AI Product Launch Checklist 2026

Complete checklist for launching an AI product. From MVP to product-market fit - everything you need to ship. Updated February 2026.

AI Product Launch Checklist 2026

The complete checklist for launching an AI product in 2026.

Pre-Launch (4 Weeks Before)

Product

  • Core feature works reliably
  • AI responses are consistent
  • Error handling in place
  • Loading states optimized (<3s)
  • Mobile responsive

Technical

  • Analytics setup (PostHog/Mixpanel)
  • Error monitoring (Sentry)
  • Authentication flow works
  • Database optimized
  • API rate limiting in place

Legal & Compliance

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie consent (if EU)
  • AI data handling disclosure

Launch Week

Website

  • Landing page ready
  • Pricing page clear
  • Product demo working
  • Testimonials/case studies
  • SEO basics done
  • Open Graph images

Pricing

  • Free tier (if applicable)
  • Paid plans defined
  • Trial period (7-14 days)
  • Payment processing works
  • Invoice generation

Launch Assets

  • Demo video (2-3 min)
  • Launch post drafted
  • Social media copy ready
  • Email sequence prepared

Post-Launch (First 30 Days)

User Acquisition

  • Product Hunt submission
  • Hacker News launch
  • Twitter/X presence
  • Indie Hackers post
  • Reddit (relevant subs)

Metrics

  • Track signups daily
  • Track activation rate
  • Track retention (Day 1, 7, 30)
  • Track revenue
  • Cohort analysis setup

Feedback

  • User interviews (10+)
  • Support channels monitored
  • Feature request tracking
  • Bug reporting process

AI-Specific Checklist

Model Performance

  • Response latency <2s
  • Token costs optimized
  • Fallback when AI fails
  • Rate limiting per user

Data & Privacy

  • User data protected
  • No PII in AI prompts
  • Data retention policy
  • GDPR compliance (if EU)

Quality Control

  • Output quality tested
  • Hallucination rate low
  • Safety filters working
  • Human override available

Pricing Models

Common AI Pricing

Model Description Example
Freemium Free tier + paid Most AI tools
Per-seat Per user/month Notion AI
Usage-based Per API call OpenAI
Credits Token packages Jasper
Flat rate Unlimited Some tools

Recommended Tiers

Free: 100-500 credits
Starter: $29/mo - 5K credits
Pro: $99/mo - 25K credits  
Enterprise: Custom

Launch Channels

Free

Channel Effort Impact
Product Hunt High High
Hacker News Medium High
Twitter/X High High
Indie Hackers Medium Medium
Reddit Medium Medium

Paid

Channel Cost Impact
Google Ads $500+ Medium
LinkedIn $500+ Medium
Newsletter ads $200+ High

Post-Launch Metrics to Watch

Key Metrics

Metric Good Great
Signup → Activation 30% 50%+
Weekly Retention 20% 40%+
Monthly Retention 10% 20%+
NPS 30+ 50+
CAC Payback 12 mo 6 mo

Growth Targets

  • Week 1: 100 signups
  • Week 4: 1,000 signups
  • Month 3: 10,000 signups

Common Mistakes

  1. No clear positioning - What problem do you solve?
  2. Pricing too low - Undervalue your work
  3. Launching too late - Ship, then iterate
  4. Ignoring feedback - Talk to users daily
  5. No analytics - Measure everything

Resources

Last updated: February 2026