Pre-Launch Marketing Checklist
Complete pre-launch marketing checklist to build a waitlist, audience, and buzz before launch day. Covers positioning, content, community, press, and waitlist growth.
Step-by-step checklist
A comprehensive, actionable checklist that walks you through every stage so nothing slips through the cracks.
Curated resources
Hand-picked guides, tools, and references to go deeper on each step whenever you need more context.
Track your progress
Tick items off as you complete them, watch the progress bar fill up, and celebrate each milestone.
Positioning & messaging 🎯
Get the words right before spending on anything else.
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High
Write a one-sentence positioning statement
'[Product] helps [ICP] achieve [outcome] without [existing pain].' Test it with 5 people; if they can't parrot it back, rewrite.
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High
Define your ICP (narrower is better)
'20-person creative agencies using Figma' beats 'small businesses'. Narrow ICPs convert 3–5× better pre-launch.
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High
Identify 3 existing alternatives (including 'doing nothing')
Knowing what you're replacing clarifies your value and sharpens your copy. 'Doing nothing' is usually the #1 competitor.
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Medium
Write your 'why now' story (2 paragraphs)
Why does this product need to exist in 2026? This story powers press pitches, launch posts, and investor decks.
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High
Test positioning with 10 prospects
Show your landing page to 10 target users. Ask: 'who is this for?' and 'what does it do?'. If they can't answer both, rewrite.
Build-in-public 🔨
Public progress compounds into an audience.
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High
Set a Twitter/X bio that says what you're building
Format: '[Title] · Building [Product] — [one-line benefit] · Pre-launch'. Include a waitlist link.
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High
Post 2x/week about product decisions
Trade-offs, learnings, mistakes. 'I killed this feature because...' outperforms 'just shipped!' every time.
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Medium
Share weekly progress updates with numbers
Waitlist growth, MRR, user count, anything measurable. Numbers create accountability and engagement.
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Medium
Engage daily with 5 relevant accounts
Thoughtful replies to potential customers, peers, and journalists. 10 minutes/day compounds over 6 months.
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Medium
Repurpose threads into LinkedIn posts
Same content, different audience. LinkedIn pre-launch audiences tend to convert higher on B2B SaaS.
Waitlist & email growth 📧
The waitlist is your launch-day audience.
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High
Set up a pre-launch waitlist with referral mechanics
Use LaunchList (free, with referrals built in) or similar. Referral mechanics typically drive a large share of pre-launch growth.
Start a free waitlist -
High
Build a landing page
Framer, Carrd, Webflow, or the hosted waitlist landing page from LaunchList. Keep it simple — one value prop, one CTA.
Waitlist landing page guide -
High
Install analytics (visit → signup)
PostHog, Umami, or Plausible. Track conversion rate. Aim for 25%+ visit→signup on warm traffic.
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High
Aim for 25%+ conversion on the landing page
Below 15% usually means the headline or positioning is off. Fix copy before spending on ads.
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High
Email every subscriber at least weekly
Short, useful updates. A waitlist that goes silent for 4 weeks is effectively dead by launch day.
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Medium
Offer referral rewards
Move up the queue, exclusive early access, lifetime discount. Tangible rewards 3–5× referral rates.
Community & distribution 🗣️
Be present where your audience already gathers.
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High
Join 3 Slack/Discord communities in your niche
Participate for a month before posting about your product. Earn attention, don't demand it.
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Medium
Post 2x/week in Indie Hackers
Progress updates, learnings, polls. Indie Hackers still drives meaningful launch-day traffic for B2B SaaS.
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Medium
Find 1 relevant subreddit (be a contributor, not a poster)
90% helpful comments, 10% subtle links. Reddit punishes self-promotion; rewards genuine contributors.
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Medium
Attend 1 founder event per month
Local meetups, online events, or industry conferences. Network compounds — one friend-of-a-friend intro can unlock press.
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Medium
Start a newsletter on Beehiiv or Substack
Goal: 500 subscribers before launch. A niche newsletter with 500 engaged readers beats 5,000 Twitter followers for conversion.
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Medium
Build a Twitter/X list of 50 people you'd want at your launch
Founders, journalists, potential customers. Engage with their content for 60 days before launch so they recognize you.
Press & influencer outreach 📰
Start 3 weeks before launch, not 3 days before.
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High
Build a media list of 25 journalists
Use Muck Rack or Twitter search. Filter by journalists who've covered products like yours in the last 12 months.
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High
Reach out 3 weeks before launch with embargoed pitch
Personalized. Short. One clear hook. Include embargoed launch date and what makes this story different.
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Medium
Offer exclusive angles to top-tier pubs
Top-tier publications rarely cover launches without exclusivity. Trade a 24h first-look for a guaranteed feature.
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Medium
Record a 2-minute founder video
Journalists reuse video clips in articles. Make yours clean, well-lit, one take. Save them time.
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High
Prepare an embargoed press kit
Screenshots, logos (SVG + PNG), founder headshots, 3 approved quotes, product one-pager. Host on a simple Notion page.
Launch-day prep 🚀
Decide once, execute fast.
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High
Pick a launch date (Tuesday or Wednesday, 3+ weeks out)
Avoid major holidays and Apple/Google events. Tuesday 00:01 PT is the Product Hunt sweet spot.
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High
Finalize Product Hunt submission assets
Tagline (60 chars), description, gallery images, demo video, topics. Use LaunchList's Product Hunt checklist.
Product Hunt Launch Checklist -
High
Write launch-day email (personalized, from founder)
Short, warm, one clear CTA. Include a launch-specific perk (discount, early access, bonus).
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High
Prepare Twitter/X launch thread
Story-driven. 7–10 tweets. Open with emotional hook, show the product, end with CTA. Draft 48h early, iterate.
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Medium
Schedule 4 launch-day posts across channels
LinkedIn, Twitter, Indie Hackers, relevant Slack/Discord. Don't rely on remembering — schedule in advance.
You have completed
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Create a waiting listFrequently 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?
What questions should I anticipate on launch day?
- 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?
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