Resources

The Viral Launch Handbook

A short handbook on planning and running a product launch. Read it here, no download needed.

Principles

What you can control

No handbook can promise a launch will take off. This one covers the parts that are in your hands.

Be specific

Say exactly who it is for and what it does in one sentence. Vague launches get vague attention.

Be honest

Say you built it. Do not inflate numbers or claims. Communities notice, and trust is slow to rebuild.

Be useful first

Answer questions and share what you learned before you ask for anything.

Be present

Stay for the first hours and reply to everyone. Conversation is most of the work.

Respect the rules

Every community has them. Read them before you post, and follow them even when it costs reach.

Learn and repeat

Write down what you saw. Fix the obvious problems, then share again.

Channel by channel

Notes for each place

Hacker News

Use a plain title that says what it is. Put the story in a first comment. Never ask for votes. Expect blunt feedback and answer it calmly.

Find the communities where your audience already asks questions. Lead with the answer, disclose that you built the product, and respect self-promotion limits.

X

Share the problem, a short demo and what you learned. Reply to people who engage, and keep posts short and concrete.

Write in the first person about a decision or lesson. Keep the product mention modest. Invite questions, not applause.

Timeline

A launch in four stages

Two weeks before

Write your one-sentence description, prepare the demo, read community rules and line up a few honest early users.

One week before

Test sign-up and the main path on a phone, draft your posts and prepare answers to likely questions.

Launch day

Post one channel at a time, in your own words. Stay present and reply to everything. Fix what breaks first.

The week after

Thank people, share what you changed, and turn common questions into docs or posts. Plan the next small step.

Start with your website.

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