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Waitlist: “it’s open”
Send to: People who joined your waitlist, on the day you open access.
Subject 1: [Product name] is open, and you’re first in Subject 2: Your [Product name] access is ready Preview text: You asked to hear when it opens. It’s open. Hi [first name], You joined the [Product name] waitlist, so you're hearing it first: [Product name] is open, and it now [the main thing it does now]. Start here: [Link to your product] What you can do today: - [first thing a new user does, in one line] - [second thing, in one line] - [what is not ready yet, in one line] If something is confusing or broken, just reply. I read every answer myself. [Your name] [Your role], [Product name] --- You're getting this because you joined the [Product name] waitlist at [where they signed up]. Unsubscribe: [one-click unsubscribe link] [Your postal address]
Existing users: “what’s new”
Send to: Your current users, when you launch a new product, plan or major feature.
Subject 1: New in [Product name]: it now [the main thing it does now] Subject 2: You asked for it: [Product name] now [the main thing it does now] Preview text: What changed, why, and what you need to do (probably nothing). Hi [first name], Starting today, [Product name] [the main thing it does now]. Why we built it: [one or two sentences about the problem, ideally in a user's words]. How to use it: 1. [first step] 2. [second step] 3. [where to find it] What changes for you: [nothing / the price / a setting to check]. [One sentence on existing data or plans.] See it here: [Link to your product] Questions or something not working? Reply to this email. [Your name] --- You're getting this because you have a [Product name] account. [Link to email preferences] Unsubscribe: [one-click unsubscribe link] [Your postal address]
Launch day: “we’re live today”
Send to: Your subscribers and users, on the day of your launch on a platform such as Product Hunt.
Subject 1: [Product name] is on [launch platform] today Subject 2: Launch day for [Product name]: questions welcome Preview text: A short note, one link, and a request for honest feedback. Hi [first name], Today we launched [Product name] on [launch platform]: [link to the launch page]. In one sentence: [Product name] [what it does, for whom]. I'll be in the comments all day. If you have tried [Product name], the most useful thing you can do is leave honest feedback or a question there. What was unclear, what was missing, what you would pay for. If you haven't tried it yet: [Link to your product] Thank you for being here early. [Your name] --- You're getting this because you subscribed to [Product name] updates. Unsubscribe: [one-click unsubscribe link] [Your postal address]
Relaunch: “it’s different now”
Send to: People who signed up or tried an earlier version and have not come back.
Subject 1: [Product name] is not what you tried last time Subject 2: We rebuilt [Product name]. Here is what changed Preview text: What was wrong, what we changed, and a direct way back in. Hi [first name], You tried [Product name] [when, e.g. last spring]. Honestly, back then it [the real weakness, e.g. was slow to set up]. We changed that. Since then: - [Product name] now [the main thing it does now] - [second change that fixes a known problem] - [third change, or remove this line] If that was the reason you stopped, it might be worth another look: [Link to your product] [Your account and data are still there. / You'll need to sign up again.] If it's still not for you, one line back telling me why would help a lot. [Your name] --- You're getting this because you created a [Product name] account on [date]. Unsubscribe: [one-click unsubscribe link] [Your postal address]
Changelog: “what shipped this month”
Send to: Subscribers and users, once a month or after a batch of releases.
Subject 1: What’s new in [Product name]: [month] Subject 2: [Product name] [month]: [the main thing it does now], and [number] fixes Preview text: The one change worth opening for, then the short list. Hi [first name], The headline this month: [Product name] now [the main thing it does now]. [Two sentences: what it does and who asked for it.] Also new: - [change], [one line on why it matters] - [change], [one line] - [fix people noticed] Full changelog: [link to your changelog page] Try it: [Link to your product] What should we build next? Reply with one sentence. [Your name] --- You're getting this because you subscribed to [Product name] updates. Unsubscribe: [one-click unsubscribe link] [Your postal address]
Why each template is built this way
1. Waitlist: “it’s open”
- The first line reminds people why they get this email. Weeks can pass between signing up and opening.
- One link, used once. Several links split the click and look like a newsletter.
- “What is not ready yet” sets expectations. Otherwise the first replies are about what is missing.
- “Just reply” turns the announcement into a conversation. Your first users’ replies are your first research.
2. Existing users: “what’s new”
- The subject names the change, not the company. Current users decide in the inbox whether it concerns them.
- “What changes for you” answers the question existing users actually have: do I have to do anything?
- Numbered steps work in every email client because the email is plain text.
- Use the second subject only if users really asked for it. Otherwise it is a claim you cannot back up.
3. Launch day: “we’re live today”
- It asks for feedback and questions, not votes. Product Hunt tells makers to ask for feedback, not upvotes.
- The launch link comes first because it is the reason for the email. The product link is the fallback for new readers.
- “I’ll be in the comments all day” gives readers a reason to go there: a real person answers.
