sales-skills/sales-microlaunch

MicroLaunch Platform Help

Helps the user with MicroLaunch platform questions — from preparing a product launch and optimizing listings through leaderboard strategy, deals marketplace, and maximizing SEO backlinks.

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. What do you need help with?

   • A) Launching a product — preparing listing, timing, strategy
   • B) Climbing the leaderboard — getting votes, engagement, visibility
   • C) Deals marketplace — publishing lifetime deals or discounts
   • D) SEO backlinks — maximizing backlink value from MicroLaunch
   • E) Product reviews — getting verified reviews and badges
   • F) Pro Launch vs free — deciding whether to upgrade
   • G) Landing page audit — getting a product review session
   • H) Something else — describe it

2. What stage is your product?

   • A) Pre-launch — haven't submitted yet
   • B) In queue — submitted, waiting to go live
   • C) Live on leaderboard — currently in a launch cycle
   • D) Post-launch — cycle ended, evaluating results
   • E) Considering MicroLaunch — haven't decided yet

3. What's your goal?

   • A) First customers / revenue
   • B) Feedback and validation
   • C) SEO backlinks and visibility
   • D) Deals marketplace sales
   • E) All of the above

If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step. Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

If the request maps to a specialized skill, route:

• Launch strategy across multiple directories → /sales-launch-directory
• Product launch strategy and funnels → /sales-funnel
• Email list building / audience growth → /sales-audience-growth
• Email marketing to subscribers → /sales-email-marketing
• Selling digital products → /sales-digital-products
• Landing page / checkout optimization → /sales-checkout

Otherwise, answer directly from platform knowledge below.

Step 3 — MicroLaunch platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for detailed module documentation, pricing, integrations, and data model.

You no longer need the platform guide details — focus on the user's specific situation.

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Based on the user's specific question:

1. Pre-launch checklist — what to prepare before submitting
2. Engagement strategy — how to climb the leaderboard over 30 days
3. Deal pricing — how to structure lifetime deals for maximum revenue
4. Post-launch playbook — what to do after the cycle ends

Pre-launch checklist

| Step | What to do | Why it matters | |---|---|---| | 1. Polish your landing page | Clear value prop, social proof, CTA | MicroLaunch sends traffic — convert it | | 2. Prepare screenshots | Product in action, problem/solution framing | First impression determines engagement | | 3. Write your tagline | Problem-focused, under 60 chars | Drives clicks from the leaderboard | | 4. Set up analytics | UTM parameters, conversion tracking | Measure MicroLaunch ROI | | 5. Prepare a deal (optional) | Lifetime deal or discount for marketplace | Drives immediate revenue | | 6. Decide free vs Pro | $39/mo for skip queue + 2x boost + backlinks | Pro pays for itself if you value DR59 backlinks |

30-day engagement strategy

Unlike Product Hunt, MicroLaunch rewards sustained engagement over a month:

• Week 1 — Initial push: share with your network, respond to every comment
• Week 2 — Content: post updates, share behind-the-scenes in the community
• Week 3 — Feedback: ask for specific feedback, iterate publicly on suggestions
• Week 4 — Close strong: share progress metrics, thank voters, final push

Gotchas

Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.

• Free queue can be long. Without Pro Launch, your product joins a waitlist with no guaranteed launch date. If timing matters, pay the $39.

• MicroLaunch is small. ~2,600 daily visitors and ~103 active products. Don't expect Product Hunt-level traffic. Set realistic expectations — this is about steady traction, not viral spikes.

• Pro Launch has 40 spots/month. This is a real cap. If you're planning a launch around a specific date, secure your Pro spot early.

• Deals marketplace requires Pro. You can't publish lifetime deals or discounts on the free tier.

• Engagement is key, not just submitting. Products that "submit and forget" sink on the leaderboard. The month-long window rewards founders who actively engage with the community.

• Pricing has changed before. The current $39/mo Pro price (with LAUNCH20 code) may revert to $49. Check microlaunch.net/premium for current rates.

• Don't treat it as your only launch channel. MicroLaunch works best as part of a multi-platform launch strategy (Product Hunt, BetaList, Indie Hackers, Hacker News). Use it for the sustained 30-day window and backlinks, not as a standalone channel.

• Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to references/learnings.md with today's date.

