The Ultimate Startup Launch Checklist (100+ Items You Can't Miss)

Launching a product is chaotic. Amid the excitement, it's easy to forget critical steps that can make or break your launch.

This comprehensive checklist covers everything from 4 weeks before launch to 30 days after. Bookmark it and check off items as you go.

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How to Use This Checklist

• Copy to Notion/Docs for your team
• Assign owners to each section
• Set deadlines based on your launch date
• Check off daily as you complete items

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4 Weeks Before Launch

Product Readiness

• Core features complete and tested
• Critical bugs fixed
• Performance optimized (page load <3s)
• Mobile responsiveness verified
• Browser compatibility tested (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
• Error handling and messages are user-friendly
• Loading states and empty states designed
• 404 and error pages created
• User authentication flows tested
• Password reset flow working
• Email verification working (if applicable)

Security & Compliance

• SSL certificate installed
• Security headers configured
• User data encrypted
• GDPR/CCPA compliance if needed
• Privacy policy page live
• Terms of service page live
• Cookie consent banner (if required)
• Payment security (PCI compliance if applicable)

Infrastructure

• Production environment set up
• Staging environment available
• Database backups automated
• Uptime monitoring configured
• Error tracking set up (Sentry, etc.)
• Performance monitoring enabled
• Auto-scaling configured (if needed)
• CDN set up for static assets

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3 Weeks Before Launch

Analytics & Tracking

• Google Analytics 4 installed
• Key events tracked (signup, purchase, etc.)
• Conversion funnels set up
• UTM parameters planned
• Heatmaps configured (Hotjar, etc.)
• Session recording enabled
• User identification set up (for logged-in users)
• Dashboard created for key metrics

SEO Basics

• Title tags on all pages
• Meta descriptions on all pages
• Open Graph tags configured
• Twitter Card tags configured
• Sitemap.xml generated
• Robots.txt configured
• Canonical URLs set
• Alt text on images
• Heading hierarchy correct (H1, H2, etc.)
• Schema markup added (Organization, Product, etc.)

Domain & DNS

• Production domain purchased
• DNS configured and propagated
• Email domain set up
• Domain email working (support@, hello@)
• Subdomains configured (app., blog., etc.)
• Domain redirects working (www vs non-www)

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2 Weeks Before Launch

Content & Copy

• Homepage copy finalized
• Feature pages complete
• Pricing page live
• About page written
• FAQ section created
• Blog post for launch ready
• Documentation/help center started
• Error messages are helpful
• Onboarding copy reviewed
• Email templates written

Marketing Assets

• Logo in all formats (PNG, SVG)
• Brand colors documented
• Product screenshots captured
• Demo video recorded
• Social media graphics created
• Product Hunt assets ready (if applicable)
• Press kit prepared
• Founder photos available
• OG images for social sharing

Email Setup

• Transactional email provider set up (SendGrid, Resend)
• Welcome email written
• Onboarding email sequence created
• Password reset email tested
• Email templates branded
• Unsubscribe functionality working
• Email deliverability tested
• SPF/DKIM/DMARC configured

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1 Week Before Launch

Pre-Launch Marketing

• Waitlist/early access list ready
• Launch announcement written
• Social media posts scheduled
• Email to waitlist drafted
• Personal network notified (but asked to wait)
• Influencer/partner outreach done
• Press outreach completed (if applicable)
• Launch communities identified (Reddit, HN, IH, etc.)

Product Hunt Preparation (If Launching)

• Product Hunt account created
• Hunter secured (or hunting yourself)
• Tagline written (60 chars)
• Description written
• Gallery images prepared (1200x900)
• Demo video ready
• First comment drafted
• Launch day schedule planned
• Friends/supporters alerted

Support Readiness

• Support email/system set up
• FAQ updated with common questions
• Canned responses prepared
• Support team briefed (if applicable)
• Feedback collection method ready
• Bug report process established
• On-call schedule set for launch day

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Launch Week

Day Before Launch

• Final staging to production deploy
• All environments tested
• Team roles confirmed
• Communication channels set up
• Celebration planned (you deserve it!)
• Backup/rollback plan ready
• Monitoring dashboards open
• Sleep well

Launch Day Morning

• Wake up early (if Product Hunt, 12:01 AM PT)
• Deploy any final changes
• Verify everything is live
• Check error tracking (should be quiet)
• Monitor performance metrics
• Prepare for social media

