Where to Launch Your Startup

Strong launches run across many places over weeks, not one big day. Every platform reaches a different audience. Pick the ones where your users already spend their time.

Launch early, launch often, and launch where your users already are.

• A clear one-line pitch
• A simple landing page with a demo video
• Screenshots and a logo
• A free plan or trial people can start instantly
• A way to gather emails and feedback

Product Hunt

The best-known launch site for tech products. Polish your page, launch early in the day, and answer every comment

Hacker News

Post it as Show HN. Best for developer and technical products. Stay humble and technical, and never ask for upvotes

Peerlist Launchpad

Weekly launches aimed at makers and professionals

BetaList

For early-stage startups hunting for beta users

Indie Hackers

Share your story and your numbers with fellow founders

Reddit

Niche subreddits where your users gather. Read every subreddit’s self-promotion rules first

Discord and Slack groups

Industry communities, approached with care

Hacker and maker forums

Smaller communities in your niche

Give value first. Communities ban people who only promote.

• X: build in public with regular progress updates
• LinkedIn: tell the story behind the product
• Threads and Instagram: share visual demos
• YouTube and TikTok: post short demo videos

Plenty of smaller launch sites can bring early users and backlinks:

• Uneed
• Fazier
• Microlaunch
• DevHunt, for developer tools
• SaaSHub and AlternativeTo, to show up as an alternative to known tools

Some are free, and some charge for faster or featured listings. Read the terms before you pay.

For AI products, list on AI directories such as There’s An AI For That, Futurepedia, and Toolify. Many offer paid options, so compare their traffic before you pay.

• Apple App Store and Google Play, for mobile apps
• Chrome Web Store, for browser extensions
• Shopify App Store, Figma Community, or Notion templates, for add-ons
• The Claude and ChatGPT plugin directories, for AI integrations

Best Productivity Resources lists useful tools, apps, and resources for a large audience. To submit, send a direct message on LinkedIn. Check bestproductivityresources.com/how-to-submit for what to include.

Week 1

Soft launch to friends, your waitlist, and communities

Week 2

Product Hunt or Peerlist, plus posts on social

Week 3

Show HN and niche subreddits

Week 4

Directories and AI tool lists

Every month

Share updates and relaunch major features

• Answer every comment and email
• Fix the biggest problems users report
• Turn launch traffic into email subscribers
• Write up what you learned
• Relaunch whenever you ship a major update

• Buying upvotes or fake reviews, which can get you banned
• Launching while sign-up is broken
• Posting the identical message everywhere
• Paying for many directories without tracking the results