A startup launch checklist organised by timeline: what to finish 8 weeks out, 4 weeks out, launch week and the 30 days after, covering legal setup, product readiness, the website and the launch itself.
Short answer: a startup launch checklist has four time blocks. Eight weeks out you prove demand and handle legal and money setup. Four weeks out you make the product and website ready for strangers. Launch week you run a planned, coordinated push. The 30 days after, you talk to users and measure retention. The checklist below is ordered that way so you can work down it.
Most launch checklists are lists of categories. This one is a timeline, because the real risk is not forgetting a task, it is doing tasks in the wrong order (for example, announcing before payments work, or waiting on a bank account the week you launch).
8 weeks out: foundations
Validate before you polish
[ ] Write one sentence: who it is for, the problem, and why now. If you cannot, the launch message will be vague too.
[ ] Get a demand signal that costs people something: a waitlist with a real signup form, a pre-order, a paid pilot or a letter of intent. Likes and "sounds cool" do not count.
[ ] Talk to at least a handful of target users about how they solve the problem today. Note their exact words; they become your homepage copy.
Legal and admin (these have waiting times)
[ ] Choose and register the business structure for your country (for example an LLC or corporation in the US, a limited company in the UK, a corporation in Canada). Ask an accountant if you are unsure.
[ ] Get your tax ID and register for sales tax or VAT if your sales require it.
[ ] Open a business bank account. Approval can take days or weeks.
[ ] Sign a founder agreement covering equity, vesting and IP assignment if there is more than one founder.
[ ] Check the name: trademark search, domain availability, and the main social handles.
Money
[ ] Set up a payment processor (for example Stripe, Paddle or PayPal) and complete its verification.
[ ] Decide launch pricing. Write down what you will do if nobody pays at that price.
[ ] Set a simple runway sheet: monthly costs and how many months you have.
4 weeks out: make it ready for strangers
Product
[ ] Walk through signup to first value as a new user, on a phone and a laptop. Fix every place you got stuck.
[ ] Ask three people who have never seen it to try it while you watch silently.
[ ] Set up error tracking and basic analytics so you see problems before users email you.
[ ] Back up your data and know how to restore it.
[ ] Decide what is out of scope for launch and write it down. Scope creep is the most common reason launch dates slip.
Website
Your site is where every launch channel sends people. It needs to answer three questions within a few seconds: what is this, who is it for, what do I do next.
[ ] Homepage with a clear headline, one primary call to action, and a screenshot or demo.
[ ] Pricing page (even if it says "free during beta").
[ ] Privacy policy and terms of service. Required if you collect personal data or take payment.
[ ] Email capture that actually delivers to your email tool. Test it with a real address.
[ ] Custom domain with HTTPS, a favicon and a share image so links look right on social.
[ ] Title and meta description on every page. Use the on-page SEO checklist for the rest.
Audience
[ ] Email your waitlist at least once before launch so the first email they get is not a sales pitch.
[ ] Write the launch post, the email and the social posts now, not on the day.
[ ] Line up a few people who have agreed to try it and give honest feedback on launch day.
Launch week
Day
What to do
3 days before
Freeze features. Only fix bugs. Test signup and payment again with a real card.
2 days before
Final read of all copy. Check every link in the launch email.
1 day before
Schedule the email. Prepare replies to the obvious questions (pricing, privacy, roadmap).
Launch day
Post in the channels you chose, send the email, reply to every comment within hours.
Day after
Send a thank-you to early signups and ask one question: what almost stopped you signing up?
On choosing channels: go where your users already are, and read each community's rules first. Product Hunt, Hacker News (Show HN) and subreddits each have their own norms, and posting purely promotional content gets removed. A smaller community that fits your user exactly is often worth more than a big general one.
A "brand launch" for a consumer product follows the same shape, but swap the tech communities for the places your customers gather: local media, Instagram, markets, stockists, or a launch event.
The 30 days after launch
This is the part most checklists skip, and it matters more than launch day.
[ ] Talk to users every week. Book short calls with new signups, especially the ones who did not come back.
[ ] Watch four numbers: signups, activation (completed the first key action), week-two return rate, and paid conversions.
[ ] Keep a single list of feedback and look for the same request from different people before building anything.
[ ] Ship small fixes quickly and tell the people who asked for them. It turns early users into advocates.
[ ] Write a short retrospective: which channel brought users who stayed, not just who clicked.
Common launch mistakes
Launching to nobody. Without a list, launch day traffic is whatever a single post brings, then it stops.
Treating launch as one day. Many successful products "launch" several times as they add major features.
Measuring the spike. Launch traffic always drops. Judge the launch by how many users are still active a month later.
Leaving legal and payments to the end. They depend on other companies' timelines, not yours.
Printable one-page version
If you only keep one list, keep this one:
Demand signal that cost people something
Company registered, bank account open, payments verified
Onboarding tested by strangers
Website with clear headline, pricing, legal pages and working email capture
Analytics and error tracking live
Launch copy written in advance
Channels chosen, community rules read
Launch day replies handled within hours
User calls booked for the following weeks
Retention reviewed at day 30
Getting the website done without a detour
The website is often the item that eats the four-week window. We.Inc builds a launch site, landing page or web app from a chat description, lets you edit visually or in code, and includes hosting and SSL, so the homepage, pricing and waitlist pages can be ready in an afternoon and you can spend the rest of the time on users. You can compare plans on the pricing page.
Confirm people want the product (a waitlist, pre-orders or paying pilot users), register the company and open a business bank account, set up payments and basic legal pages, make sure onboarding works end to end for a new user, and have a place to collect emails before launch day.
How far in advance should I plan a startup launch?
Six to eight weeks is a practical window for a small team. It gives time for legal and payment setup, which often involves waiting on third parties, plus a few weeks of building an email list and testing with real users.
Do I need to incorporate before launching?
If you will take payments, sign contracts or raise money, forming a legal entity first is usually wise because it separates personal and business liability. The right structure depends on your country and plans, so check with a local accountant or lawyer.
Where should a startup launch online?
Wherever your users already spend time. For developer and tech products that often includes Product Hunt, Hacker News (Show HN) and relevant subreddits; for local or consumer products it may be Instagram, local press or community groups. Your own email list is the one channel you fully control.
What should I track after launch?
Track the few numbers that show whether people get value: signups, how many complete the key first action, how many come back in week two, and how many pay. Traffic spikes from launch day fade quickly; retention tells you whether the product works.
How we research, test and update this page: our editorial policy. We.Inc is our own product.
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