Product Launch Checklist for Solo Makers

Seven days before launch: make the promise testable

Choose one primary audience and one result for the launch page. Ask three people in that audience to read the first screen and explain the product back to you. Revise until they identify the intended user, problem, and next action without additional explanation.

• One descriptive title and one outcome-focused headline
• A working demo, screenshot, or concrete example
• Visible maker identity, contact route, policies, and limitations
• A single primary call to action with a truthful expectation

Three days before launch: verify the complete journey

Test the page and core workflow while signed out, signed in, on a narrow mobile screen, and on a slow connection. Use a fresh account and production-like data. Confirm emails, redirects, analytics consent, errors, and account deletion or support routes.

Define the events that represent understanding and success: landing view, primary CTA, signup completion, core action start, core action completion, and feedback submission.

Launch day: distribute with context

Prepare channel-specific posts instead of copying one announcement everywhere. Explain the problem, show the product in use, state what kind of feedback you need, and link to the most relevant landing page with consistent campaign parameters.

Reserve time to answer questions and fix blocking defects. Do not schedule more channels than you can support in the same day.

The first week: learn before expanding

Review the funnel daily, but make decisions from patterns rather than every fluctuation. Compare traffic source, device, landing page, CTA clicks, completed outcomes, and qualitative feedback. Repair broken steps before buying more reach.

Publish an honest update that explains what changed. A transparent iteration is more useful than pretending the first launch was final.