KPI Examples for Product Launch: Metrics That Matter

Launch KPIs: What to Track

Product launches require tracking the right metrics at the right time. Focus on these categories:

Pre-Launch (Validation):

• Waitlist signups
• Beta application rate
• Email open/click rates

Launch Week (Awareness):

• Traffic, signups, media mentions
• Social engagement
• Product Hunt/launch platform metrics

First 30 Days (Activation):

• User activation rate
• Time-to-first-value
• Core feature adoption

First 90 Days (Retention):

• Week-2, week-4 retention
• Churn rate
• NPS or satisfaction scores

KPI Examples by Launch Type

SaaS Product Launch

Launch Goal: 1,000 signups, 40% activation, 30% week-2 retention

KPI	Target	Why It Matters
Signups (Week 1)	500	Measures initial interest
Activation Rate	40%	Users completing setup
Time-to-First-Value	< 10 min	Speed to “aha moment”
Week-2 Retention	30%	Early stickiness signal
Trial-to-Paid (30d)	10%	Revenue validation
Support Tickets/User	< 0.5	Product quality

How to track: Mixpanel, Amplitude, or PostHog for product analytics. Stripe for revenue.

Mobile App Launch

Launch Goal: 10K downloads, 50% D1 retention, 4.0+ app store rating

KPI	Target	Why It Matters
App Store Downloads	10,000	Top-of-funnel
D1 Retention	50%	Come back tomorrow?
D7 Retention	30%	Come back in a week?
Session Length	5+ min	Engagement depth
App Store Rating	4.0+	Social proof
Crash Rate	< 1%	Technical quality

How to track: Firebase Analytics, AppFollow, or App Annie.

Marketplace Launch

Launch Goal: 50 supply-side users, 200 demand-side users, 20 transactions

KPI	Target	Why It Matters
Supply Signups	50	Sellers/hosts/creators
Demand Signups	200	Buyers/guests/consumers
Liquidity (% match)	40%	Market efficiency
First Transaction	Day 1	Proof of concept
Total GMV (30d)	$10K	Economic validation
Repeat Rate	20%	Retention signal

How to track: Custom dashboard combining internal DB + analytics tool.

API/Developer Tool Launch

Launch Goal: 100 developer signups, 30 integrations live, 10K API calls

KPI	Target	Why It Matters
Developer Signups	100	Interest level
Docs Page Views	500	Documentation usage
API Integrations Live	30	Activation
API Calls (Week 1)	10,000	Usage intensity
Error Rate	< 5%	Technical quality
Time-to-First-Call	< 15 min	Ease of integration

How to track: Internal API logs + analytics dashboard.

Launch Timeline: When to Measure What

Week -2 (Pre-Launch)

• ✅ Waitlist size: 500+
• ✅ Beta feedback: 8/10 satisfaction
• ✅ Launch assets ready: 100%

Week 0 (Launch Week)

• 📊 Daily signups
• 📊 Traffic sources
• 📊 Social mentions/shares
• 📊 Press coverage

Week 1-4 (First Month)

• 📊 Weekly active users
• 📊 Activation rate (trend)
• 📊 Time-to-value (improve)
• 📊 Feature adoption

Month 2-3 (Stabilization)

• 📊 Retention cohorts
• 📊 Churn rate
• 📊 NPS
• 📊 Revenue (if applicable)

Good vs Great Launch KPIs

Acquisition (Signups)

Good: 1,000 signups in first week Great: 1,000 signups + 70% from organic/word-of-mouth

Why? Paid signups are expensive; organic growth is sustainable.

Activation

Good: 40% of users complete onboarding Great: 40% complete + 60% of those use core feature

Why? Onboarding ≠ value. Core feature usage = real activation.

Retention

Good: 30% week-2 retention Great: 30% week-2 retention + improving weekly

Why? Direction matters more than absolute numbers early on.

Quality

Good: 4.0 star rating, 10 reviews Great: 4.5+ star rating, 50+ reviews with specific praise

Why? Volume + quality = social proof for next cohort.

Red Flags to Watch

🚩 High signups, low activation (< 20%)

• Problem: Onboarding friction or unclear value prop
• Fix: Simplify onboarding, clarify first steps

🚩 Good activation, poor retention (< 20% week-2)

• Problem: No lasting value or habit formation
• Fix: Improve core product, add retention hooks

🚩 Lots of signups from one source only

• Problem: Not sustainable, single point of failure
• Fix: Diversify channels early

🚩 High support volume (>1 ticket per 10 users)

• Problem: Product is confusing or buggy
• Fix: Prioritize UX and bug fixes over features

Launch KPI Dashboard Template

Track these weekly for first 90 days:

ACQUISITION
- Signups: ___ (goal: ___)
- Traffic sources: Organic ___% Paid ___% Referral ___%
- Conversion rate: ___% (visitors → signup)

ACTIVATION
- Activation rate: ___% (goal: 40%+)
- Time-to-first-value: ___ min (goal: < 10 min)
- Core feature usage: ___% of activated users

RETENTION
- Week-2 retention: ___% (goal: 30%+)
- Week-4 retention: ___% (goal: 20%+)
- Churn rate: ___%

QUALITY
- NPS: ___ (goal: 40+)
- Support tickets: ___ (goal: < 0.5 per user)
- App/product rating: ___ (goal: 4.0+)

REVENUE (if applicable)
- MRR: $___ (goal: $___)
- ARPU: $___ (goal: $___)
- CAC: $___ (goal: < 3x ARPU)

How to Set Your Launch Targets

Step 1: Research benchmarks

• Look at similar products in your space
• Check public launch reports (Indie Hackers, Product Hunt)

Step 2: Be realistic

• Unknown brand? Expect lower signups
• Complex product? Expect lower activation
• New category? Expect more education needed

Step 3: Set stretch goals

• Target: What you expect with good execution
• Stretch: What you’d achieve with exceptional execution
• Floor: Minimum viable success

Example:

• Floor: 500 signups, 30% activation
• Target: 1,000 signups, 40% activation
• Stretch: 2,000 signups, 50% activation

Rock-n-Roll helps you define realistic launch KPIs based on your product type, market, and resources—then tracks them through integrated analytics and dashboards.

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