New Biz Launches' playbook for launching a product
Nothing here costs anything unless you choose an extra. The steps are what New Biz Launches would do in your place.
Prepare first
Write the whole listing
A full page answers questions before anyone has to ask them. Add your tagline, description and FAQs, and finish your founder profile so visitors can see who built it.
Prepare your visuals
Prepare a square logo and screenshots of real screens, not mock-ups. A quick demo video is a good extra for people who prefer to watch.
Time it well
Avoid a week when you are away. The first days matter most, and you want to be there to answer people.
Write your messages in advance
Draft your launch day posts and email in advance, and tell your team the date so they can share it as themselves.
Going live
Share in communities with care
Pick the Reddit, Slack or Discord groups where your product genuinely fits, follow their rules, and write as the founder. Save Show HN for something people can try.
Answer each question
Respond to every comment, on your listing and wherever you shared it. Short, honest answers are fine.
Post your listing
Share the link on the networks you use, such as X, LinkedIn and Bluesky. Pin the post and add the link to your profile bio.
Send your announcement
Tell your subscribers about the launch by email, and put the launch image and link in the email new users get when they sign up.
Votes come from people, one each. They can never be bought, so never use extra accounts or vote swaps to add to them.
The rest of the week
Polish the details
If people keep asking something, the page should answer it. Edit the listing during the week as questions come in.
Choose more directories
Pick other directories that list products like yours, check their terms and submit there too.
Add your badge
Put the badge on your homepage or footer. It is a simple way to send visitors to your listing.
Keep the story going
A day or so after launch, post again on LinkedIn with something new: what people asked, what you changed or what you learnt.
Beyond launch week
Relaunch when there is news
A launch is not a one-off. After a big update, a new version or a milestone, launch again with what is new.
Keep the details fresh
Treat the page as part of your website: when your product or pricing changes, update it too.
Track where people came from
Your analytics tell you what worked. Tag each shared link so you can see which post, community or directory people came from.
Choosing launch directories
Best Launch Directories is a table of launch directories with their Domain Rating, pricing and link type. Use it to shortlist the right ones for your product.
Optional extras
None of these are needed to follow the playbook. They are optional extras New Biz Launches sells, each at the price set out here.
- Featured launch $19
A labelled Featured place on the homepage for 7 days, beginning with your launch week. Votes are not touched.
- Multi-site bundle $99
You only write your listing once. We put it live on 49 more launch and discovery sites for you, each with its own wording, and each edit you make later follows to all of them automatically.
- Done-for-you listing $149.99
Hand it to us: your listing goes onto 49 other launch and discovery sites, each with its own description, and one email brings you every link.
- Top page pitch $49
The one Sponsored slot on the homepage, yours for 7 days: name, logo, tagline and a link to your website.
- Category page pitch $19
A Sponsored place at the top of your category page, for 7 days.
- Weekly newsletter pitch $29
The weekly newsletter's Sponsored place, for one issue.
- Billboard from $5
A board of paid places ordered by total contributed, highest first. Votes are a different system and are never bought.
- Product review $19
A structured review drawn from your listing and website pages, labelled on your listing as commissioned by the maker. It never counts as a vote or a 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
- What should I do after launch week?
- Look at your analytics, update the listing when the product changes, and launch again when you have a real update.
- Can I ask my users to vote?
- Share the launch freely and let people choose. Votes can never be bought, and each person has one vote on one account.
- How many launch directories should I use?
- Use the directories that suit your category, not every one you can find. Compare them on price and link type before paying.
- How soon should I post about the launch?
- Share it on the day it goes live and plan one follow-up post for later in launch week.
That is everything. If something is unclear, the New Biz Launches help centre is there to help. Open the help centre