launch-guide

name	launch-guide
description	Plan and execute an evidence-based product launch across Product Hunt, Hacker News, Reddit, email, social media, blogs, app stores, and owned channels. Use whenever the user is preparing a launch, submission, gallery, demo, launch calendar, launch-day runbook, analytics plan, or post-launch retrospective.
category	business
license	MIT
compatibility	Live web access is required to verify current platform fields, limits, eligibility, and anti-manipulation rules before execution.

Launch Guide

Coordinate a launch that the product can support and that produces learning after the announcement. This skill owns launch strategy, readiness, operations, assets, analytics, and follow-through. Use product-launch-announcement-writer for the detailed copy deck.

Operating Rules

• Inspect the product, repository, website, analytics, audience, and existing copy before asking questions.
• Verify platform rules and form fields on the execution date. Do not rely on cached character limits, categories, account requirements, or timing advice.
• Never recommend purchased votes, coordinated upvoting, review manipulation, fake accounts, undisclosed incentives, or spam.
• Do not fabricate users, logos, testimonials, rankings, scarcity, or performance claims.
• Prefer product readiness and audience fit over a supposedly ideal weekday or hour.
• Build an owned follow-up path; a platform launch is an event, not the whole go-to-market strategy.

Phase 1: Launch/No-Launch Gate

Assess:

Area	Ready when
Product	Core path works with realistic data and known limitations are disclosed
Reliability	Monitoring, backups/rollback, incident owner, and status communication exist
Onboarding	A new user can reach first value without founder rescue, or high-touch help is planned
Positioning	Audience, problem, outcome, alternative, and differentiator are specific
Proof	Demo, real examples, or permissioned customer evidence supports the claims
Conversion	Pricing/CTA, signup, email delivery, attribution, and support flow work
Compliance	Privacy, terms, consent, claims, licenses, and platform rules are reviewed
Capacity	Someone can respond to users and incidents throughout the launch window

Return launch, soft launch, delay, or cancel, with blockers and owners. Do not delay merely for cosmetic perfection when the core learning loop is safe and functional.

Phase 2: Define the Launch Thesis

Write:

• Audience: exact people the launch should reach;
• Message: one problem, one outcome, one differentiator;
• Primary action: try, install, join, buy, book, star, or discuss;
• Primary learning goal: the assumption this launch should test;
• Success measures: downstream behavior, not only reach;
• Guardrails: uptime, support queue, refunds, complaints, unsubscribes, and abuse.

Choose channels based on audience presence and native intent. Do not post everywhere by default.

Phase 3: Verify Platform Requirements

For each selected platform, record source URL, checked date, account eligibility, fields, limits, media specifications, promotional rules, and moderation risks.

Product Hunt

Use current official Product Hunt guidance. As of the latest documented rules, makers should use eligible personal accounts, may schedule/create a draft, can select up to three categories, and should invite people to visit and join the discussion rather than directly asking for upvotes. Current guidance describes a short description field around 260 characters, but verify the live form because Product Hunt changes its workflow.

The product must be usable or meaningfully available; a page that only collects emails may not be homepage-eligible. Review the form guide immediately before submission.

Other Communities

Read current rules for Hacker News, Reddit, Slack/Discord groups, app stores, and newsletters. A native explanatory post usually performs better and is safer than a bare link. Disclose affiliation and do not coordinate artificial engagement.

Phase 4: Build the Asset System

Create a shot list that tells one coherent story:

1. hero: product and core outcome;
2. problem/current workflow;
3. key workflow steps;
4. result or artifact produced;
5. differentiator or integration;
6. proof, limitations, or who it is for;
7. clear next action.

Use realistic, permissioned data. Remove secrets, notifications, personal information, test accounts, and misleading dashboards. Verify current dimensions; Product Hunt has historically recommended 1270×760 gallery assets and multiple images, but the current interface is authoritative.

Prepare:

• a short demo that reaches value quickly;
• accessible captions/transcript and alt text;
• fallback static images if video/GIF fails;
• consistent product name, URL, pricing, and claims across channels;
• UTM/tagging convention and analytics event checklist.

Use first-comment templates for structure, then make the comment specific and candid.

Phase 5: Produce the Runbook

Build a time-sequenced runbook with owner, dependency, status, and fallback for:

• final smoke test and backup;
• submission/publishing order;
• analytics verification;
• email/social/community posts;
• comment and support coverage;
• incident severity and rollback;
• abuse/security escalation;
• refund or billing issue handling;
• end-of-day reconciliation.

Do not optimize solely for “12:01 AM Pacific.” Product Hunt’s day has historically followed Pacific time, but choose a launch time that preserves response coverage and verify current platform behavior.

Phase 6: Operate the Launch

During the launch:

• respond substantively rather than posting ranking updates;
• capture objections, bugs, use cases, and source attribution;
• update known limitations transparently;
• pause promotion if reliability or customer harm crosses a guardrail;
• avoid arguing with criticism; investigate and correct factual issues;
• keep a decision log for changes made under pressure.

Phase 7: Convert Attention Into Learning

Within one to three days, reconcile:

• impressions/visits → qualified visits → signup/install → activation → payment;
• retained behavior by source and segment;
• support volume, defects, refunds, and complaints;
• message/asset performance;
• qualitative themes and surprising use cases;
• what to repeat, revise, or stop.

Publish a useful follow-up where appropriate, then schedule the next product or distribution experiment. Do not present correlation as causal uplift without a valid comparison.

Output Contract

Return:

1. readiness gate and blocker list;
2. launch thesis and channel rationale;
3. verified platform requirement table;
4. asset and screenshot shot list;
5. launch runbook with fallbacks;
6. measurement plan and dashboard specification;
7. post-launch retrospective template;
8. copy handoff requirements for product-launch-announcement-writer.

Sources

• Product Hunt Launch Guide
• How to Post a Product | Product Hunt Help Center
• Prepare for Your Product Hunt Launch
• Hacker News Guidelines
• Reddit Content Policy
• Managing Releases in a Repository | GitHub Docs
• FTC Endorsement Guides