Product Hunt Launch Guide
We interviewed 15+ makers whose products ranked on Top#3 of Product Hunt and curated all of their launch plans, strategies & hacks in this guide for you.
This guide is divided into 10 steps including:
1. How to choose the perfect launch day
2. How to find a hunter
3. How to do outreach and more
Follow these 10 steps and make your next Product Hunt launch a big bang!!
Let’s dive in 👇
What's in the guide
Step 1
Choosing a Goal
Setting a clear goal is the first step to your Product Hunt launch, as your launch plan & strategy will depend on your goal.
In this chapter, you will learn the 4 types of goals for a Product Hunt launch and how to select the right goal.
1. Get Feedback:
If you want to validate your idea or want to know what features you can add, launch your MVP on Product Hunt and get feedback from users.
My goal was always to get feedback from the community. It’s about learning how I can improve my product by 1% better
2. Social Proof:
If you want to build social proof and trust for your product, aim to rank top 3 and get the Product Hunt badge for your site.
The main goal was to get the #1 product of the day for social proof
3. Drive Sales:
If you want to grow your sales, you can launch your paid product on Product Hunt and boost your website traffic which will increase your sales.
With SEO and Social media, getting the first dollar can take between 3 to 6 months. Whereas with Product Hunt, you can get that in a month.
4. Email List
If you want to build an email list that you can monetize later, you can launch a free product on Product Hunt & give access to it after collecting the email address.
My main goal is to build an email list because that's the only thing I actually own.
Step 2
Deciding the Launch day
Now that you’ve set your goal for the launch, the next big question is - When to launch?
Depending on your launch goal, You will have to choose between launching on weekdays vs launching on a weekend.
In this chapter you’ll learn how to decide your launch day and the pros and cons of each.
When to launch on Weekends?
1. If you are launching for the first time
2. If your goal is to get the product of the day badge
3. If you don’t have a huge following
Never launch on a weekday (Monday-Friday) if you’re launching for the first time. They’re super competitive.
When to launch on Weekdays?
1. If you want to get more traffic to your website
2. If you want more users to test your product and get feedback
3. If you want more sales and revenue on the launch day
We picked Wednesday as it is a high-traffic day on Product Hunt and we can get more eyeballs to our product.
Step 3
Finding the Hunter
There are 2 ways to launch your product on Product Hunt:
1) You can launch your product on your own
2) You can get a hunter to launch your product
In this chapter, you will learn whether you need a hunter for your launch, what are the benefits of a hunter and where to find a hunter.
On Product Hunt, You can hunt your product on your own or get a hunter to launch your product.
In the early days, Product hunt used to send emails to all the hunters’ followers when they hunt/launch a product. That was the main benefit of getting a hunter with huge following to hunt your product. But this has been stopped now.
And getting a hunter for your launch is not as beneficial nowadays.
However, a hunter can still help you in 3 ways
1. Build authority to your product
2. Drive significant traffic to your launch
3. Strategizing the launch and Optimizing the listing
Having a hunter can still help if he/she has a good following on other platforms like twitter. When they promote your launch, you will get some traffic from their profiles.
Checklist to choose a hunter:
✅ Is the hunter popular in your niche?
✅ Will the hunter promote your launch with their email list or on social media?
if you can get a good hunter that will help promote the launch with their email list/ Twitter, then you can get a lot of benefits from having a hunter.
Step 4
Preparing the Listing
Now that you’ve decided your hunter, it’s time to add your product listing on product hunt and schedule your launch.
In this chapter you will get to learn how to prepare a kickass product listing and free resources to help you prepare it.
Have a catchy thumbnail:
Thumbnail is your weapon to grab attention to your product. Attract more users to click on your product listing with a catchy thumbnail. Check out this link for thumbnail inspirations
Create Quality graphics:
You can use any of these tools 👇🏼 and create high-quality images for your product hunt launch. You need to have a minimum of 4 images to be eligible to be featured on the product hunt.
Spend time on graphics. It is a key piece in pulling people to our page.
First comment:
The first comment is your place to share your why, what and how of your product. Write a engaging first comment telling why you built your product, what problem it solves for the users and your unique features.
I use a problem solution template for the maker comment as it plainly states what your product is and what problems it solves.
Step 5
Creating a Teaser Page
One of the best ways to start promoting your Product Hunt launch is by creating a teaser page. You can create a teaser page right after you have scheduled your launch on Product Hunt.
