Where to launch your startup
There is no single place to launch. Most startups that get noticed share their link in several places, tailored to each audience, and keep doing it after day one. This checklist covers the free options.
Before you launch
- Make sure your site loads fast on a phone and explains what you do in one sentence.
- Set up basic analytics so you can see where visitors come from.
- Write your one-line pitch and a slightly longer description.
- Pick one canonical URL and use it everywhere, so all the attention points at the same place.
Places to share it
- Share Your Startup. Free, no account, live within 72 hours. After posting you can grab an embeddable badge to link back from your own site.
- Hacker News (Show HN). Good for technical products. Be ready for blunt feedback.
- Product Hunt. Works best with a prepared launch and an audience to notify.
- Indie Hackers. A friendly community for solo founders and small teams.
- Niche communities. Subreddits, Discords, and forums where your users already talk. Read the rules first and contribute before promoting.
- LinkedIn and X. Tell your own network what you built and why.
- Directories. See 20 places to submit your startup for the usual ones and what they cost.
After launch day
- Reply to every comment and piece of feedback. It builds goodwill and content.
- Keep sharing updates, with a new angle each time rather than repeated copy.
- Link to your listings from your own site, since real mentions help search engines and AI tools understand what you do.
- Check Google Search Console to see which pages get indexed. See why SEO matters for the basics.
Frequently asked questions
Which launch platform is best?
It depends on your audience. Developer tools tend to do well on Hacker News, consumer and design products on Product Hunt, and bootstrapped products on Indie Hackers. Sharing in two or three places beats picking one.
Is it okay to post the same link in many places?
Yes, as long as each post is written for that audience and follows the community rules. Copy-pasting the same promotional text everywhere is what gets people flagged as spam.
Do I need to launch on a specific day?
No. There is no perfect day. A well-prepared launch with a clear pitch and quick replies to feedback matters more than the calendar.