viral-launch

name: viral-launch description: Set up a project repository and launch plan for shareable marketing, public launch readiness, and growth loops without pretending virality is guaranteed. license: MIT allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Write, WebSearch, WebFetch compatibility: Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, Kiro, and other Agent Skills compatible tools. Useful for product repos, open-source packages, SaaS launches, waitlists, and creator tools. metadata: targets: [_source-only] author: Oleg Koval tags: - marketing - launch - growth - virality - positioning - github

Use this skill when a user wants to launch a project, make a repo marketable, improve discoverability, or build shareable launch assets.

This skill is opinionated: virality is not a promise. The goal is to make the project easy to understand, easy to share, and easy to act on.

Trigger phrases

make this repo launch-ready
set this up to go viral
prepare a product launch
create marketing assets for this project
improve the README for launch
prepare Product Hunt / Hacker News / X / LinkedIn launch copy
set up an open-source repo for growth

Workflow

Inspect the project first:

product purpose
target user
core use case
current README and docs
install or demo path
screenshots, videos, or visual proof
analytics or waitlist capture if present

Define the launch angle in one sentence:

who it is for
what painful job it solves
why now
what makes it different

Make the repo launch-ready:

clear README headline and first paragraph
demo or quickstart within the first screen
installation steps that work from a clean checkout
screenshots, GIF, or demo link where possible
feature list based on outcomes, not implementation trivia
examples for the highest-intent use cases
badges only when they add trust
license, contributing notes, and issue templates when useful

Create launch assets:

short tagline
1-paragraph announcement
5 social post variants
Product Hunt tagline and description when relevant
Hacker News title candidates when relevant
launch email or DM when relevant
creator/influencer outreach list criteria, not spam copy

Design share loops:

a reason users would show the output to someone else
a public artifact worth linking
a before/after demo
a template, benchmark, checklist, or gallery that can travel
referral or waitlist loop only if it fits the product

Define proof and metrics:

activation event
share event
conversion event
retention proxy
launch-day dashboard or simple tracking checklist

Keep claims grounded:

do not invent traction, logos, benchmarks, testimonials, or user counts
mark assumptions explicitly
prefer specific proof over hype
avoid dark patterns and spam

Output format

When planning, produce:

Launch angle
Repo changes
Launch assets
Share loops
Metrics
Risks and assumptions
Next actions

When editing a repository, make the smallest useful set of changes first, then validate by reading the README from a new user's perspective.

References

references/launch-checklist.md
references/external-skills.md