Jun 3, 2025

Launch is not the finish line

Your job doesn’t end when people sign up. That’s when it actually begins.

Adam Martelletti

Adam Martelletti

2 min read

The Big Lie

Most founders treat launch like it’s the destination.

They grind for months.

They finally push it live.

They tweet: “We’re live 🚀”

And then…

Crickets.

No signups.

No feedback.

No traction.

Because here’s the truth:

Launch is not the finish line. It’s the starting gun.


What We Learned (the Hard Way)

We spent weeks getting ready to launch eazysites.

Homepage? Polished.

Product? Clean.

CTA? Clear.

We hit publish.

We posted on socials.

We waited.

And then the first users came in.

That’s when the real work started.


Suddenly, We Had Questions to Answer

  • Why did this user bounce after 12 seconds?

  • Why didn’t they finish the onboarding?

  • Why are they asking for features we already have?

This wasn’t marketing anymore.

This was retention.


The Real Game: What Happens After They Sign Up

If your product doesn’t deliver value fast, people leave.

Period.

So we shifted our focus:

From: “How do we get more users?”

To: “How do we turn one user into ten?”

That required a whole new mindset.


The 3-Phase Post-Launch Playbook

1. Activation > Acquisition

Forget chasing new users.

Focus on helping current ones succeed.

If they win, they’ll tell others.

2. Watch Every Click

We used tools like Hotjar and Posthog to watch real behavior.

What they do matters more than what they say.

3. Talk to Humans

We DMed users.

Hopped on calls.

Asked two questions:

  • “What confused you?”

  • “What made you smile?”

Simple. Actionable. Honest.


What Changed

In 2 weeks, we:

  • Cut 3 onboarding steps

  • Moved the primary CTA above the fold

  • Rewrote the welcome email to include a 3-minute setup video

Result?

40% increase in user activation.

No ads. No funnels. Just better follow-up.


Your Takeaway

Don’t romanticize launch.

Don’t chase the high of “going live.”

Instead:

  • Obsess over your first users’ experience

  • Watch what breaks

  • Fix it fast

  • Help them win

Because every great business is built after launch day.