portal works, receipts send.
- [ ] Onboarding: First user experience tested with 5 real people who don't know the product.
- [ ] Docs: Basic documentation or FAQ available.

## Launch channels

### ProductHunt

**Prepare 2-4 weeks before:**

- Schedule for Tuesday-Thursday (higher traffic).
- Prepare: tagline, description, gallery (screenshots/video demo).
- Video demo (60-90 seconds) significantly boosts launch performance.
- Ask your network to support, but don't beg — authentic supporters only.
- Be available to respond to comments all launch day.
- Goal: Top 5 of the day for meaningful traffic.

### Hacker News (Show HN)

- "Show HN: [Product name] – [what it does in plain English]"
- Post Tuesday-Thursday morning, 9-11am Eastern.
- Don't self-promote in comments. Answer questions genuinely.
- Technical audience. Be honest about limitations.

### Twitter/X and LinkedIn

- Build in public before launch. Share progress updates. Announce launch day.
- Maker community: Tag relevant builders and communities.
- LinkedIn for B2B products: Often higher engagement than expected.

### Direct outreach

- Beta users: Personal email. Ask for reviews, tweets, testimonials.
- Industry journalists: 1:1 embargoed pitch 1-2 weeks before.
- Relevant newsletters: Find 5-10 newsletters whose audience matches.
- Communities (Reddit, Discord, Slack): Find relevant communities. Engage authentically BEFORE launch.

## Launch day operations

- All hands monitoring: Be in Slack/Discord. Watch dashboards.
- Respond to every comment, message, support ticket quickly.
- Fix critical bugs immediately. Have rollback plan ready.
- Screenshot and save all social mentions.
- Keep a running "issues" document.

## Post-launch

**Week 1:** Fix what's broken. Respond to every user. Gather feedback.
**Month 1:** Identify the users who love it. Why? Build more of that.
**Iteration:** "Build → Measure → Learn" cycle. Ship improvements every week.

Sources: Gabriel Weinberg "Traction" (principles), ProductHunt launch guide (free), Hacker News community guidelines (free), First Round Capital launch resources