Launch readiness audit

When to use

Before any public announcement of a product, price change or new version. Run it again the morning of the launch; things break overnight (expired links, unpublished drafts, wrong prices).

Inputs

• The product page URL or its source files, and the checkout/download URL.
• The price and any discount codes.
• Where the launch will be announced (list of channels).
• Optional: the refund policy, the receipt/thank-you email text, the analytics setup.

Steps

1. Walk the buy path as a stranger. Landing page → buy button → checkout → receipt → download → first-use instructions. Note every click. Every buy button on every page must point to the same live checkout. Flag any #, empty or draft links.
2. Check the offer matches everywhere. Price, discount code, what's included and the refund window must say the same thing on the page, the checkout, the listing and the announcement drafts.
3. Open the deliverable. Unzip or open it. Does it contain what the page promises? Is there a README or "start here"? Does the first command in the instructions actually work?
4. Check trust signals are honest. No invented numbers, reviews or logos. Claims are specific and checkable. There's a way to contact a human.
5. Check the basics. HTTPS, mobile layout (375px wide), page title and meta description, a social preview image, a 404 page, spelling of the product name.
6. Check you can measure it. Can you tell tomorrow how many people visited, clicked buy and bought? If not, note the cheapest way to find out (checkout dashboard, server logs, UTM tags).
7. Check the announcement plan. Each channel's rules allow the post; drafts exist; someone will be around to reply for the first hours.
8. Classify every finding as BLOCKER (launch would lose money or trust), FIX SOON or NICE.

Output format

VERDICT: GO | NO-GO (n blockers)

BLOCKERS
1. <what's wrong> → <exact fix> (where)

FIX SOON
...

NICE
...

VERIFIED OK
- <thing checked>: <how you checked it>

Rules

• Only mark something OK if you actually checked it. "Looks fine" isn't a check.
• Prefer the smallest fix that removes a blocker today over a redesign.

Worked example

Input: "We launch the Tidy Desk Notion templates tomorrow on Gumroad, $12, code EARLY for $4 off. Page: tidydesk.example.com. Announcing on our newsletter and r/Notion."

Output:

VERDICT: NO-GO (2 blockers)

BLOCKERS
1. The hero "Buy now" button links to https://gumroad.com/l/tidy-desk-draft, which shows "This product
   is not published". → Publish the Gumroad product, then replace the link on the page with
   https://tidydesk.gumroad.com/l/desk (both buttons: hero and footer).
2. The page says "code EARLY: 50% off" but the Gumroad code is $4 off $12 (33%). → Change the page copy
   to "$8 with code EARLY until 10 Oct", or change the code to 50%. The newsletter draft repeats the 50%
   claim, so fix it there too.

FIX SOON
1. The zip contains 6 templates; the page says "7 templates". Either add the missing "Weekly review"
   template or change the page to 6.
2. No meta description. Suggested: "Seven Notion templates for a calmer work week: planner, CRM,
   reading list and more. $12, one-time."
3. r/Notion allows self-promotion only in the weekly thread; the draft is a standalone post. Move it to
   the Thursday thread.

NICE
1. The social preview image is the default Gumroad one. A 1200×630 screenshot of the planner would do
   better when shared.

VERIFIED OK
- HTTPS: page loads on https with a valid certificate.
- Mobile: checked at 375px, no horizontal scroll, buy button visible without scrolling.
- Receipt email: sent a $0 test purchase; the receipt links to the download.
- Refund policy: "14 days, no questions" appears on the page and in the Gumroad settings.