The AWS Marketplace Launch Checklist¶

From Ron Davis — 8 years inside AWS Marketplace · From listed to bought.

The 42-point checklist I use to get a listing live and generating demand — not just published and quiet. Six phases, in order.

How to score: count your ticks out of 42. 0–14 not ready to list · 15–28 listed, not launched · 29–37 launch-ready · 38–42 demand-ready. Re-run at 30 / 60 / 90 days.

00 · Foundations — before you list¶

Decisions that are painful to change after launch. Make them on purpose.

1. Account & payouts ready. Seller registration, tax interview, and disbursement/banking complete in the Marketplace Management Portal.
2. Product type chosen on purpose. SaaS contract, usage/metered, AMI, container, data, or professional services — matched to how buyers actually consume you.
3. Value metric named. The unit that scales with the buyer's success (seat, call, GB, outcome) — not "annual subscription" by default.
4. ICP written down. Role, company type, the job they hire you for, and the trigger that sends them to Marketplace.
5. Differentiation in one line. Three alternatives listed and how a buyer tells you apart from the listings next to you.
6. Buyer's procurement path mapped. Who signs, what security review looks like, and committed-spend (EDP/MACC) eligibility.
7. Success defined in pipeline terms. What "launched" means as demand and deals — not just "the page is live."

01 · Build the listing¶

Written for the buyer who doesn't know your name — and the agent shopping for them.

8. Outcome-first title. Leads with the buyer outcome and the category a human or agent would search — not just your brand.
9. Short description does double duty. ≤ ~280 chars, legible to a skimming human and to an LLM parsing it.
10. Long description structured. Problem → Outcome → How it works → Proof → Who it's for → Getting started. Plain nouns over cleverness.
11. Search terms claimed. Requirement-shaped queries ("X for HIPAA", "X with SSO"), not just branded ones.
12. Content depth. Overview plus at least two of: demo, docs, data sheet, video, sample.
13. Media that shows the product. Clean logo, real screenshots, no stale or placeholder images.
14. Complete & fresh. No empty fields, no "coming soon," updated within the last 90 days.

02 · Pricing & packaging¶

Priced so a human can decide and an agent can transact.

15. Price tracks the value metric. It scales with what the buyer gets — tested against your current number.
16. Package ladder. Entry / standard / committed, with what's in each and who it's for.
17. Pricing narrative written. Why it's priced this way, in the buyer's terms, defensible in procurement.
18. Legible without a sales call. Dimensions, units, and cost drivers visible on the listing.
19. Private-offer path ready. Standard contract / private offer set up for larger, committed-spend deals.
20. Trial / POC decided. A free path that's instrumented to convert — not just to give product away.
21. Agent-buyer note. Clear units, predictable cost, machine-readable terms an autonomous buyer could accept.

03 · Trust, security & procurement¶

The quiet deal-killers. Clear them before the first opportunity, not during it.

22. Security posture stated. SOC 2 / ISO / HIPAA as applicable, where buyers look for it.
23. Contract / EULA legal-reviewed. Standardized terms that won't stall a first deal in redlines.
24. Support & SLAs explicit. Stated on the listing, not "email us."
25. Data handling ready. Sub-processors, data residency, and DPA available for security review.
26. Procurement blockers pre-cleared. MSA conflicts, SSO/SCIM, residency — handled before they surface.
27. Technical eval path. Reference architecture or integration docs linked for engineers evaluating you.
28. Transaction tested. Disbursement, tax, and contract flow verified with a test / $1 transaction.

04 · Co-sell & field readiness¶

AWS's field can be your best channel — if you make it easy for them.

29. ACE-registered. Opportunities flow in and out without manual re-keying.
30. ICP tight enough to match. Partner-matching returns the right accounts, not noise.
31. 30-second pitch for the field. A one-liner plus the "when to bring us in" trigger a rep can use.
32. First opportunities drafted. Customer, use case, AWS consumption impact, stage, next step — paste-ready.
33. PDM / PSA relationship warm. You know who your partner contact is and they know you.
34. Committed-spend fit mapped. Your offer maps to EDP / MACC motions where relevant.
35. Programs & competencies claimed. You're attached to the programs your buyers filter on.

05 · Demand engine — after launch¶

A listing is a storefront, not a campaign. This is what drives traffic to it.

36. A live destination. Newsletter, content, or community that compounds attention over time.
37. Launch sequence ready. Buyer-problem framed, not "we're live" — staged across channels.
38. Content cadence set. Tied to buyer questions, not product announcements.
39. One next step everywhere. Book / try / subscribe on every surface — no dead ends.
40. Measurement in place. You can name your listing→pipeline conversion and where it leaks.
41. Follow-up runs itself. Retargeting / co-sell follow-up that doesn't need you to do it manually each time.
42. 30/60/90 review scheduled. A standing slot to tune the listing on real data.

The one move most launches miss¶

Point a real demand engine at the listing before you call it launched. The listing is inventory. Nothing buys inventory that no one is driven to. The partners who win got found first — and treated discovery as the first 90% of getting bought, not the last 10% of going live.

Want this run on your listing? Book a free 30-min strategy call → https://calendly.com/itsrondavis/vellocity-gtm-discovery-30-min Weekly GTM teardown → https://itsrondavis.substack.com