The Rapid Launches launch playbook
Nothing here costs anything unless you choose an extra. The steps are what Rapid Launches would do in your place.
Before launch day
Finish the profile
People decide quickly. Make sure the tagline and description are clear and current, the FAQs are answered and your founder profile is complete. Your founder profile
Get the images ready
Use a sharp logo and a few screenshots of the real product. A short demo video helps people understand it in seconds.
Pick a week you can be there
Avoid a week when you are away. The first days matter most, and you want to be there to answer people. See the launch calendar
Get the word ready
A little notice helps. Tell the people who already use or follow your product, and prepare your posts ahead of time.
When the launch starts
Put the link out
Announce the launch with the listing link on X, LinkedIn or Bluesky. A pinned post and a bio link keep it easy to find all week.
Join the conversation
Check your listing and your posts through the day and reply to everyone, including the critical comments. Your listings
Join the right communities
Every community has its own rules on promotion: read them before you post. Show HN suits a product people can use straight away.
Send your announcement
Email the people who use your product and tell them where to find the launch. New sign-ups can see it in your welcome email.
Play fair: ask people who genuinely use your product to take a look, never for votes from extra or borrowed accounts. One person, one vote, and votes can never be bought.
In the days after going live
Embed the badge
The badge tells visitors you launched, and it links to your listing page. Put it in your footer or on your about page.
List in other launch directories
Spread your launch over the directories that match your product. Compare them before you pay for any of them. Launch directories worth a look
Act on feedback
When the same question comes up twice, add the answer to your FAQs. Update screenshots or wording as you learn what people need. Edit your listing
Give people a second chance to see it
Follow up your launch post on LinkedIn a day later. Share a lesson, a piece of feedback or a quick improvement.
When the week is over
Read your own data
After launch week, look at the numbers in your own analytics and write down what to repeat and what to drop. See the launch receipts
Update it now and then
Check the listing every few months and update anything that has changed, from pricing to screenshots.
Do it again
Keep a note of your next big update. A relaunch with a clear story about what changed works better than a reminder. Relaunch from your account
Launch directories worth a look
Best Launch Directories compares launch directories, startup directories and AI tool lists, with each one's Domain Rating, pricing and link type, so you can pick the ones that fit.
Want a hand with your launch?
Want us to do more? Here is what Rapid Launches offers, with each price. None of it is required.
- Featured launch $19
From your launch week, 7 days in the Featured spot on the homepage, clearly labelled Featured; no vote comes with it.
- Multi-site bundle $99
Write once, and your listing goes live on the other 49 launch and discovery sites for you, reworded for every site; when you edit it later, all of them update automatically.
- Done-for-you listing $149.99
Your listing on 49 other launch and discovery sites without lifting a finger: a separate description for each, then one email with every link.
- Opening page $49
Your company name, logo, tagline and a link to your website in the Sponsored slot on the homepage for 7 days.
- Category page $19
The top of your listing's category page for 7 days, with a Sponsored label.
- Weekly newsletter $29
Your company as the Sponsored entry in one weekly newsletter issue.
- Billboard from $5
Ranked purely by contributions: whoever has put in the most is at the top. Separate from community votes, and labelled paid.
- Product review $19
A structured product review, made from your website pages and your listing, shown on your listing with a label saying the maker commissioned it. It counts as no vote or rating.
- Editorial founder feature $29
A founder feature written from your story, profile and listing, then edited by one of our editors. No invented facts.
Prices are in US dollars; VAT is added where it is due.
Questions
- Can I ask my users to vote?
- Yes, ask the people who know your product. They each have one vote; votes can never be bought and extra accounts are not allowed.
- What do I do once my launch is over?
- Keep the listing accurate, note which places worked from your analytics, and relaunch with your next big update.
- Should I share on launch day or later?
- On launch day, as soon as the listing is live, and once more later in the week with an update or a lesson learnt.
- Is one launch directory enough?
- Pick directories that match what you have built, compare their price and link type, and give each listing its own description.
That is everything. If something is unclear, the Rapid Launches help centre is there to help. Open the help centre