Work & projects
Product launch checklist, counted back from launch day
Plan a small product or feature launch over the last month, from freezing scope to the follow-up week, with each job broken into short checklists.
What’s inside
Product launch· 12 items
Freeze the scope
30 days before the launch day
- What ships on launch day
- What waits for a later update
- The one sentence that explains it
Draft the launch message
21 days before the launch day
- Who it's for
- The problem it solves
- What it costs, if anything
Build or update the landing page
14 days before the launch day
Line up early users
14 days before the launch day
Five people who will try it in the first week and tell you honestly what broke.
Final testing pass
7 days before the launch day
- Sign-up or purchase works end to end
- Emails and receipts go out
- Works on a phone
Prepare launch-day posts and emails
5 days before the launch day
Write the help notes
3 days before the launch day
Pre-launch check
1 days before the launch day
- Everything scheduled
- A rollback plan if something breaks
- Launch day calendar cleared
Launch
On the launch day
- Go live
- Send the announcement
- Watch for problems for the first few hours
Reply to every early message
1 days after the launch day
Fix the top three issues
3 days after the launch day
Launch look back
7 days after the launch day
- What worked
- What to change next time
- Saved as notes for the next launch
Why it counts backwards
Launch dates are usually fixed first and everything else fits around them. Counting back from launch day lets Thendoo place each step at a sensible lead time: scope a month out, the message three weeks out, testing a week out. If the date moves, delete the project and apply the template again with the new day.
Why scope comes first
The fastest way to slip a launch is to keep adding to it. Freezing the scope 30 days out, and writing down what waits for later, gives every later step a fixed target. The single-sentence explanation becomes the core of the landing page and the announcement.
How to adapt it
- Launching a course or ebook? Swap testing for a proofread and a test purchase.
- Working with a designer or developer? Add their deliverables with Waiting on links so you can see what blocks what.
- Launching every few months? Edit the titles and dates in your copy under Templates so the next launch starts from your version.
An honest tip
The week after launch matters as much as the day itself. Keep those three follow-up items even when launch day goes well. People notice who replies.