Where to submit your startup first: a launch playbook

2. Pick launch platforms by what a free launch really costs

There are 117 launch platforms on the list, and almost all have a free option. But only 29 let you launch for free with no strings. 42 put free launches in a queue, often a month or more, and 37 want a link back. Skipping the queue costs a median $15; half of them charge between $9 and $29.

38 rank launches by votes, like Product Hunt, so a launch there is only as good as the votes you bring. 75 show every launch to their audience, whatever the votes.

So: launch for free where there's no queue, pay to skip it only on platforms with real traffic, and save the vote-ranked ones for when you have people to rally. See every launch platform.

3. Batch the sites that need an account

47% of the sites we researched make you create an account before you can submit, and 79 only show their prices once you've signed up. Do these in one batch, with everything in one document: your product's name, a one-line tagline, a short and a long description, your logo, screenshots and a demo link.

4. Pitch press a story, not a launch

71 of the 82 tech publications on the list pick only a few of the stories they're pitched. A launch alone rarely makes the cut. Pitch a number, a trend or a customer story, and start with smaller and niche blogs. See the publications.

5. Skip what isn't worth it

Similarweb doesn't rank 154 of the 719 sites on the list, which usually means very few visitors. A free listing there does no harm, but don't pay for one. And skip sites that want a link back before they'll list you: the link you give costs you, and the one you get likely doesn't count. How to raise your DR without wasting links.