# Launch It

> Plan a developer launch (Show HN, Reddit, Product Hunt) that earns goodwill instead of a flaming. Use when the founder is sitting on a launch out of fear, wants to "go viral," or is about to post a press-release-style announcement to a developer community.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-aidevgtm-gtm-cofounder-launch-it`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [AIDevGTM](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/aidevgtm)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [AIDevGTM](https://github.com/AIDevGTM)
- **Source:** https://github.com/AIDevGTM/gtm-cofounder/tree/main/skills/launch-it
- **Website:** https://gtmcofounder.com

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-aidevgtm-gtm-cofounder-launch-it
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Launch it

> Developer communities reward the honest, technical, slightly humble builder and punish the marketer instantly. A Show HN is not an announcement. It's *"I built this thing, here's how it works and what's still rough."*

**Use this when:** you're scared to launch, you're hoping to "go viral," or you're about to drop marketing copy into a room that eats marketing copy for breakfast.

## The core idea

The bar is **usefulness + honesty**, not polish. Developers will test your claims and read your code. Show up as a real engineer sharing real work, be present to answer everything, and never, ever fake it. One genuine launch beats ten hype posts.

## Framework: Show HN anatomy (Czakon / Tailscale lessons)

1. **Title: plain, specific, zero hype.** "Show HN: A faster Postgres migration tool for large tables", not "🚀 The future of database migrations is HERE."
2. **First comment = the story** (post it yourself, immediately):
   - *why* you built it (the itch, ideally your own),
   - *how* it works (technical, concrete),
   - what's genuinely **hard/limited** right now (honesty buys trust),
   - a dead-simple way to try it.
3. **Be present for hours.** Answer every comment, especially the critical ones, technically and without defensiveness. The comment thread *is* the launch.
4. **Never astroturf.** No vote rings, no sock puppets. Communities detect it and the ban is permanent and public.

## Reddit / community launches

- **Give before you take.** Be a real participant for weeks before you post your thing.
- **Read the rules** of the specific subreddit; many ban self-promo outright, so find the ones that don't.
- Frame as *"I made this to solve X, feedback welcome,"* not a pitch.

## The coordinated moment (not spam)

A launch is **one prepared moment** across the channels your ICP actually uses (from `first-50-users`): HN, your own network, and the relevant communities, all on the same day, each tailored to the room. It is not the same copy blasted five places.

## Decision tree: are you ready to launch?

```
Can a stranger get to first value in < 1 hour from docs alone (the weekend test)?
├─ NO  → don't launch yet. A flood of users who bounce burns the channel and the goodwill.
└─ YES → is your Show HN first-comment written (why/how/limits/try)?
         ├─ NO → write it first; it matters more than the product page.
         └─ YES → launch on a Tue-Thu morning US time, then clear your calendar to reply.
```

## Mistakes that look reasonable

- **Hype title**: emojis and superlatives on HN get flagged to death.
- **Absent founder**: posting then leaving; the unanswered thread dies.
- **Defensive replies**: arguing with critics. Thank them, concede the fair points, note what you'll fix.
- **Astroturfing**: instant, permanent reputational damage.
- **Launching too early**: before the weekend test passes, a launch amplifies your weakest moment.

## Your next 30 minutes

- [ ] Draft your Show HN **title**, plain, specific, no hype. Say it out loud; if it sounds like an ad, redo it.
- [ ] Write the **first comment**: why · how · what's hard · how to try. This is the real work.
- [ ] Confirm the weekend test passes (see `know-if-its-working`). If not, delay.
- [ ] Pick the ONE day, block 4 hours to reply, and line up the 2-3 rooms your ICP is actually in.

---
Built from real dev-tool GTM experience, with frameworks from Adam Frankl (*The Developer-Facing Startup*) and Jakub Czakon (*markepear.dev*).
When a framework can't make the call, that's what a human is for: [The DevTool GTM Company](https://thedevtoolgtmcompany.com).

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [AIDevGTM](https://github.com/AIDevGTM)
- **Source:** [AIDevGTM/gtm-cofounder](https://github.com/AIDevGTM/gtm-cofounder)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://gtmcofounder.com

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-aidevgtm-gtm-cofounder-launch-it
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/aidevgtm
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

---
Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.