What a launch platform gives you
Attention, for a day or a week, from people who like trying new things. Feedback from that audience. A public page about your product that can rank in search and be cited by AI assistants. Sometimes a backlink. And a date to work towards, which is often what gets a product finished.
How platforms differ
Audience: developers, designers, AI enthusiasts, B2B buyers. Format: daily or weekly races, evergreen directories, community posts. Links: dofollow, nofollow, or noindexed pages that pass nothing. Cost: free, free with a queue, or paid fast track. Moderation: some accept everything, some review each listing.
These details decide whether a platform is worth your time. A platform with a big audience in the wrong niche sends visitors who leave. A small platform in your exact niche can bring your first customers.
Choosing where to launch
Start with two or three platforms where your users already are, then add evergreen directories over the following weeks. Check that listings stay live and indexed. Our launch platform database lists each platform's audience, link type, cost and review process, checked by hand.
After the launch
Keep your listing current: update the description, screenshots and pricing when they change, because the listing keeps ranking long after launch day. Reply to new comments and reviews. Add the platform's badge if it unlocks a followed link. Track which platforms sent visitors who signed up, not just visitors, and invest in those next time.
Example
A developer tool launches on Hacker News with a Show HN post, on DevHunt for developer votes, and on Aback Launch for a permanent, indexed page and a weekly ranking.
Questions people ask
- How many launch platforms should I use?
- Two or three for launch day, where you can be present to answer comments, then directories over the following weeks. Quality of fit beats count.
Related terms
- Product Hunt launchA Product Hunt launch is publishing your product on Product Hunt for one day, starting at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, where it competes with that day's other launches for upvotes and a spot on the leaderboard.
- Show HNShow HN is a post type on Hacker News for sharing something you made that other people can try. The title starts with "Show HN:" and the community votes and comments on it.
- UpvoteAn upvote is a vote of approval on a launch platform or forum. Upvotes decide a launch's position in rankings and leaderboards, and with it how many people see it.
- Launch badgeA launch badge is a small image a maker places on their own site to show the product launched or ranked on a platform. It links back to the product's page on that platform.
- Dofollow linkA dofollow link is an ordinary HTML link with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored value in its rel attribute. Search engines can follow it and count it as a vote for the page it points to.