Launch Day Workflow
Hour-by-hour execution plan for a successful product launch with monitoring, community engagement, and crisis management
The Launch Day workflow provides a detailed execution plan to ensure your launch goes smoothly. From pre-launch preparations to real-time monitoring and community engagement, this guide covers everything you need for a successful launch.
Overview#
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Phases | 4 (Pre-launch, Launch, Active Monitoring, Wind Down) |
| Tier | Free |
| Typical Duration | 24-48 hours of active management |
| Best For | Product launches, major releases, Product Hunt launches |
Outcomes#
A successful launch day results in:
- Smooth technical rollout with zero downtime
- Maximum visibility in target communities
- Real-time response to user feedback
- Clear metrics on launch performance
- Momentum for post-launch growth
Launch Day Timeline#
PRE-LAUNCH (T-24h to T-0)
│
├─ T-24h: Final checks, team briefing
├─ T-12h: Social posts scheduled
├─ T-4h: Monitoring setup verified
├─ T-1h: Team standup, go/no-go decision
│
LAUNCH (T+0)
│
├─ T+0: Go live, announce everywhere
├─ T+15m: Check metrics, respond to first users
├─ T+1h: Community engagement in full swing
├─ T+4h: First status update to team/investors
│
MONITORING (T+4h to T+24h)
│
├─ T+4-8h: Rotate community monitoring
├─ T+8h: Second status update
├─ T+12h: Review overnight strategy
├─ T+24h: Launch day retrospective
Phase 1: Pre-Launch (T-24h to T-0)#
T-24 Hours: Final Preparations#
Technical Readiness:
- Production deployment complete and tested
- Rollback procedure documented and ready
- Monitoring dashboards open and configured
- Error tracking alerts set up
- Database backups verified
Content Readiness:
- All marketing materials approved
- Social posts written and scheduled
- Email sequences ready to send
- Press/media outreach sent
- Community posts drafted
T-12 Hours: Team Briefing#
Hold a team sync to cover:
1## Launch Day Briefing Agenda
2
31. **Roles and Responsibilities**
4 - Who monitors what
5 - Escalation paths
6 - Decision authority
7
82. **Timeline Review**
9 - Key moments and owners
10 - Scheduled activities
11
123. **Success Metrics**
13 - What we're measuring
14 - Target numbers
15
164. **Contingency Plans**
17 - Known risks
18 - Response procedures
19
205. **Communication Plan**
21 - Internal updates (Slack channel)
22 - External responses (who can speak publicly)T-1 Hour: Go/No-Go Decision#
Go/No-Go Checklist:
| Category | Check | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | Site responding < 200ms | [ ] |
| Technical | No critical errors in logs | [ ] |
| Technical | All team members online | [ ] |
| Content | All posts ready to publish | [ ] |
| Content | Email sequences loaded | [ ] |
| Business | Payment processing working | [ ] |
Phase 2: Launch (T+0)#
The First 15 Minutes#
Immediate Actions:
1# Go live sequence
21. Deploy production build (if not already)
32. Enable public access
43. Post to primary channel (Product Hunt, Twitter, etc.)
54. Send waitlist email
65. Monitor error tracking dashboardFirst Post Template:
1We're live!
2
3[Product Name] helps you [core value proposition].
4
5After [X months] of building, we're excited to share it with you.
6
7[Link]
8
9What's included:
10- [Feature 1]
11- [Feature 2]
12- [Feature 3]
13
14Launch special: [Offer]
15
16Would love your feedback!Product Hunt Launch Specifics#
If launching on Product Hunt:
Timing:
- Launch at 12:01 AM PT for maximum exposure
- Have team ready for first 2-4 hours
First Hour Tasks:
- Post maker comment with backstory
- Respond to every early comment
- Share launch with supporters
- Update status on social media
Maker Comment Template:
1Hey PH! [Your name] here, [role] at [Company].
2
3We built [Product] because [problem you faced].
4
5Here's what makes us different:
6- [Unique angle 1]
7- [Unique angle 2]
8
9I'll be here all day answering questions. AMA!
10
11Special for PH: [Exclusive offer]Monitoring Dashboard#
Set up a launch dashboard with these metrics:
1// Launch day metrics to track
2interface LaunchMetrics {
3 // Traffic
4 visitorsTotal: number;
5 visitorsActive: number;
6 topReferrers: string[];
7
8 // Conversion
9 signupsTotal: number;
10 signupsRate: number;
11 trialsStarted: number;
12
13 // Health
14 errorRate: number;
15 p99Latency: number;
16 uptimePercent: number;
17
18 // Engagement
19 featuredOn: string[];
20 socialMentions: number;
21 supportTickets: number;
22}Phase 3: Active Monitoring (T+4h to T+24h)#
Community Engagement Rotation#
Set up shifts for community monitoring:
| Shift | Time | Owner | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12AM-6AM PT | Dev 1 | Product Hunt, Twitter |
| 2 | 6AM-12PM PT | Founder | All channels |
| 3 | 12PM-6PM PT | Dev 2 | Twitter, Reddit |
| 4 | 6PM-12AM PT | Founder | Product Hunt, Email |
Response Templates#
Positive Feedback:
Thanks so much for the kind words! Really glad you're finding it useful.
