distribution

Playbook

The X launch playbook.

An X launch playbook is how a team gets a launch in front of the right people on X, through creators they already follow. It covers when posts go up, who posts them, what the brief says and how each post is proven.

01 · Plan the wave

Most of a launch happens in its first hours.

A launch post on X gets most of its reach early. Creator posts are timed to arrive while it is new, then again when there is something to report.

Launch wave on X

Select a moment
  1. Day -7: Brief the creators. A week gives creators time to try the product and write a post that sounds like them.
  2. Day -2: Approve drafts. Read every draft against the brief. Fix claims now, not after the post is live.
  3. Launch hour: The launch post goes up. From the founder or the company account. Everything else is timed to it.
  4. First hours: First wave. The creators closest to your buyers post and quote the launch while it is climbing.
  5. Day +1: Second wave. A second group posts with what happened: the first users, the reactions, the demo.
  6. Day +3: Collect proof. Every placement returns its live link, time, disclosure and tracked link.

Ship on a weekday morning in your buyers' time zone, and keep a quoteable launch post ready: a quote sends reach back to the original. The same shape works for a funding announcement and a feature release.

02 · Choose creators

Choose by who answers, not by who follows.

Follower counts include people who will never buy. These four signals say more about whether a creator reaches your buyers.

Who replies

Read the replies on their last ten posts. If your buyers are in there, so is your audience.

What they post now

The last thirty days matter more than the bio. A creator who moved on from your topic will not bring it back for one post.

How past paid posts read

Paid posts that sound like the rest of their feed get read. Posts that sound like an ad get scrolled past.

Where the audience is

Time zone and country decide whether a launch-hour post lands at breakfast or at midnight.

What these creators cost, and what moves the price, is on X creator rates.

03 · Write the brief

A brief a creator can say yes to.

Every question a creator has to ask costs a day. Tick what your brief already covers.

The long version, with a template, is what a SaaS launch brief should specify.

Your creator brief

2 of 8 covered

A creator would still have to ask about 6 things.

04 · Collect proof

Every paid post should prove itself.

Agree the proof in the brief, before anyone posts. Every placement should return these 6 checks (per our proof standard).

CheckWhat it showsWhen
Live linkThe post exists, on the agreed accountWhen it goes up
Time postedIt went up in its slot, not a day lateWhen it goes up
DisclosureThe post is marked as paid, the way the brief saysWhen it goes up
Tracked linkClicks from this post can be counted on their ownWhen it goes up
Content checkIt says what was agreed and nothing the brief ruled outWithin the hour
Views and repliesHow far it travelled and who answeredAfter 24 and 72 hours

Disclosure follows the FTC's Disclosures 101 for social media influencers in the US.

Six ways a launch wave goes wrong.

Each of these is common, and each is avoidable in the plan.

Everything in one hour

Twenty posts at once compete with each other and are gone by the evening.

Big accounts, wrong audience

Reach you pay for and cannot use. Check who replies first.

Copy written for the creator

Readers spot it in a line. Give the claim and the facts, not the words.

No launch post to quote

Without one, creator posts scatter. A quote sends reach back to the original.

Proof agreed after the fact

If the brief did not ask for a tracked link, you cannot count the clicks later.

No second wave

The day after is when the first results exist. That is the second reason to post.

Short answers

How many creators does a launch need?

Fewer than most teams think. Four to eight creators whose audiences match your buyers, spread across launch day and the days after, usually beat twenty posts in one hour from accounts that do not.

Should creators post at the same time?

No. The first group posts in the first hours, while the launch post is new; a second group follows a day or two later with what happened. A single burst is gone by the evening.

Do paid creator posts need a disclosure?

Yes. In the US the FTC expects a clear disclosure on any post a brand paid for, and X offers a paid partnership label. Every brief should say how the post is disclosed.

What should a creator never be asked to do?

Pretend to be a customer, post copy written for them word for word, or hide that the post is paid. Posts that read like the creator perform better, and the rest put the brand at risk.

Want this run for you?

Send the brief. We plan the wave, brief and pay the creators and return proof for every post.