The Best Digital Launch launch playbook
Read it once before you launch and come back on the day. Best Digital Launch keeps the list short and practical.
The groundwork
Finish the profile
Read your page as a stranger would. If something is missing or vague, fix it, and complete the founder profile so the person behind the product is clear.
Sort out the pictures
Show, do not tell: real screenshots of the product, a crisp logo and, if you have one, a short demo video.
Pick your launch week
Look for a quiet week in your own schedule. Being there to answer questions is part of the launch.
Tell people it is coming
Prepare a short launch message you can adapt for each place. Give friends and users a heads-up about the date.
When your listing goes live
Put the link out
Announce the launch with the listing link on X, LinkedIn or Bluesky. A pinned post and a bio link keep it easy to find all week.
Answer questions quickly
Set aside time to reply. People who ask questions are interested, so answer them properly and thank them.
Send your announcement
Your mailing list knows you already. Email them the link on launch day, and mention the launch in your welcome email this week.
Take it to communities
Post in communities you already take part in, as yourself and within their rules. On Hacker News, Show HN is for something people can try right away.
Never chase votes from extra accounts or vote-swap groups. Each person has one vote, votes can never be bought, and real interest is what counts.
The rest of the week
Embed the badge
A small badge on your website shows the launch and links to your listing. Add it once and it keeps working.
Keep the page current
Treat the listing as a living page. Add answers to new questions and correct anything that confused people.
Post a follow-up
Follow up your launch post on LinkedIn a day later. Share a lesson, a piece of feedback or a quick improvement.
Pick more places to launch
A launch is rarely one place. Choose a few launch directories that fit your product and list it there as well.
After launch week
Learn from the launch
Your analytics tell you what worked. Tag each shared link so you can see which post, community or directory people came from.
Plan your next launch
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 listing current
Your listing stays up after the week. Keep the pricing, screenshots and description current so it stays accurate.
Where else to launch
To choose where else to list, Best Launch Directories sets out launch and startup directories side by side: Domain Rating, price and link type for each.
Help from us, if you want it
None of these are needed to follow the playbook. They are optional extras Best Digital Launch sells, each at the price set out here.
- Featured launch $19
The Featured spot on the homepage for 7 days, from your launch week on, with a Featured label. It does not add a vote.
- Multi-site bundle $99
Write once, and your listing goes live on the other 49 launch and discovery sites for you, reworded for every site; when you edit it later, all of them update automatically.
- Done-for-you listing $149.99
We place your listing on 49 other launch and discovery sites, each with a description of its own, and email you the links once they are live.
- Opening page perch $49
A 7-day run in the homepage Sponsored slot: your company name, logo, tagline and link.
- Category perch $19
The top of your listing's category page for 7 days, with a Sponsored label.
- Weekly newsletter perch $29
Sponsor one issue of the weekly newsletter: your company in its Sponsored place.
- 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
Written from the founder's story and listing facts, edited by one of our editors: an article with nothing invented.
Prices are in US dollars; VAT is added where it is due.
Questions
- Do other launch directories help?
- Yes, if the directories fit your product. Shortlist by category, then compare pricing and link type before you submit.
- How should I follow up my launch?
- Learn from your analytics, keep pricing and screenshots current, and come back with a relaunch after a major update.
- Can I encourage people to vote?
- Yes, share it with people who genuinely use your product. One person, one vote: no extra accounts, no vote swaps, and votes can never be bought.
- When is the best time to post about my 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 Best Digital Launch help centre is there to help. Open the help centre