A launch is more than launch day. The work in the weeks before and after determines whether you get a spike that fades or sustained traffic. Here’s a 30-day-before, 30-day-after timeline that works for B2B and SaaS.
30 days before launch
- Landing page and waitlist: Clear value prop, signup form, basic SEO.
- Prep submission assets: Logo, 2–3 screenshots, description, tagline. Use our startup directory submission checklist.
- Choose channels: Product Hunt (or not), directories, communities. See Product Hunt vs startup directories.
- Line up supporters: Friends, early users, community members who can upvote or share.
Launch day
- Go live where it matters: Directories first (evergreen), then PH or other one-day platforms if you chose them.
- Share in communities: Indie Hackers, Slack, Twitter—where you’re already active.
- Respond and iterate: Answer questions, fix bugs, thank supporters in real time.
30 days after launch
- Add more directories: Expand to 10–15 quality listings. See how many directories to submit to.
- Content and SEO: First blog posts, integration docs, comparison pages.
- Collect feedback: User interviews, NPS, support tickets—fuel for iteration.
- Verify indexing: Ensure directory and product pages are in Google. If not, fix startup listing not showing.
Start your timeline with a quality directory listing
Submit to FoundrList in the lead-up to launch—it stays live long after launch day.
Bottom line
Launch is a process, not a moment. Prep 30 days before, execute on launch day, and invest 30 days after in directories, content, and feedback. Evergreen channels outlast one-day spikes.
The 30 days before launch
The month before launch is for a page people can open, a signup that works, and one sentence you will repeat everywhere. Publish that page early enough that Search Console has seen it. Write down the three questions you expect on launch day so you are not inventing answers in the thread.
List the product somewhere that will still exist after the day. A hunt is a spike. A directory page is the URL you can send later. Do not spend the month collecting directories you will never check.
- Landing page and signup tested in a private window.
- Search Console property and sitemap submitted.
- One listing created, with the same name you will use on launch day.
- A short list of people who asked to be told, not a bought list.
The 30 days after launch
Write down every question from the launch thread. The ones that repeat become a heading on your site or a clearer first screen. Ship the fix people asked for before you write a recap post. A recap with no change is an announcement. A recap with the change is a reason to come back.
Look at Search Console at the end of the month, not the next morning. New URLs do not rank on day two. Keep the listing and the article. Drop the channels that sent no one.
