Pre-launch checklist for SaaS founders: what to do before you launch

A SaaS launch goes better when most of the work happens before it. This checklist is in the order most founders need it. Skip what you've already done, but don't skip step 4: asking people to pay before launch is the step that tells you whether the rest is worth it.

1. Before you build

• Write the problem in one sentence, in the words your users would use.
• Talk to people who have it today. Ask how they solve it now and what that costs them.
• Note what they already pay for, and what they've tried and dropped.
• Decide who the product is for first. One kind of user is easier to reach than five.

More in how to validate a SaaS idea before you build it.

2. Show something

• Make the smallest thing that shows the idea: a clickable Figma mockup, a prototype or a landing page.
• Record a short demo video. A screen recording with your voice is enough. See how to make a product demo video before launch.
• Show it to the people you talked to, and write down what they say and do.

3. Start a waitlist

• Put up a landing page with one clear signup form. See waitlist tools.
• Share what you're building where your users already are: communities, newsletters, social media.
• Post your progress as you go. See build in public, then let your audience pay you.
• Reply to everyone who signs up early. Those conversations are worth more than the count.

4. Test demand with money

• Optional: run a fake door test to compare messages or prices. See fake door test vs. pre-sale.
• Decide your founding offer. See founding member pricing.
• Price it. See how to price a lifetime deal.
• Choose how to take the money. See how to take pre-orders for software.

5. Ask your waitlist to back you

• Open a limited number of founding seats for a short, fixed time.
• Email the list when it opens, halfway through and before it closes. See waitlist email templates.
• Use one link everywhere.
• Ask the people who didn't back you what stopped them.

6. Get ready for launch

• Onboarding: a new user should reach the main job in their first session.
• Billing for the plans you'll sell after launch.
• A way for users to reach you: an email address, a chat or a community.
• Terms of service and a privacy policy.
• Basic analytics, so you know which features get used.
• A way for your founding backers to activate what they paid for.

7. Launch

• Launch where your users are. See where to launch a startup before it's finished.
• Bring your founding backers: ask them to share the launch or say what they think.
• Have a clear offer for the people who find you on launch day.

8. After launch

• Keep your founding backers updated. They're the people most likely to recommend you.
• Ask happy users for a short quote you can use on your site.
• Watch which features get used, and build more of what works.

Where Day Zero fits

Day Zero covers steps 4 and 5. You list your product with a prototype or mockup and a short video, choose 10 to 100 founding seats at $10–$150, set a backer goal and share your link. The campaign is open for a week and is all or nothing. Backers are charged when you open access, which is due within 90 days after the campaign ends. Listing is free, and sales from your own link or widget have a 0% Day Zero margin.

Day Zero doesn't find your customers for you. Your waitlist and early believers do the backing; Day Zero gives them a safe way to pay you before launch.