Pre-Launch Marketing Checklist
Pre-launch marketing is the work that has people waiting before you open: a clear message, progress shared in public, a growing waitlist, a few communities and a press list.
Free, no signup
At a glance
Updated
- What it builds
- Pre-launch marketing builds an audience you can reach on launch day: people on your email list, followers and communities that know you.
- When to start
- Start as soon as you can say in one sentence what you are building and for whom, long before the product is ready.
- Product Hunt
- Product Hunt recommends joining three months or more before you launch there.
- Communities
- Product Hunt warns against posting your launch in communities you have not taken part in before.
- Hacker News
- Show HN does not allow sign-up pages or landing pages, so a pre-launch page cannot be a Show HN.
Sources:Product Hunt: Before launchProduct Hunt: Sharing your launchHacker News: Show HN guidelines
Positioning & messaging
0 of 5
Get the words right before spending on anything else.
Write a one-sentence positioning statement
High priority'[Product] helps [ICP] achieve [outcome] without [existing pain].' Test it with a handful of people; if they can't parrot it back, rewrite.
From the phase Positioning & messaging.Define your ICP (narrower is better)
High priority'Small creative agencies using Figma' beats 'small businesses'. A narrow ICP is easier to reach and to convince before launch.
From the phase Positioning & messaging.Identify 3 existing alternatives (including 'doing nothing')
High priorityKnowing what you're replacing clarifies your value and sharpens your copy. 'Doing nothing' is often the biggest competitor.
From the phase Positioning & messaging.Write your 'why now' story (2 paragraphs)
MediumWhy does this product need to exist now? This story powers press pitches, launch posts, and investor decks.
From the phase Positioning & messaging.Test positioning with 10 prospects
High priorityShow your landing page to target users. Ask: 'who is this for?' and 'what does it do?'. If they can't answer both, rewrite.
From the phase Positioning & messaging.
Build-in-public
0 of 5
Public progress compounds into an audience.
Set a Twitter/X bio that says what you're building
High priorityFormat: '[Title] · Building [Product]: [one-line benefit] · Pre-launch'. Include a waitlist link.
From the phase Build-in-public.Post 2x/week about product decisions
High priorityTrade-offs, learnings, mistakes. 'Why I killed this feature' usually does better than 'just shipped!'.
From the phase Build-in-public.Share weekly progress updates with numbers
MediumIn LaunchListWaitlist growth, MRR, user count, anything measurable. Numbers create accountability and engagement.
In LaunchListOn every planFrom the phase Build-in-public.Updates is a public changelog for each step you share, with an RSS feed people can follow.
Do this in LaunchListEngage daily with 5 relevant accounts
MediumThoughtful replies to potential customers, peers, and journalists. A few minutes a day compounds over months.
From the phase Build-in-public.Repurpose threads into LinkedIn posts
MediumSame content, different audience. LinkedIn pre-launch audiences tend to convert higher on B2B SaaS.
From the phase Build-in-public.
Waitlist & email growth
0 of 6
The waitlist is your launch-day audience.
Set up a pre-launch waitlist with referral mechanics
High priorityIn LaunchListUse LaunchList (free, with referrals built in) or similar. Referral mechanics can drive a large share of pre-launch growth.
In LaunchListOn every planEach person who joins gets a place in line and a link of their own, and moves up for each friend who joins and confirms their email.
Do this in LaunchListRead moreFrom the phase Waitlist & email growth.Build a landing page
High priorityIn LaunchListFramer, Carrd, Webflow, or the hosted waitlist landing page from LaunchList. Keep it simple: one value prop, one CTA.
In LaunchListOn every planA Launch page we host, started from a ready-made page and edited in the page editor, with no website needed.
Do this in LaunchListRead moreFrom the phase Waitlist & email growth.Install analytics (visit → signup)
High priorityIn LaunchListPostHog, Umami, or Plausible. Track the share of visits that sign up, and watch it on warm traffic.
