Launch playbook: getting the most from launch week on Zivaro Launch
Read it once before you launch and come back on the day. Zivaro Launch keeps the list short and practical.
Set things up
Write the whole listing
Write a clear tagline, a description in your own words and the questions people ask you most. Complete your founder profile too: people like to know who is behind a product.
Ready your logo and images
A clear logo and two or three honest screenshots are worth the effort. If you have a short video walk-through, add that as well.
Time it well
Choose a week you can give some attention to. Replies and follow-ups on the first days make the difference.
Write your messages in advance
Get your announcement ready early: one short message, adapted for each place you post, plus an email to your list.
The day you go live
Post it everywhere you are
Use your own accounts: a post on X, LinkedIn and Bluesky with the link, pinned to the top of your profile, and the link in your bio.
Find the right forums
Communities welcome makers who take part, not drive-by links. Follow each group's rules, and keep Show HN for a product people can use now.
Email your list
Email your list with the launch link. For the week, add a line and the launch image to the welcome email new users receive.
Answer each question
A quick, honest answer often matters more than the launch post itself. Reply to every comment and question.
Keep it honest. Votes can never be bought, each person has one, and asking for votes from borrowed or extra accounts is against the rules.
Launch week
Use more launch directories
Add your product to other launch directories that fit it. Write each listing properly instead of pasting the same text.
Act on feedback
Treat the listing as a living page. Add answers to new questions and correct anything that confused people.
Place the badge on your site
Place the badge somewhere visible, such as your footer. It links straight to your listing page.
Share a second time
Mid-week, write a short LinkedIn follow-up: what surprised you, what you are fixing next, and the link.
After launch week
Do it again
When you ship something substantial, relaunch. New features and milestones are good reasons to tell people again.
Measure what happened
Read your analytics a week later. Tagged links show which places were worth the effort for your next launch.
Look after your listing
Come back to the page when something changes: new pricing, new features or new screenshots.
Launch directories worth a look
Not sure which directories to use? Best Launch Directories lists product launch platforms, startup directories and AI tool lists with Domain Rating, price and link type.
If you want more
If you would like extra help, Zivaro Launch sells the following, each at the price shown. All of them are optional.
- Featured launch $19
Your listing in the Featured spot on the homepage for 7 days from your launch week, labelled Featured. It never adds a vote.
- Multi-site bundle $99
Write your listing once and we put it live on the other 49 launch and discovery sites for you, reworded for each site, and every edit you make later flows to all of them 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.
- Landing page placement $49
Take the homepage's Sponsored slot for 7 days with your company name, logo, tagline and a website link.
- Category placement $19
A Sponsored place at the top of your category page, for 7 days.
- Newsletter placement $29
A Sponsored place in one issue of our weekly newsletter.
- Billboard from $5
A paid board where the company that has contributed the most sits at the top. Ranked by money only, and it never touches a vote.
- Product review $19
A commissioned, structured review of your product from your own public pages and listing. It is labelled as paid for by the maker and is never a rating or a vote.
- Editorial founder feature $29
An edited article about the founder, from their own story, profile and listing facts; our editors invent nothing.
Prices are in US dollars; VAT is added where it is due.
Questions
- How many launch directories should I use?
- Usually a handful that suit your product. Check each directory's terms, pricing and link type, and write each listing properly.
- What should I do after launch week?
- Keep the listing accurate, note which places worked from your analytics, and relaunch with your next big update.
- What is the right moment to share the launch?
- As soon as it is live on launch day. Keep the rest of the week for replies, edits and one follow-up post.
- May I ask for votes?
- Yes, ask the people who know your product. They each have one vote; votes can never be bought and extra accounts are not allowed.
Use what fits your product and skip what does not. The Zivaro Launch help centre has more on each step. Open the help centre