If you have any suggestions for improvements, we're all ears!
Feature Request:
Great suggestion! We've actually been thinking about this too.
Added it to our roadmap. Would you mind sharing a bit more about
your use case? Helps us prioritize.
Bug Report:
Thanks for reporting this! Sorry you ran into an issue.
Can you DM me your email so I can look into your account?
We'll get this sorted ASAP.
Negative Feedback:
Appreciate the honest feedback. You're right that [acknowledgment].
We're working on [solution/timeline]. Would love to hear more about
what would make this work better for you.
Status Update Template#
Send updates to team/investors at regular intervals:
1## Launch Day Update - T+4 Hours
2
3### Metrics
4- Visitors: X,XXX
5- Signups: XXX (X.X% conversion)
6- Revenue: $X,XXX
7
8### Highlights
9- Reached #X on Product Hunt
10- Featured in [Publication]
11- [Notable user] signed up
12
13### Issues
14- [Any issues and status]
15
16### Next Steps
17- Continue community engagement
18- Next update in 4 hoursCrisis Management#
If traffic overwhelms servers:
1# Emergency scaling checklist
21. Enable auto-scaling (if not already)
32. Add CDN caching for static assets
43. Enable rate limiting
54. Scale database read replicas
65. Communicate: "High demand, working on it!"If critical bug discovered:
1# Bug response procedure
21. Assess severity and user impact
32. Decide: hotfix or rollback
43. Communicate transparently
54. Deploy fix
65. Verify and communicate resolutionCrisis Communication Template:
We're aware of [issue] affecting some users. Our team is actively
working on a fix. We'll update you in [timeframe].
Really sorry for the trouble, especially on launch day.
We're committed to getting this resolved quickly.Phase 4: Wind Down (T+24h+)#
Launch Day Retrospective#
Hold a team retrospective within 48 hours:
Questions to Answer:
- What went well that we should repeat?
- What didn't go as planned?
- What would we do differently next time?
- What feedback did we hear most often?
- What should be our top priority this week?
Metrics Summary#
Create a launch report:
1## Launch Report - [Date]
2
3### Summary
4- Total visitors: X,XXX
5- Total signups: XXX
6- Conversion rate: X.X%
7- Revenue generated: $X,XXX
8
9### Traffic Sources
101. Product Hunt: XX%
112. Twitter: XX%
123. Direct: XX%
134. Other: XX%
14
15### User Feedback Themes
161. [Theme 1] - X mentions
172. [Theme 2] - X mentions
183. [Theme 3] - X mentions
19
20### Issues Encountered
21- [Issue 1]: Resolved in X minutes
22- [Issue 2]: Ongoing, ETA [date]
23
24### Action Items
25- [ ] [Immediate fix needed]
26- [ ] [Feature request to roadmap]
27- [ ] [Follow up with press/users]Recommended Agents#
| Phase | Agent | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-launch | devops-expert | Final infrastructure checks |
| Launch | performance-expert | Real-time performance monitoring |
| Engagement | copywriting-expert | Response crafting |
| Crisis | backend-expert | Emergency debugging |
Launch Day Toolkit#
Monitoring Tools#
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Vercel Analytics | Real-time traffic |
| Sentry | Error tracking |
| Stripe Dashboard | Revenue monitoring |
| Twitter Search | Brand mentions |
| Product Hunt | Launch ranking |
Communication Channels#
| Channel | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Slack #launch | Internal team coordination |
| External stakeholder updates | |
| Public announcements | |
| Discord/Slack | Community engagement |
Deliverables#
| Deliverable | Description |
|---|---|
| Launch timeline | Hour-by-hour schedule with owners |
| Monitoring dashboard | Real-time metrics display |
| Response templates | Pre-written responses for common scenarios |
| Crisis playbook | Procedures for common issues |
| Launch report | Post-launch summary with metrics |
Best Practices#
- Over-communicate internally - Better too many updates than silence
- Respond quickly - First hour engagement matters most
- Stay positive - Launch day energy affects your community
- Document everything - You'll want to remember what worked
- Rest before launch - You need to be at your best
- Celebrate wins - Take time to appreciate milestones
Common Pitfalls#
- Going silent - Keep responding even when tired
- Ignoring negative feedback - Address concerns professionally
- Over-promising fixes - Under-promise, over-deliver
- Forgetting time zones - Your audience is global
- No backup plan - Have someone ready to take over
Related Workflows#
- Pre-Launch Checklist - Preparation
- Post-Launch - What comes next
- Metrics Dashboard - Tracking success
- Acquisition Channels - Sustaining growth