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# The newsletter launch checklist
- URL: https://letterharbor-demo.synaps.media/library/newsletter-launch-checklist/
- Published: 2026-10-24T13:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-26T22:26:06.000Z
- Description: Everything to set up before your first issue goes out, in the order that saves the most rework.
- Author: Avery Lin
- Tags: Checklists, #resource

Most launch problems are not writing problems. They are a missing sender address, a welcome email nobody wrote, or a signup form that only works on desktop. Run through this list once, in order, and your first issue goes out without surprises.

## Before you invite anyone

- Decide what one issue promises, in one sentence. Put that sentence on your signup page.
- Pick a sending day and time you can keep for three months.
- Set your sender name to something readers recognise. A person's name usually beats a brand.
- Use a reply-to address you actually read.
- Write the welcome email before you collect a single address.

## The signup path

1. Subscribe with a personal address on your phone.
2. Confirm the confirmation email arrives within a minute.
3. Check it does not land in Promotions or spam for at least two providers.
4. Click every link in the welcome email.

## Your first three issues

Draft three issues before you launch. The first issue gets the most attention; the third is where readers decide whether you are reliable. Having all three written removes the pressure to publish something thin in week two.

> A launch is not a single email. It is the first month of keeping a promise.

## After the first send

- Note your open and click rates as a baseline, not a verdict.
- Reply personally to everyone who replies to you.
- Add a line to issue two thanking new readers and saying what is coming next.