> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://launchweek.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to launch week: Raycast

> An overview of what and how Raycast shipped during their launch week.

Raycast is an app that provides developers with quick access to their tools.\*\*

It reduces context switching with a command line inspired interface and connects with GitHub, Linear, and G Suite among others.

The company ran a launch week in July 2022.

Below are some key takeaways — an overview of what and how Raycast shipped this week.

<Card title="Raycast" href="https://lweek.dev/ray">
  Extendable macOS launcher
</Card>

## tldr

* **Announce your launch week in advance to raise awareness and start building momentum**
* **Launch on more places like Product Hunt and Hacker News to maximize the compound effect**
* **Post a recap to keep the momentum going.**

## how Raycast launched

### announcements

Raycast made five announcements:

1. Community Stories
2. Look and feel
3. Raycast for Teams
4. Menu Bar Comments
5. Community Swag

For the announcements, Raycast applied these tactics:

* Publish a preview 1 week in advance
* Publish 1 changelog post
* Publish 4 blog posts — including a recap
* Spread the news on Twitter/X
* Launched on Product Hunt and Hacker News

<Card title="Raycast Changelog" href="https://www.raycast.com/changelog/1-38-0">
  A fresh look and feel
</Card>

<Card title="Raycast for Teams on Product Hunt" href="https://producthunt.com/products/raycast#raycast-for-teams">
  Speed up internal workflows
</Card>

### results

**Day 0 — Jul 11, 2022 — Preview**

Prior to the launch week, Raycast posted a preview on socials to start building momentum.

* Likes: 300
* Reposts: 26

**Day 1 — Jul 18, 2022 - Community Stories**

* Likes: 141
* Reposts: 28

**Day 2 - Jul 19, 2022 - Look and feel**

* Likes: 435
* Reposts: 41

// Raycast announced this update in a blog Post and release note. They also dropped a preview on socials.

**Day 3 - Jul 20, 2022 - Raycast for Teams**

* Likes: 249
* Reposts: 36

// Raycast announced Raycast for Teams in a blog post. They also launched on Product Hunt, and ranked #4 Product of the Day.

**Day 4 — Jul 21, 2022 — Menu Bar Commands**

* Likes: 249
* Reposts: 36

// Raycast published a technical behind-the-scenes post and submitted it on Hacker News.

**Day 5 — Jul 22, 2022 — Community Swag**

* Likes: 197
* Reposts: 182

<Card title="Raycast on X — Day 0" href="https://x.com/raycastapp/status/1546518075691909124">
  Preview
</Card>

<Card title="Raycast on X — Day 1" href="https://x.com/raycastapp/status/1549037593655795712">
  Introducing Community Stories
</Card>

<Card title="Raycast on X — Day 2" href="https://x.com/raycastapp/status/1549396551121920003">
  Introducing a new look and feel
</Card>

<Card title="Raycast on X — Day 3" href="https://x.com/raycastapp/status/1549680597085347843">
  Introducing Raycast for Teams
</Card>

<Card title="Raycast on X — Day 4" href="https://x.com/raycastapp/status/1550158390856409096">
  Introducing Menu Bar Commands
</Card>

<Card title="Raycast on X — Day 5" href="https://x.com/raycastapp/status/1550436014350548993">
  Introducing Community Swag
</Card>

### keep momentum

To wrap up this launch week, Raycast also published a recap on their blog — and reposted it on socials.

<Card title="Raycast Launch Week Summary" href="https://lweek.dev/ray/blog/launch-week-summary">
  An overview of what Raycast shipped during their launch week
</Card>

## key takeaways

Some learnings from this launch week:

* Announce your launch week in advance to raise awareness and start building momentum. Raycast started 1 week in advance.
* Launch on more places like Product Hunt and Hacker News to maximize the compound effect.
* Post a recap of your announcements to keep the momentum going. This could still reach people who either forgot, ignored, or missed them the first time.

**That's a wrap!**

**Follow [@launchweekdev on X](https://x.com/launchweekdev) for more insights.**

We're tracking launch weeks across the industry for product discovery and inspiration.

***

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