In LaunchListOn every planFrom the phase Waitlist & email growth.Analytics counts the visits to your hosted page that signed up, next to your signups over time.
Do this in LaunchListAim for 25%+ conversion on the landing page
High priorityA low signup rate usually means the headline or positioning is off. Fix the copy before spending on ads.
Read moreFrom the phase Waitlist & email growth.Email every subscriber at least weekly
High priorityIn LaunchListShort, useful updates. A waitlist that goes silent for weeks has forgotten you by launch day.
In LaunchListFrom the Collect planFrom the phase Waitlist & email growth.Email campaigns go to everyone on your list who can be emailed, from Emails in your project.
Do this in LaunchListOffer referral rewards
MediumIn LaunchListMove up the queue, exclusive early access, a lasting discount. Tangible rewards give people a reason to share.
In LaunchListFrom the Collect planFrom the phase Waitlist & email growth.Rewards at the referral counts you choose, which a Rewards block can show on each person's status page.
Do this in LaunchList
Community & distribution
0 of 7
Be present where your audience already gathers.
Join 3 Slack/Discord communities in your niche
High priorityTake part for a while before posting about your product. Earn attention, don't demand it.
From the phase Community & distribution.Post 2x/week in Indie Hackers
MediumProgress updates, learnings, polls. Indie Hackers can still drive launch-day traffic for B2B SaaS.
From the phase Community & distribution.Find 1 relevant subreddit (be a contributor, not a poster)
MediumMostly helpful comments, very few links. Reddit punishes self-promotion and rewards genuine contributors.
From the phase Community & distribution.Attend 1 founder event per month
MediumLocal meetups, online events, or industry conferences. Your network compounds: one friend-of-a-friend intro can lead to press.
From the phase Community & distribution.Start a newsletter on Beehiiv or Substack
MediumSet a subscriber goal for launch day. A niche newsletter with engaged readers often converts better than a large social following.
From the phase Community & distribution.Build a Twitter/X list of 50 people you'd want at your launch
MediumFounders, journalists, potential customers. Engage with their content for months before launch so they recognize you.
From the phase Community & distribution.List your product on launch.li
MediumIn LaunchListA directory of products before launch puts you in front of people who go looking for new tools on purpose, months before your launch day.
In LaunchListFrom the phase Community & distribution.launch.li is our directory of upcoming products, which visitors browse by stage or category. Add your product after an emailed sign-in, or claim its page if it is already there. Listings appear newest first once reviewed, and none is placed higher for paying.
Add your product on launch.li
Press & influencer outreach
0 of 5
Start weeks before launch, not days before.
Build a media list of 25 journalists
High priorityUse Muck Rack or X search. Filter by journalists who've covered products like yours in the past year.
From the phase Press & influencer outreach.Reach out 3 weeks before launch with embargoed pitch
High priorityPersonalized. Short. One clear hook. Include embargoed launch date and what makes this story different.
From the phase Press & influencer outreach.Offer exclusive angles to top-tier pubs
MediumTop-tier publications rarely cover launches without exclusivity. Trade a short first look for a guaranteed feature.
From the phase Press & influencer outreach.Record a 2-minute founder video
MediumJournalists reuse video clips in articles. Make yours clean, well-lit, one take. Save them time.
From the phase Press & influencer outreach.Prepare an embargoed press kit
High priorityScreenshots, logos (SVG and PNG), founder headshots, a few approved quotes, a product one-pager. Host it on a simple Notion page.
From the phase Press & influencer outreach.
Launch-day prep
0 of 5
Decide once, execute fast.
Pick a launch date (Tuesday or Wednesday, 3+ weeks out)
High priorityIn LaunchListAvoid major holidays and Apple or Google events. If you launch on Product Hunt, its day starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific, and Product Hunt says no single day guarantees the top spot.
In LaunchListFrom the Launch planFrom the phase Launch-day prep.Set a launch date and Launch Day counts down to it, with five checks that tick themselves as each part is ready.
