Hey buddy,
Every YC company has to do launches. Publicly, on a deadline, usually with almost no marketing team.
YC even built a place for it. Launch YC, where startups post their launch as they go through the batch. YC now runs four batches a year, each with its own Demo Day (2026: March 24, June 16, September 10, December 2). So there's a fresh wave of founders every quarter who need a launch video, a list of creators to send it to, and someone to run launch day.
Most of them are two engineers with a demo and no idea who to email.
That's the agency. You handle the launch: the video, the creators, the coordination. They handle the product.
Why YC Founders Are The Perfect Client
They have money. A standard YC deal is $500,000 per company.
They have no time. They're building product, hiring, and prepping to fundraise all at once.
They have a fixed deadline. Demo Day and launch dates don't move.
That combination means they pay for speed and quality, and they don't haggle much. The alternative is doing it badly themselves.
It's also a small, connected world. YC founders share vendors constantly (Bookface, batch Slack groups, group chats). One good launch turns into three intros. One bad one gets around too.
What A Launch Actually Needs
Founders think "launch" means one Product Hunt post. A real launch has four moving parts, which is why it's a good agency package.
1. The launch video
A 30-90 second video for the homepage, X, LinkedIn and Product Hunt. The clearest market comp is Flowjam, a studio that works with YC startups. Its published pricing runs from about $245-995 for short social videos, to $5,000 for a full animated launch video, to $10,000 for a founder-led video and $20,000 for a launch film.
You don't need to start there. AI video and screen-recording tools (see Issue #79) let a solo operator produce a good 45-60 second launch video for a fraction of traditional cost.
2. Creator and influencer seeding
This is what turns a video into distribution. For B2B and developer tools, published 2026 rate guides put creator costs roughly here:
Tech and SaaS nano creators (1K-10K followers): about $50-300 per post
X creators with 10K-100K followers: about $50-500 per tweet, $150-1,200 per thread
LinkedIn voices (10K-50K followers): about $500-5,000 per post
Newsletter sponsorships (5K-50K subscribers): about $500-10,000 per issue
YouTube product reviews: about $2,000-25,000 per video
These are ranges from rate guides, not quotes. Real prices depend on engagement and niche, and B2B audiences cost more because a customer is worth more.
Your job is picking the right ones for the product, negotiating, and managing the posting schedule. Founders can't do this in the two weeks before launch.
3. The launch-day plan
A checklist, a timeline and someone to run it. Product Hunt page assets, a launch thread, the timing of creator posts, an email to the founder's network, replies in relevant communities. Founders forget half of this and panic on the day.
Don't buy upvotes or run vote-trading schemes. Product Hunt penalizes vote manipulation, and getting flagged on launch day is worse than a quiet launch.
4. The aftermath
Repurposed clips, a case study post, a follow-up thread with results. This is the easiest upsell and it keeps you in the relationship.
BTW, quick detour
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Now that he has launched an actual course, I couldn’t stop myself from sharing it with you guys.
If anyone out of you is serious about learning Reddit Marketing, this is the way to start.
He has been graceful enough to give the readers of Wifi Moolah a hefty 50% discount too.
Use code “WIFIMOOLAH” at the checkout page for a 50% discount.
How To Package It
Don't sell "video" and "influencers" separately. Sell a launch package with a date on it.
These prices are my suggested starting points, anchored to the comps above. Test them.
Launch Lite ($2,500-3,500)
One 45-60 second launch video
Launch-day checklist and timeline
A shortlist of 10 relevant creators, with outreach templates
Best for: bootstrapped or pre-seed founders
Launch Standard ($6,000-9,000)
Launch video plus 2-3 social cutdowns
You run outreach and manage 5-8 creator placements
Product Hunt and launch-thread assets
Day-of coordination
Best for: the typical YC startup
Launch Full ($12,000-20,000+)
Founder-led video or higher-production spot
10-15 creator placements across X, LinkedIn, YouTube and newsletters
Post-launch content and a results write-up
Best for: funded startups with a bigger budget and a big Demo Day push
Important: creator fees are pass-through. Quote your fee and the creator budget separately, and be upfront about it. Hidden markup on creator fees is how agencies lose trust. A clean way to price it is a flat management fee, or a percentage of the media budget, and your own launch package stays separate.
