My SaaS Launch Post Got 1,847 Upvotes—Here's the Exact 48-Hour Checklist

I've launched 4 products on Reddit. The first three flopped—zero traction, maybe 3 upvotes from pity. The fourth got 1,847 upvotes, 400+ signups, and K in first-month revenue. The difference wasn't the product. It was the 48 hours before I hit 'post'.

This is the exact checklist I now run before every Reddit launch. It's also what MediaFast users get access to, pre-built into our launch workflow.

I know you're excited. I know you want to share your baby with the world. But posting unprepared is how you get 3 upvotes and your link buried. Here's what you do instead:

• Stalk your subreddits for 48 hours. Pull up the top 20 posts from the last month in your target subs. What language do they use? What emotions do they trigger? Copy the EXACT phrases into a doc.
• Write your story, not your pitch. Nobody cares about features. They care about: What problem drove you crazy? What did you try that failed? What's different about your approach? Write 400 words answering these.
• Build your proof locker. Screenshots of early adopter messages. A 2-minute Loom walkthrough. Before/after data. Pricing rationale. You'll need these in comments.
• DM the moderators. Seriously. A simple "Hey, I built X and want to share it with the community. Any rules I should know about?" goes a long way. They'll often give you tips.

This is where most founders skip. Don't. This prep work is the difference between 50 upvotes and 500.

1. Objection mapping. What will skeptics say? "Why not just use X?" "This seems expensive." "How is this different from Y?" Write answers to the 10 most likely pushbacks.
2. Headline testing. Write 5 different titles. The format that works: "I built X to solve Y—here's what happened." Test with friends or early users. Pick the one that makes them click.
3. Set up tracking. UTM links for everything. A special landing page for Reddit traffic. A Slack channel for real-time alerts. You want data.
4. Schedule your availability. The first 2 hours after posting are EVERYTHING. Clear your calendar. No meetings. Just Reddit.

This is where you either win or die. The Reddit algorithm heavily weights early engagement. Here's the play:

• Post at optimal time. For most SaaS subs: Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10 AM EST. Our data shows 9:17 AM EST gets 23% more first-hour engagement than noon.
• Lead with story, not product. First paragraph: your problem, your frustration, your journey. Product mention doesn't come until paragraph 3 or 4.
• Reply to EVERY comment. First 2 hours, you respond within 5 minutes. Someone asks a question? Thank them, answer thoroughly, add a proof point. This activity signals to Reddit that the post is valuable.
• Drop proof in comments. Don't put everything in the main post. Save your best testimonials and screenshots for comment replies. This extends the post's life.

Most founders disappear after the first hour. This is where you compound your gains.

• Post a "best questions" summary. "Wow, the response has been incredible. Here are the top questions and my answers..." This pulls lurkers back in.
• Cross-post thoughtfully. If you crushed it in r/startups, write a DIFFERENT version for r/Entrepreneur. Same story, different angle. Never copy-paste.
• Send personalized onboarding. Everyone who signed up from Reddit gets an email that says: "Saw you came from the r/startups thread—thanks for checking us out. Here's a quick video to get you started..."
• Log feature requests. Every "can it do X?" comment goes into your product backlog. This is free user research.

Here's what a well-executed Reddit launch actually delivers:

• 1,847 upvotes across 3 subreddits (r/startups, r/SaaS, r/Entrepreneur)
• 247 comments with 89% positive sentiment
• 412 signups in 48 hours (31% conversion from click to signup)
• ,400 MRR attributed to Reddit launch cohort after 30 days
• 17 organic mentions in other Reddit threads over the next 2 weeks

Everything I just described? We've built it into a system:

• Launch templates with pre-filled story frameworks you customize
• Optimal timing engine that tells you exactly when to post based on your target subs
• Objection bank with common questions and community-tested answers
• Real-time monitoring so you never miss a comment in the critical first hours
• Attribution tracking to prove Reddit's ROI to yourself (and investors)

Don't wing it. Try MediaFast free and launch like a pro.