What to do before launching a product when you are scared
Fear and uncertainty after finishing a product leave first-time creators paralyzed about what comes next. This lack of a clear starting point prevents them from taking initial steps like building anticipation or deciding how to announce the release.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Setting up a test instagram account for a mock launchDid this help you?
- 2Researching suppliers, tools, and the financial side of thingsDid this help you?
- 3Talking to potential customers and building an email waitlistDid this help you?
- 4Reading textbooks on marketing, accounting, operations, and financeDid this help you?
- 5Conducting surveysDid this help you?
- 6Making prototypes and testing with groups or meets within the nicheDid this help you?
- 7Reading books like The Mom TestDid this help you?
- 8making a nice graphic and a contact form while building the websiteDid this help you?
- 9collecting emails via a coming soon pageDid this help you?
- 10learning by doing with the help of AI rather than going through a structured learning processDid this help you?
- 11delaying the launch to a less saturated holiday like EasterDid this help you?
- 12switching to alternative factories in Vietnam or the US to avoid tariffs and logistical hurdlesDid this help you?
- 13Following generic pre-launch checklists, installing SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math, and manually checking mobile responsiveness and contact form functionality.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I want to make my first step into product development, but I always get kinda scared once it’s “done”, because then i’m like “now what”.”source ↗
“Any ideas of what to post? Should I just say “coming soon”?”source ↗
“its completely normal to feel scared of launching.”source ↗
“Should I start reaching out to potential clients before the website is built or after?”source ↗
“I'm currently building my website. I think it'll take some time (1-3 months, bare minimum, and it may take longer), as I need to learn more about web development, the basics of web security, UI/UX, etc.”source ↗
“Doing tons of research and brainstorming on starting a small business, I already have worked out what I will be selling and how.”source ↗
“Any questions will be answered as well.”source ↗
“Also would love general tips on how to grow a small business!”source ↗
“That’s a good point, any tips on figuring out if there is market for my product?”source ↗
“My partner is opening a small cleaning business and the site is almost ready, but the homepage still says too little about the service area and the phone number is buried. Fixing that, then checking every page on mobile.”source ↗
“Can you please confirm if as a new seller with no established online shops, etc, that by receiving my product by end of November would be a total waste for getting it set up as a Christmas launch?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How do you actually find early-stage funding for a new product?
- 2How do you stop researching forever and actually start a business?
- 9How to launch a physical product with zero audience
- 14How to figure out what product to sell online
- 2How to track pre-orders to see if customers are interested
- 4How to tell the difference between manufacturer product series