The Solana token launch checklist (15 items, in order)

Tokens that fail to gain traction usually skipped 3–4 obvious items on this list. Run through it top to bottom before you even think about telling anyone your ticker.

Pre-launch (do these the day before)

1. Pick a name + ticker. 3–6 letter ticker, all caps. Search Birdeye and Dexscreener for collisions — if there are already 3 tokens with that ticker, pick a new one.
2. Secure the socials. Reserve the @handle on X, the t.me channel on Telegram, and the .xyz/.fun domain. Squatters move fast once a ticker trends.
3. Make the logo. 1024×1024 PNG, square, under 200 KB. Test how it looks at 32×32 — most wallets render tiny.
4. Write a 1-sentence pitch. This goes in the metadata description field and on Birdeye. If you can't say it in one sentence, you don't have a token yet.
5. Fund the launch wallet. ~0.5 SOL minimum: 0.1 service fee, ~0.005 rent and fees, the rest for initial liquidity.

Launch day (in order, do not skip)

1. Mint the SPL token with metadata baked in. Use SolanaForge so metadata pins atomically with the mint. One signature.
2. Revoke mint authority in the same transaction. Non-negotiable trust signal.
3. Revoke freeze authority in the same transaction. Equally important.
4. Mint your full supply to the launch wallet — you cannot do this after revoking mint authority.
5. Seed Raydium CPMM pool. Pair against SOL or USDC. Use ~1% of supply paired with 0.5–2 SOL. Open Create Pool.
6. Optionally lock the LP tokens for 6–12 months via Streamflow. Burning the LP is overkill for most launches.

Post-launch (first 48 hours)

1. Submit to Dexscreener. Auto-indexed after the first trade, but you can pay for the "info update" to add socials and description.
2. Submit to Birdeye for the verified badge. Free, just requires social links match metadata.
3. Airdrop 0.5–1% of supply to 50–100 holders. Holder count is the single biggest aggregator-ranking signal in the first 48 hours.
4. Post the launch on X with the contract address pinned. Tag @solana, @raydiumprotocol, @birdeye_so. Include the Solscan link as primary proof.

What people skip and regret

• No metadata → token shows as "Unknown Token" everywhere. See token not showing in Phantom.
• Forgot to revoke authorities → RugCheck flags red, aggregators warn, holders dump. See revoke mint authority explained.
• AMM v4 instead of CPMM → spent 3 SOL on OpenBook market they didn't need. See Raydium CPMM vs AMM.
• No locked LP → first 100 holders won't buy because they assume rug.

Bottom line

A clean launch takes 10 minutes and ~0.6 SOL. A sloppy launch wastes a brand and a budget. Use this list. Start at step 6 →.