Do this in LaunchListFinalize Product Hunt submission assets
High priorityTagline (60 characters), description (500), gallery images (1270x760), demo video, launch tags. Use LaunchList's Product Hunt checklist.
From the phase Launch-day prep.Write launch-day email (personalized, from founder)
High priorityIn LaunchListShort, warm, one clear CTA. Include a launch-specific perk (discount, early access, bonus).
In LaunchListFrom the Launch planFrom the phase Launch-day prep.A Launch day automation sends it to everyone on your list who can be emailed, on the day, timed from your launch date.
Do this in LaunchListPrepare Twitter/X launch thread
High priorityStory-driven, a short thread. Open with the emotional hook, show the product, end with a CTA. Draft it a couple of days early and iterate.
From the phase Launch-day prep.Schedule 4 launch-day posts across channels
MediumLinkedIn, X, Indie Hackers, relevant Slack/Discord. Don't rely on remembering: schedule in advance.
From the phase Launch-day prep.
How pre-launch marketing works: the playbook
Why the phases come in this order, and where a waitlist fits in each of them.
Why the message comes first
Every later task repeats the positioning sentence: the bio, the landing page headline, the press pitch, the launch email. Writing it first means you write all of those once, and they agree with each other.
Building in public and community work then give that message somewhere to be seen, and the waitlist catches the people it reaches.
One list behind every channel
Followers on X, members of a Discord and readers of a newsletter belong to those platforms. People on your own waitlist are the ones you can email on launch day, whatever happens to the platforms in between.
So every channel above points to the same place: one waitlist page or form, with a referral link for each person who joins so the list can grow without you posting.
A pre-launch timeline
The phases overlap more than they follow each other. A shape that works:
| Phase | Starts | Runs until |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning and messaging | Before anything else | You can say it in one sentence that prospects repeat back |
| Build-in-public | As soon as the message is clear | Launch day and beyond |
| Waitlist and email growth | With the first public post | Launch day, then it becomes your customer list |
| Community and distribution | Months before launch | For as long as you sell the product |
| Press and influencer outreach | Weeks before the date | The day the embargo lifts |
| Launch-day prep | Once the date is set | Launch day |
What the launch sites allow before you launch
Neither of the two big launch sites is a place for a pre-launch page. Hacker News does not allow sign-up pages or landing pages as a Show HN, and Product Hunt does not feature a waitlisted product unless people get access straight away. Use them on launch day, and use the months before to build the list you will bring with you.
Sources:Hacker News: Show HN guidelinesProduct Hunt: Sharing your launch
What questions should I anticipate on launch day?
You should prepare an answer to these questions to get ready for product launch:
- Who is your specific ICP?
- What's your one-sentence positioning?
- How are you building an audience pre-launch?
- What's your waitlist size and referral rate?
- Which channels are you using for distribution?
- What's your press strategy?
- When are you launching?
- Do you have a Product Hunt plan?
Pre-launch marketing tasks LaunchList runs for you.
The waitlist sits under every phase of the list above. These are the tasks it does for you, each on the plan named beside it.
A waitlist that spreads itself
Every person who joins gets a place in line and a link to share, and moves up as friends join and confirm.
On every planRewards for sharing
Set a reward at any referral count, and add the Rewards block to the status page so people see the next one.
From the Collect planProgress your audience can follow
Updates, a public changelog with RSS, for the build-in-public posts you write.
On every planA countdown to the day
Launch Day counts down to your date and checks your page, form, announcement and list are ready.
From the Launch plan
More launch checklists
Frequently asked questions about Pre-Launch Marketing Checklist
Common questions about pre-launch marketing checklist — compiled from the community.
How long before launch should I start marketing?
What's the best channel for pre-launch audience building?
Should I build in public?
How do I get press coverage for a pre-launch product?
What's a realistic waitlist size before launch?
Should I run ads before launch?
Give your pre-launch marketing one place to send people.
Start the waitlist before the first post, so every reader you reach can join it.
Free for your first 100 contactsNo credit card needed