- Send it after the launch is live and the link works, not the evening before.
4. Relaunch: “it’s different now”
- Naming the old weakness is what makes a relaunch believable. Without it, the email reads like any promotion.
- Keep the list to changes that fix reasons people left. A long feature list hides the one that matters.
- Say plainly whether the old account still works. That is the first practical question.
- Only send this to people who agreed to receive email from you. An old signup is not always consent for marketing.
5. Changelog: “what shipped this month”
- One headline change first. The list after it is for people who already care.
- A link to a public changelog keeps the email short and gives the full details a lasting place.
- The closing question turns a regular update into a source of ideas.
- Keep the monthly rhythm only while there is real news. An empty update teaches people to skip the next one.
Before you press send
Five checks that catch most launch-email problems. They take about ten minutes.
- Send it to yourself first, to one Gmail and one Outlook address, and read it on a phone.
- Search the text for “[” before sending. Every bracket left in means the email is not finished.
- Open the link from the test email, not from your editor. Check that it is the live page, not a staging or login-only page.
- Check who is on the list. Send the waitlist email only to people who joined the waitlist, the relaunch email only to people who agreed to hear from you.
- Reply to your own test email. The reply should reach an inbox someone reads on launch day.
Rules that apply to every launch email
The templates already leave room for these. The wording is quoted from the official pages, in English. It is not legal advice; what applies depends on where you and your recipients are.
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for your email |
|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | Ask for feedback (NOT upvotes) | Template 3 asks for feedback and questions in the comments and never for votes. |
| CAN-SPAM (US): address | Your message must include your valid physical postal address. | Every template ends with [Your postal address]. A registered PO box also counts, according to the FTC. |
| CAN-SPAM (US): opt-out | Your message must include a clear and conspicuous explanation of how the recipient can opt out of getting marketing email from you in the future. | The footer has an unsubscribe line in plain words. Do not hide it in a small gray font. |
| CAN-SPAM (US): deadline | You must honor a recipient’s opt-out request within 10 business days. | Remove people who unsubscribe promptly. Most email tools do it immediately if you use their unsubscribe link. |
| Gmail: bulk senders | Marketing messages and subscribed messages must support one-click unsubscribe, and include a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the message body. | Above 5,000 messages a day to Gmail, the email needs one-click unsubscribe (the List-Unsubscribe headers from RFC 8058) plus a visible link. Your email tool adds the headers; the template has the visible link. |
| Gmail: all senders | Set up SPF or DKIM email authentication for your sending domains. | Set up SPF or DKIM for your domain before launch day, not on it. DNS changes can take time to spread. |
What these templates do not do
- They do not send anything. You copy them into your own email tool, which handles the list, unsubscribes and headers.
- They do not promise results. We do not publish open or click rates for them because we have not measured them, and numbers from other people’s lists would not transfer to yours.
- They are not a replacement for consent. In the EU and many other places you need a legal basis to email someone; a waitlist signup is usually for the launch news it promised.
- They are deliberately plain text. You can paste them into an HTML editor, but then check the result on a phone.
Sources
We read these pages on September 30, 2026 and quote them word for word above.
| Page | Date on the page | Checked by us |
|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt: Preparing for launch | no date given | |
| FTC: CAN-SPAM Act, a compliance guide for business | no date given | |
| Google Workspace Admin Help: Email sender guidelines | no date given | |
| RFC 8058: Signaling one-click functionality for list email headers (January 2017) | no date given |
FAQ
- Should a launch announcement email be plain text or HTML?
- Both work. These templates are plain text because a short personal note from the founder is the point of a launch email, and plain text looks like one in every client. If you prefer HTML, paste the text into your editor and keep the same structure: one message, one link, a clear unsubscribe line.
- Which template do I send first?
- Usually the waitlist email on opening day, then the launch-day note if you launch on a platform such as Product Hunt, and the changelog email a few weeks later. Existing users get the “new in” email when the change concerns them. The relaunch email is for people who left, and only if they agreed to hear from you.
- Can I ask my list to upvote my Product Hunt launch?
- Product Hunt’s own launch guide says to ask for feedback, not upvotes. Template 3 follows that: it links to the launch and asks for honest feedback or a question in the comments.
- What open rate can I expect?
- We do not know, and we do not publish a number. Open rates depend on your list, how people joined and when you send, and privacy features in email apps make opens hard to measure. Replies and clicks on your one link are the more useful signals.
- Do I need an unsubscribe link in a one-off launch email?
- For marketing email to people in the US, the FTC’s CAN-SPAM guide requires a clear way to opt out and your postal address. Gmail requires one-click unsubscribe for marketing mail from senders above 5,000 messages a day. The templates include both lines, so keep them.
Your email tells people. LaunchRepo gets you listed.
The launch email reaches the people who already know you. For the ones who don’t, LaunchRepo gives your coding agent a playbook for each directory and launch platform and tracks which listings went live.
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