By Mehdi HassanWhat should a product launch landing page include?
A product launch landing page should include a clear statement of what's new, a visual of it working, one primary action, proof or context, and dedicated paths for press and existing customers. Unlike a normal landing page, it has to serve several audiences arriving at once, each with a different question.
It's also usually the page that replaces a waitlist. If you ran a waitlist landing page before launch, launch day is when that list gets its invitation and the page switches from "join" to "start". For the wider set of pages that turn interest into signups and meetings, see our hub guide to the book a demo page.
Who visits a launch page on launch day?
Three groups visit a launch page on launch day: press and creators looking for a story, community visitors from places like Product Hunt or social posts looking for something interesting to try, and existing customers wondering what changes for them. Each needs a different thing in the first few seconds.
Audience | What they want | What the page gives them |
|---|---|---|
Press and creators | The story, facts and assets, fast | A summary, key facts, images and a contact |
Community visitors | Something worth trying now | A clear promise, a demo and a fast signup |
Existing customers | What changes for them and how to get it | A short note on availability, pricing and how to turn it on |
Investors and candidates | Momentum and direction | A clear story and a link to the company page |
You don't need four pages. One page with a strong hero for community visitors, a short section for existing customers and a press block near the bottom covers everyone. Press can also get a dedicated page; our guide to the startup press kit covers what goes in it.
How do you write the launch page hero?
Write the launch page hero as one sentence that says what's new, who it's for and what it lets them do, followed by a visual of it working and one button. That sentence is what press will quote and what people will repeat when they share the link, so it has to make sense on its own.
- Headline: the outcome, not the name. "Turn support tickets into product insights automatically" beats "Introducing Insights 2.0".
- Subhead: who it's for and the key detail, such as availability or price.
- Visual: a short screen recording or a sequence of real screenshots. Launch audiences want to see it, not imagine it.
- Primary button: the action you most want. Start free, join, book a demo or upgrade.
- A small launch label: "New" or "Launched today" with a date, so returning visitors know the page changed.
If it's an AI product, show real output rather than a promise of magic. Our collection of AI product hero sections shows how teams do this. For a new feature inside an existing product, the SaaS feature page guide covers how to sell the outcome rather than the feature list.
What should a Product Hunt landing page do differently?
A Product Hunt landing page should get community visitors to try the product quickly, acknowledge where they came from and make it easy to give feedback. These visitors are curious, quick to judge and often makers themselves, so a long sales pitch loses them.
- A short welcome line for visitors arriving from the launch, if your tools can detect the referrer or you use a tagged link.
- A fast way in. A free signup, a trial or a live demo they can try without a call.
- A launch offer only if it's real. An extended trial or a discount for early users, with a clear end date.
- A visible founder presence. A note or a short video from the team. Community launches reward people, not logos.
- A feedback route. A simple way to send questions or bug reports, which you'll get plenty of.
Keep the core page the same for everyone. Personalizing the welcome line is fine; building a separate Product Hunt page often splits your attention on a day when you need to watch one set of numbers.
What do existing customers need from a new feature launch page?
Existing customers need to know what's changing for them, whether it costs extra and how to start using it. A new feature launch page that only speaks to new visitors leaves current customers guessing, and they're the audience most likely to adopt it on day one.
Say who gets it
All plans, specific plans or a beta group. Be specific about availability and dates.
Say what it costs
Included, an add-on or a new plan. Hiding price changes until customers try to use the feature damages trust.
Show how to turn it on
A short set of steps or a link into the product. Ideally, a button that takes logged-in users straight to the feature.
Link to help and changes
Documentation, a changelog entry and, for bigger changes, what's different from before.
Email and in-product announcements should link to this section directly. If the launch is part of a wider brand change, our guide to brand launch websites covers what else to ship on the day.
What's the launch day website checklist?
The launch day website checklist covers content, function, tracking and resilience. Run it the day before, not the morning of, so there's time to fix what breaks. Our full landing page launch checklist goes deeper; these are the launch-specific items.
- The headline sentence is final and matches the launch post and press summary.
- The demo clip or screenshots show the shipped version, not an old mock-up.
- Every button works on desktop and mobile, including signup, checkout and booking.
- Signup and payment flows have been tested end to end with a real account.
- Analytics and conversion events fire for the launch page, with tagged links for each channel.
- Social share images and page titles look right when the link is pasted into the main platforms.
- The press block has a summary, key facts, downloadable images and a named contact.
- Existing customers can see availability, pricing and how to turn it on.
- The page loads quickly on a mobile connection, with the demo video loading after the hero.
- Someone is assigned to watch the site, forms and inbox throughout launch day.
Should a launch get its own microsite?
A big launch sometimes gets a separate microsite with its own domain or a heavily designed one-off page. That can work for a major product or event, but it splits your search authority, your analytics and your maintenance effort.
For most startups, a launch page on your main domain is better: it builds authority for the main site, keeps tracking in one place and can become the permanent product page after launch. Our guide to landing pages vs microsites vs websites covers when each one fits.
What happens to the launch page after launch day?
After launch day, the launch page should become a permanent page for the product or feature, with the launch-specific details removed. Launch traffic fades within days, but the page can keep earning search traffic and signups for years if it's maintained.
- Remove launch-only offers when they expire, and update the "new" label.
- Replace community-specific welcome lines with copy for search and referral visitors.
- Add proof as it arrives: early customer quotes, reviews and press mentions.
- Keep the URL the same so links from press and posts keep working. If you must move it, set up redirects; our guide to website migration recovery shows what goes wrong when you don't.
If launch day didn't go to plan, that's normal. The first version of a launch page is rarely the best one, and the questions people asked on the day are the best brief for the next version.
