How to Write a Launch Post That Doesn’t Sound Like an Ad
Nobody reads “We’re excited to announce.” They skim past the emoji, the soft launch, the humblebrag, and the link dump. What they do read is a clear statement of a problem they already have — followed by one honest sentence about what you built.
This is a short guide to problem-first launch copy. It works on Bluesky, LinkedIn, Indie Hackers, Product Hunt maker comments, and directory listings.
Disclosure: I’m Almas Malik, founder of DodoLaunch. I write launch posts for our own board too; the patterns below are the ones that get replies rather than polite silence.
Delete the announcement line
These openers train people to scroll:
- “We’re excited to announce…”
- “After months of hard work…”
- “Please support our launch 🚀”
- “Excited to share that we raised / shipped / pivoted…”
Replace them with the pain, in the reader’s words.
The four-line shape
- Problem — one specific pain
- Product — one sentence on what you built
- Proof or constraint — what makes it believable (free tier, open source, runs offline, takes 2 minutes)
- Ask — one clear next step (try it, leave feedback, tell me where this breaks)
Example:
If you’ve ever submitted your SaaS to ten launch sites and then spent a week checking which ones actually went live… I built DodoLaunch — a free weekly launch board with a permanent product page. Free to submit. I’d love feedback on whether the listing page is clear for a first-time founder.
Lead with their language, not your category
“AI-powered synergistic platform” is a category. “I kept pasting the same screenshots into twelve directory forms” is a problem. Prefer the second.
Get Almas Malik’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
A quick test: read the first sentence to someone who does not work with you. If they ask “for who?” or “so what?”, rewrite.
One link, one ask
Multiple links and multiple asks look like an ad. Pick:
- one URL (your product, or your DodoLaunch page if that is the stable listing)
- one ask (feedback, a specific question, or a try)
If you need UTM tags, add them to that single URL. Do not paste a trail of campaigns.
Write the first comment before you post
On boards where a maker comment matters, draft it offline:
- Who you are
- Why you built it
- What feedback you want
Stay for the replies. The post starts the conversation; the thread is the launch.
A before / after you can steal
Before:
We’re thrilled to launch TaskFlow AI, an all-in-one productivity suite for modern teams. Like and share!
After:
If your team’s “source of truth” is a Slack thread from three weeks ago, I built a lightweight board that turns those threads into tracked tasks without another bloated workspace. Free for solo use. Where does this break for your team?
Same product. Different respect for the reader’s time.
Where to publish it
Use the same skeleton everywhere, then tune the length:
- Short social post: problem + product + ask
- Launch board first comment: add who you are
- Directory description: expand the problem paragraph; keep the ask out
If you want a free weekly board to hang the link on while you post elsewhere, DodoLaunch is built for that — SaaS, AI tools and Mac apps, free launches every week, permanent product page.
FAQ
How long should a launch post be?
Short enough to finish on a phone without expanding. If you need a essay, write an article and use a two-sentence post to point to it.
Can I mention competitors?
Yes, carefully: “I tried X and Y; they didn’t solve Z” is fine. “X is dead” is not.
What if I am not a writer?
Steal the four-line shape. Fill it with specifics from your last ten customer conversations.
Should every post mention DodoLaunch?
No. Mention a launch board only when it helps the reader (a stable listing URL, a free option). Otherwise talk about the problem.
Write the problem first. The product can wait until line two.
