Product Launch Checklist
for indie founders.
A 30-item launch checklist covering press, social, ProductHunt, email, ads, and on-call coverage. Solo-friendly version. ProductHunt + X heavy, less press.
Get the templateWhat's included
- Pre-launch (T-4 weeks)
- Pre-launch (T-1 week)
- Launch day
- Launch week
- Post-launch
Why this version
Solo-friendly version. ProductHunt + X heavy, less press.
Run with our launch clients. Adapted to your channel mix.
How indie founders use this template.
For indie founders, the launch checklist is solo-friendly — ProductHunt, X, small newsletter, no press. Indie launches succeed via community, not media. The checklist should focus on the day-of execution: scheduled posts, Discord/Slack notification, ProductHunt comments engagement. Press is rarely worth indie-founder time; community is.
indie founders-specific gotchas
- Press outreach is rarely worth indie-founder time
- ProductHunt timing matters (12 AM PT for full visibility)
- X and LinkedIn distribution > traditional press
- Community pre-launch is critical — build it before you need it
- Email list of 100 engaged is worth 10x media outreach
An indie founder launches via ProductHunt + X thread + email list. First-day signups: 1,200. Total marketing spend: $0. Press coverage: zero (and didn't matter).
Common indie founders questions
Should I hire a PR person?
Almost never for indie launches. Community-led is more efficient.
What about Show HN?
Worth it for technical products. Time it for Tuesday-Thursday morning PT.
Templates are starts.
If you want senior practitioners filling in this template for a specific indie founders engagement, brief us.
Brief us