How To Get Your First Clients
Step 1: Build two sample launches (1-2 weeks)
Pick two real YC or recent startups with weak launches, from Launch YC or the startup directory. Make a sample launch video and a one-page launch plan for each. It doesn't have to be published. It's your portfolio and your outreach hook.
Step 2: Find founders 6-10 weeks before their next Demo Day
The next Demo Day is December 2. Founders in the current batch are already planning their launch. Look at who's posted on Launch YC, who's active on X, and who has a product but no launch video.
Step 3: Send a specific message, not a pitch
Something like: "Saw [Product]. Your demo is strong but there's no launch video and I don't see any creators covering it. I made a 45-second sample for you and a shortlist of 8 X and LinkedIn voices who cover this space. Want it?"
Specific and free beats generic and polite.
Step 4: Do the first launch cheap and do it well
Offer your first one or two at Lite pricing in exchange for a testimonial and permission to name the company. Speed matters more than polish here.
Step 5: Ask for batch intros
After a good launch: "Who else in your batch is launching next month?" One happy founder can hand you five warm leads.
Step 6: Build a creator bench
The moat is a list of 30-50 creators you've worked with, with their rates, response times and results. Track which ones actually drive signups. Over time this list is worth more than your video skills.
Step 7: Add a retainer
After launch, offer a monthly content and creator package ($1,500-4,000/month) so you stay involved after the launch spike.
The Money Math
Per launch (Standard package, illustrative):
Your fee: $7,000
Creator budget (pass-through, paid by the client): $2,000-4,000, not your revenue
Your costs: video tools and AI credits (small), maybe a freelance editor ($200-600), your time (roughly 25-40 hours)
Month scenarios:
1 Lite + 1 Standard: about $9,500-10,500
2 Standard launches: about $14,000
2 Standard + 1 Full + a retainer: about $30,000+
Realistic ramp:
Month 1-2: $0-3,000. Portfolio, outreach, first cheap launch.
Month 3-4: $3,000-8,000. Two or three launches.
Month 5-8: $8,000-15,000 as batch referrals begin.
Month 9-12: $12,000-25,000 with a creator bench and a retainer client or two.
Demand is seasonal around Demo Days, so expect lumpy months. Retainers are what smooth it out.
Common mistakes:
Hiding markup on creator fees. Quote them as pass-through. Trust is your whole business in a small community.
Skipping disclosure. Paid creator posts need to be labeled as sponsored (FTC rules in the US, similar elsewhere). Build it into every contract.
Buying upvotes or fake engagement. It can get a launch flagged and burns the client.
Picking creators by follower count. Engagement and audience fit matter far more, especially for developer and B2B products.
Launching without a real product story. If the demo is confusing, a video and ten creators just spread the confusion faster. Push back on positioning early.
Being a generic agency. "YC launch agency" is a category. "Full-service marketing" isn't.
Promising results. You control quality and distribution. You don't control whether people sign up.
Pro tips:
Work backward from Demo Day. Set your sales calendar around the four dates each year and start outreach 6-10 weeks before each.
Show sample launches, not slides. A finished 45-second video with a creator shortlist beats any deck.
Ask each creator for a media kit and past results and keep a spreadsheet. That's your bench.
Offer a performance bonus on a clear metric, like signups from tracked links. It signals confidence and it's easy to measure.
Reuse the launch assets. The same video becomes a homepage hero, a sales-deck clip, and an investor-update clip. Founders notice that value.
Track everything with UTM links so you can show which creators actually drove signups.
Talk soon, Kris
P.S. - The thing that makes this work is how small the YC world is.
There are only so many YC founders in any batch, and they all talk. Do one good launch and the founder mentions you in a group chat. Do a great one and two more founders email you before you've sent a single pitch.
That's why the creator bench matters. Anyone can make a video. Few people can say "I've worked with 40 creators who cover developer tools, and here's what each one costs and what it drove."
Start this week. Pick one startup from the current batch that has a good product and a weak launch. Make a 45-second sample video and a shortlist of 8 relevant creators. Send both.
Worst case: you have a portfolio piece and a start on your creator list.
Best case: a founder replies "how fast can you do this for our real launch?" and you have a client six weeks before Demo Day.
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