Related skills

• /sales-launch-directory — Launch strategy across multiple startup directories
• /sales-ctrlaltcc — CtrlAlt.cc platform help (curated tool directory)
• /sales-productburst — ProductBurst platform help (daily/weekly rankings, badges)
• /sales-launchingnext — LaunchingNext platform help (curated startup directory)
• /sales-openlaunch — Open Launch platform help (open-source PH alternative, DR65 backlinks)
• /sales-solopush — SoloPush platform help (indie maker community)
• /sales-sideprojectors — SideProjectors platform help (buy/sell side projects)
• /sales-huzzler — Huzzler platform help (founder community, weekly Launch Arena competition)
• /sales-firsto — Firsto platform help (fair launch platform, sustained SEO discovery)
• /sales-funnel — Build and optimize sales funnels for conversion
• /sales-audience-growth — Grow your email list and subscriber base
• /sales-digital-products — Sell digital products (ebooks, templates, SaaS)
• /sales-checkout — Optimize landing pages and checkout for conversion
• /sales-email-marketing — Email marketing to nurture leads from your launch
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do

Examples

Example 1: Prepare a SaaS launch on MicroLaunch

User says: "I built an AI writing tool and want to launch it on MicroLaunch to get my first customers" Skill does:

1. Walks through the pre-launch checklist: polish landing page, prepare screenshots, write a problem-focused tagline
2. Recommends Pro Launch ($39) for skip-queue, 2x boost, and DR59 backlinks
3. Suggests preparing a lifetime deal for the marketplace (e.g., $49 LTD for early adopters)
4. Outlines the 30-day engagement strategy: initial push, content updates, feedback iteration, close strong
5. Recommends setting up UTM tracking to measure MicroLaunch traffic and conversions Result: Launch plan with clear timeline, deal strategy, and engagement playbook

Example 2: Publish a lifetime deal on the marketplace

User says: "I want to sell a lifetime deal for my project management tool on MicroLaunch" Skill does:

1. Confirms Pro Launch is required for marketplace access
2. Helps structure the LTD: one-time price, what's included, any limitations (seats, usage caps)
3. Recommends pricing strategy: anchor to monthly price (e.g., "$149 LTD = 3 months of the Pro plan, forever")
4. Suggests creating urgency: limited quantity or limited-time window
5. Explains how to track deal revenue through MicroLaunch Result: Lifetime deal published on marketplace with clear pricing and urgency

Example 3: Decide between free and Pro Launch

User says: "Is it worth paying for Pro Launch or should I just do the free submission?" Skill does:

1. Compares free vs Pro: queue wait vs immediate launch, 1x vs 2x visibility, no backlinks vs DR59+ do-follow
2. Calculates ROI: a single DR59 do-follow backlink is worth $100-300+ in SEO value — Pro pays for itself
3. Notes the 40 spots/month cap and potential queue delays on free
4. Recommends Pro if they have a landing page ready and want to launch within a specific window
5. Recommends free only if budget is zero and timing is flexible Result: Data-driven decision on plan choice with clear ROI framework

Troubleshooting

Product stuck in free queue

Symptom: Submitted weeks ago but product hasn't gone live on the leaderboard Cause: Free submissions join a waitlist. MicroLaunch prioritizes Pro launches (40/month) and queues free submissions behind them. High submission volume can extend wait times significantly. Solution: If timing matters, upgrade to Pro Launch ($39/mo) to skip the queue immediately. If budget is tight, be patient — your product will eventually go live. You can use the wait time to polish your listing, prepare screenshots, and build an audience to engage when you do go live.

Low engagement despite being on the leaderboard

Symptom: Product is live but barely getting votes or comments Cause: MicroLaunch rewards active participation. "Submit and forget" listings get buried as engaged products climb. Your tagline or screenshots may not be compelling enough, or you're not engaging with the community. Solution: Improve your tagline (problem-focused, not feature-focused). Update screenshots to show the product in action. Engage with other products — comment, vote, provide feedback. Share your MicroLaunch listing with your existing audience (Twitter, email list, communities). Post progress updates during the month.

Launch didn't generate expected traffic or sales

Symptom: Month ended with few clicks and no conversions Cause: MicroLaunch has ~2,600 daily visitors across all products. Even a top-ranking product will see hundreds, not thousands, of visitors. Conversion depends on your landing page quality. Solution: Check your analytics — if MicroLaunch sent traffic but it didn't convert, the issue is your landing page (use /sales-checkout for optimization). If traffic was low, your leaderboard position may have been too low — review engagement strategy for next time. Consider the $129 Product Review session for a landing page audit. Remember: MicroLaunch works best as one channel in a multi-platform launch, not your sole traffic source.