Glossary
What is a prelaunch?
Prelaunch is the period before a product's public launch when the team builds an audience, collects waitlist sign-ups, prepares launch assets and lines up early users. Some launch platforms and directories have prelaunch sections, such as BetaList, where products can be listed before they're fully public.
What to do in prelaunch
- A landing page with a waitlist that states the job and the audience.
- Talk to people on the waitlist; invite the best fits into a private beta.
- Build in public if it suits you: share progress where your audience is.
- Prepare assets: Launch tagline, launch gallery, demo video, descriptions in three lengths.
- Make a launch plan: main launch date, directories in order, emails.
Prelaunch directories
A few directories focus on products before launch. BetaList lists early-stage startups and sends a steady stream of early adopters to their waitlists. Some launch platforms have "coming soon" pages where people can subscribe to a product's launch. Most general directories want a working product, so save them for later.
Example
A founder spends six weeks in prelaunch: a landing page, a BetaList listing, weekly progress posts and calls with 30 waitlist sign-ups. By launch day she has 900 people on the list, a tagline tested in conversations, and 20 beta users ready to comment on Product Hunt. See how to launch a SaaS waitlist.
FAQ
How long should prelaunch last?
Long enough to build a list and prepare assets: often four to twelve weeks.
Which directories accept prelaunch products?
BetaList and some launch platforms with coming-soon pages. Most others need a working product.
Do I need a waitlist before launching?
It helps a lot. A launch with no audience depends entirely on the platform's traffic.