Launch Day Actions

• Product Hunt launch live (if applicable)
• Email sent to waitlist
• Social media posts published
• Community posts made (Reddit, HN, IH)
• Team monitoring all channels
• Responding to comments/questions
• Fixing urgent issues immediately
• Documenting everything (for post-mortem)

Launch Day Monitoring

• Signup/conversion rate tracking
• Error rate monitoring
• Performance metrics watching
• Support requests logging
• Social media mentions tracking
• Product Hunt ranking checking
• User feedback collecting

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Post-Launch: Week 1

User Engagement

• Follow up with every early user
• Ask for feedback proactively
• Fix bugs users report
• Respond to all support requests same-day
• Thank people who share/mention
• Reach out to power users
• Send welcome emails to new signups

Analysis

• Review signup/activation metrics
• Identify drop-off points
• Review user feedback themes
• Check traffic sources
• Analyze Product Hunt results (if applicable)
• Document what worked/didn't

Quick Wins

• Fix obvious UX issues
• Add requested micro-features
• Improve onboarding based on feedback
• Update FAQ with new questions
• Optimize high-traffic pages

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Post-Launch: Weeks 2-4

Growth Actions

• Ask for testimonials
• Create case studies from early users
• Implement referral program
• Double down on best acquisition channel
• Write blog posts addressing user questions
• Guest post outreach
• Partnership discussions

Product Improvements

• Prioritize features based on feedback
• Improve activation flow
• Add analytics for user behavior
• A/B test key flows
• Performance optimization
• Mobile experience improvements

Marketing Expansion

• Secondary platform launches (Hacker News, etc.)
• SEO content plan started
• Social media presence building
• Newsletter started
• Community building begun

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Technical Launch Checklist

Frontend

• All forms validated
• XSS protection in place
• CSRF tokens implemented
• Rate limiting on forms
• Proper loading states
• Error boundaries set up
• Images optimized
• Lazy loading implemented
• Bundle size optimized

Backend

• API rate limiting
• Input validation
• SQL injection prevention
• Authentication secured
• Authorization checks in place
• Logging configured
• Database indexes optimized
• API documentation available

DevOps

• CI/CD pipeline working
• Automated tests passing
• Deployment rollback ready
• Environment variables secured
• Secrets management in place
• Health check endpoints
• Database migration strategy

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Business Launch Checklist

Legal

• Business entity formed
• EIN/tax ID obtained
• Business bank account open
• Contracts with any vendors
• Terms of service reviewed by lawyer (optional but recommended)
• Privacy policy compliant
• Trademark considerations

Finance

• Pricing finalized
• Payment processing set up
• Invoicing system ready
• Refund policy defined
• Financial tracking system
• Tax collection configured (if SaaS)

Operations

• Support process defined
• Escalation procedures
• On-call schedule
• Communication tools set up
• Project management system
• Documentation wiki started

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Common Launch Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not Testing the Full Flow

Test signup → activation → core action → payment (if applicable) end-to-end.

2. Forgetting Mobile

30-60% of traffic may be mobile. Test everything on phone.

3. Ignoring Error Tracking

Set up Sentry or similar BEFORE launch. You need to know what breaks.

4. No Backup Plan

What if the server crashes? Have a rollback ready.

5. Launching on Friday

Issues over the weekend with no one available. Launch Tuesday-Wednesday.

6. Not Watching in Real-Time

Someone should monitor launch hour-by-hour. Issues need immediate response.

7. Forgetting Analytics

Launching without analytics means flying blind. Set up before, not after.

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Launch Day Emergency Kit

If the Site Goes Down

1. Check hosting provider status
2. Review recent deploys
3. Check error logs
4. Rollback if needed
5. Communicate on Twitter/status page

If You Get Slammed (Good Problem!)

1. Scale up infrastructure
2. Enable caching aggressively
3. Turn off non-essential features
4. Add waitlist for new signups if needed

If There's a Security Issue

1. Take affected functionality offline
2. Assess the scope
3. Fix immediately
4. Communicate transparently
5. Post-mortem and prevent recurrence

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Conclusion

Launching is exciting, stressful, and rewarding. This checklist can't guarantee success, but it can help you avoid the preventable mistakes that derail launches.

The best launches are calm, prepared, and well-documented. You've got this.

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Ready to launch your product? DreamLaunch helps founders go from idea to launch in 28 days. Book a free consultation to get started.