announce

Launch: ship → announce → measure

Chains existing capabilities into one launch pass. Draft everything, send nothing without approval — external comms are a CLAUDE.md Hard Stop.

The announcement rules below are distilled from sharing research and current platform-algorithm behavior; the full notes (per-platform signal weights, HN/PH/Reddit norms, sources) are in references/virality.md — read it when drafting for a channel not covered here or when the user asks why a rule exists. For strategy above the per-post mechanics (ORB channel portfolio, five-phase rollout, relaunch cadence, measurement loop), read references/strategy.md — especially when planning a launch rather than executing one.

1. Pre-flight (verify, don't assume)

• Uncommitted work? Run /ship first.
• Prod deploy live: check latest deployment status/logs (offlocal get_latest_deployment_logs / Vercel tools).
• Domain resolves, HTTPS works, OG meta + title + favicon present: fetch the live page and look.
• UI-facing? Run /de-vibe if it hasn't had a pass.

2. Assets

• Changelog entry (one contiguous pasteable block).
• Screenshot or demo GIF: chrome-devtools take_screenshot or claude-in-chrome gif_creator against the live site. This is not optional garnish — visual proof of the thing working is the single most shared element of an indie launch post, and image posts get ~150% more reposts than text-only on X.
• Landing copy sanity: does the page pass the 10-second first-glance test?

3. Announcement drafts (draft only — approval gate before ANY send)

Write all of these, then stop and present for approval.

What makes a draft spread (apply to every channel):

• Lead with a hook that opens a specific curiosity gap. "I lost 40 hours to X before finding why" works; "here's a mistake to avoid" doesn't. Vague hooks get scrolled past; hooks the post doesn't deliver on burn trust and completion rate.
• Emotional charge over safe-and-informational. Research on 7,000 viral articles: high-arousal emotion (awe, anger, surprise) drives sharing; flat announcement copy fails regardless of accuracy. Find the surprising angle — the number, the contrarian take, the before/after — not "we're excited to announce."
• Give the sharer social currency. People share what makes them look in-the-know. Include one insider fact or usable takeaway that the reader can pass along as their own discovery.
• Receipts beat claims. A screenshot of the thing actually working (or the real dashboard number) out-spreads polished marketing copy. "Fast" is a claim; a 3-second GIF is proof.
• No engagement bait ("like if you agree", "comment YES") — every major platform now classifies and halves it.