Thirty-Day Launch Plan: Four Weeks, Three Gates and One Number Each Week
A thirty-day launch plan works when each week has one number to record and each gate has a rule. Week one sets the starting line, week two is a soft launch to a few people, week three is the public launch in no more than three places, and week four is review and repair. Decide at days ten, twenty and thirty whether to continue, change or stop.
What makes this plan different from a to-do list?
Most launch plans list jobs. This one lists decisions. At three fixed points you look at one number and apply a rule written in advance, which protects you from the two usual month-one failures: carrying on out of habit after the signals have gone quiet, and changing direction after one loud comment.
It assumes a product a stranger can already use and about five to eight hours a week. With less time, stretch each week to ten days rather than dropping the gates. For a plan with a single public launch and a fixed daily script, use the seven-day plan; for a longer arc with a product phase, see the ninety-day roadmap.
What happens in each of the four weeks?
| Week | Theme | Main action | Number to record | Gate question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting line | Write the sentence, the page and tagged links; set up counting; show five people privately | People who finished the main task unaided | Can at least two of five finish and repeat the sentence? (day 7 check) |
| 2 | Soft launch | Publish on a free board; message ten people; reply daily | Tasks finished per tagged link | Day 10 gate: are strangers finishing the task, or only friends? |
| 3 | Public launch | Add one community post and one page that answers a search question; cap at three places in all | Replies that describe the problem in the visitor’s own words | Day 20 gate: which one place produced conversations? |
| 4 | Review and repair | Cut the weakest channel, fix the top two complaints, ask the best five users for a short call | Return visits without a reminder | Day 30 gate: continue, change or stop? |
Record the number for each week in a single sheet, with the date and the link it came from. The launch metrics to track page explains what to count and what to ignore.
What are the rules at days ten, twenty and thirty?
- Day 10, are strangers finishing? If most people who finish are friends, you have a politeness signal, not a product signal. Reach ten people who do not know you before week three, and rewrite the sentence if they cannot repeat it. If strangers finish at a similar rate, proceed to the public launch.
- Day 20, which place worked? Put the replies and finished tasks per link side by side with the directory traffic calculator. Keep the one place that produced real conversations. If none did, the problem is more likely the message than the channel, so change the sentence before you add another place.
- Day 30, continue, change or stop? Continue if return visits exist and at least one person described a problem you can solve better. Change if people finished the task but did not return: the promise or the user is wrong. Stop if nobody beyond your circle used it twice after you reached the right people with a clear sentence.
What should a weekly review note contain?
Ten minutes at the same time each week, in the same format, so that four notes can be read side by side. Copy the template into your sheet, and keep the answers short enough to be honest.
Week [1 to 4], dated [date] Number of the week: [value] (last week: [value]) Best channel this week: [name], because [reason] Worst channel this week: [name], because [reason] The three questions people asked most: [1] [2] [3] One thing I changed: [what, and why] One thing I will not do next week: [what] Gate rule for the next checkpoint: [copied from day one] My honest mood about this: [one word]
How many channels can a month carry?
Three, at most. Every place you add needs replies, a tagged link and a note in your review, and the cost compounds. A reasonable month holds one free public page, one community where the problem is discussed and one long-lived page that answers a search query.
- The public page: the free launch board is quick, has no queue, and gives a permanent page that is final once published, so write it carefully. It is small, so treat it as a base, not a source of traffic.
- The community: read the rules, wait a week, and answer questions before you post. See launching in online communities for how.
- The long-lived page: one page for one question, written as in launch with SEO from day one. It repays slowly, and it works while you do other jobs.
Add a fourth only by dropping one. That rule alone saves most thirty-day plans from collapsing in week three.
Which traps catch people in the first month?
- Building through week two. New features feel like progress and delay the one thing you need: strangers using what exists.
- Counting visits as success. A thousand clicks with no finished task is a fit problem.
- Posting everywhere on day fifteen. It makes the numbers unreadable. If a spike arrives, you will not know where from.
- Skipping the review when the week was bad. The bad weeks are where the lesson is.
When you finish the month, the post-launch checklist lists what to do next. If you are already thinking about your next product, the board’s category pages, such as finance ideas, show where related problems sit.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours a week does a thirty-day launch plan need?
About five to eight if the product already works. With less time, stretch each week to ten days instead of dropping the gates. The gates are what make the month useful, because they turn numbers into decisions you made in advance rather than ones you rationalised afterwards.
What should I measure in a month-long launch?
One number a week: people who finished the main task unaided, tasks finished per tagged link, replies that describe the problem in their own words, and return visits without a reminder. Visits are noise until they are paired with one of those four.
How many places should I launch in during a month?
No more than three: a free public page, one community and one page that answers a search question. Each place needs replies, a tagged link and a review note. Add a fourth only if you drop one, otherwise the numbers become unreadable by week three.
What if my day-thirty numbers are small?
Small is normal for a new product, so judge them against your own rules, not against other people’s launches. If people returned and one described a problem you can solve, continue. If they finished the task but never returned, change the promise. If nobody used it twice, stop and keep the lesson.
Written by Post your build ideas with AI assistance and edited for this site. Where a page names another product, the facts came from that product’s own pages on the date shown above; terms change, so check them before you rely on them. About the publisher.