The Complete Product Launch Distribution Checklist for Founders

A product launch without a distribution plan is just a product going live. The goal of this checklist is to make sure nothing obvious gets missed — and to sequence activities so you're not scrambling on launch day.

Pre-Launch (2–4 Weeks Before)

Foundation

• Landing page live with clear value proposition, problem statement, and CTA
• Email capture working and connected to an email provider
• Product actually functional (no launching to a broken demo)
• Pricing page finalised
• Basic onboarding flow complete — someone who arrives from cold traffic can get started without you

Assets

• 3–5 product screenshots at 1200x750px
• Logo in square PNG 512x512 (transparent background)
• Short demo video (60–90 seconds) showing the core workflow
• One-line description (60 characters)
• Short description (150 characters)
• Long description (300–500 words) for directory submissions
• Product tagline that describes the outcome, not the category

Copy

• Launch tweet drafted and reviewed
• Product Hunt headline and first comment written
• Email to personal network drafted
• Reddit post drafts for 2–3 relevant subreddits

Audience

• Email list built (minimum viable: 50 people who said they want to hear when you launch)
• Pre-launch posts on X building awareness of the problem you're solving
• Submitted to BetaList if you want early adopter traffic (queue can be 4–6 weeks)
• Submitted to LaunchBuff at launchbuff.com/submit for fortnightly tournament placement

Launch Day

Morning (6 AM – 10 AM)

• Product Hunt: post goes live at 12:01 AM PST, check for first comments and respond
• Show HN (Hacker News): post if your product has a technical angle
• Email your personal network (personal emails, not a bulk send)
• Announcement post on X
• Post in pre-approved community threads (Reddit, Discord, Slack)
• Email your waitlist if you have one

Afternoon

• Reply to every comment on Product Hunt
• Reply to every mention on X
• Check for new signups and personally reach out to first users
• Share a progress update on X ("X hours in, here's what's happening")

Evening

• Thank everyone who voted, commented, or shared
• Send follow-up to waitlist if you haven't already
• Document what worked for next time

Post-Launch (First 2 Weeks)

Passive Directories (submit all in week 1)

• SaaSHub
• AlternativeTo
• Capterra
• G2 (create listing, start requesting reviews)
• Uneed
• DevHunt (if developer tool)
• MicroLaunch (if bootstrapped SaaS)
• There's An AI For That (if AI-enabled)
• 5–10 additional niche directories relevant to your category

Content

• Write a "how it works" blog post — good for SEO and onboarding
• Write one comparison post ("X vs Y" where X is a known competitor)
• Share your launch learnings on X (what worked, what surprised you)

Follow-Through

• Email everyone who signed up on launch day
• Schedule calls with 5–10 early users for feedback
• Request G2/Capterra reviews from first happy customers
• Update your landing page with any social proof earned (PH badge, user count, reviews)
• Submit to the next LaunchBuff bracket if not already in a tournament

Month 1–3

• Keep publishing 1–2 blog posts per week targeting ICP keywords
• Continue HARO and Qwoted outreach (15 min/day)
• Build 2–4 guest posts for relevant publications
• Follow up with directory submissions to ensure your listings are live
• Activate referral mechanics once you have 20+ happy users

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Submit your product to LaunchBuff → — free listing + fortnightly tournament.