In this chapter you will see the benefits of a teaser page and instructions on how to create it.
Once you have finalized the hunter and launch date, schedule your product hunt launch and enable the teaser page.
A teaser page will help you:
1. Build a following for your launch: Share the teaser page on social media platforms, communities, and your email list to build a following for your launch who get notified when you launch.
2. Get feedback: Share the teaser page online and collect feedback from your target audience. This will help you improve your product before the launch.
3. Attract more attention: By having a teaser page, you can feature your launch on the "coming soon" page of PH. This will help you gain more followers before the launch.
We created a teaser page for LaunchPedia’s launch.Then we added an exit intent popup on our website with a link to the teaser page and asking visitors to follow the launch
This way, we got 100 visitors before the launch
LaunchPedia
Instructions to create a teaser page
Step 6
Generating buzz for launch
99% of Your Product Hunt Success depends on the buzz you generate for your launch.
So don't skip this step at any cost.
In this chapter you will learn how to generate smashing buzz for your Product hunt launch using proven launch strategies & growth hacks.
To rank in the top 3 on Product Hunt, you should aim to get as many upvotes as possible within the first hour of launch. To achieve this, you need to create buzz on social media and prepare your followers for the launch.
Twitter and Linkedin:
1. Meme Marketing: Social media users love memes. Create memes around your product, problem and customer journey, and plug your product launch in the post.
I will make memes to market my idea on Social Media
2. Twitter and LinkedIn DMs: Reach out to your maker friends, personal network, and your supporters on social media and notify them that you need their support when you launch on product hunt.
I connected with a lot of makers before the launch to gather support.
3. Build in Public: Share updates on your product’s progress with followers and keep reminding them about your launch. Use the #buildinpublic hastag when posting on twitter to increase your reach.
Build your product in public on Twitter. Collect all the handles who commented on your tweets. And reach out to them when you launch on Product Hunt.
4. Info posts: Educate your followers about the existing problem and how your product/software will solve your problem. At last plug about your launch
We posted one post/day for 7 days, before the launch
Email list:
Send emails to your customers and notify them about your launch. Ask them to support your launch by upvoting your launch or giving feedback in the comments.
This is our Email Sequence
1. First message of launch went out one week ahead of the launch
2. Second message went out 2 days before the launch
3. A reminder went out a day before the launch
1. First message of launch went out one week ahead of the launch
2. Second message went out 2 days before the launch
3. A reminder went out a day before the launch
Soft launch:
Launch your product on Twitter before launching it on Product Hunt. You can get feedback from your early customers so that you can launch a better version on Product Hunt. Also, you can ask them for support on the launch day.
I will first launch the product first on Twitter like a soft launch, then get feedback and build on it. I keep my followers in the loop regarding the product hunt launch. When I launch, I will just say I launched on PH and ask for feedback on PH.
Lead Magnet:
Give away a free product on Twitter/Linkedin or launch a side project on Product Hunt. This will help in building an audience before the main launch.
We launched a productivity guide before launching BeforeSunset.
It turned out to be a good lead magnet for us. We got a bunch of users from it that supported the BeforeSunset launch.
Product Hunt Discussions:
Product Hunt discussions are a great place for you to build an audience for your product even if you have few followers on Product Hunt.
1. Build Relationships: Connect with other makers by replying to their posts on PH discussions and build a rapport with them before the launch.
Our plan was to be very active in Product Hunt discussions. Every day, I’d comment on 3 products, 5 comments on other discussions, and post one discussion.
Also, when someone followed me on Product Hunt, I’d follow up with them on LinkedIn and connect with them. This helped us to build relationships with others
Also, when someone followed me on Product Hunt, I’d follow up with them on LinkedIn and connect with them. This helped us to build relationships with others
2. Build an Audience for your launch: Post regularly on product hunt discussions about your launch, and ask questions that will resonate with your target audience. This way, you can get a list of your product’s target audience who can your support on the launch day.
We built a system like this 👇
1. Our team members start a discussion on Product Hunt.
2. When people reply to our discussions, we reached out to them on Twitter & LinkedIn and asked for their feedback & support.
3. Then we made a list of all the people who agreed to support us.
4. And we DM’ed them on launch day asking them to upvote.
1. Our team members start a discussion on Product Hunt.
2. When people reply to our discussions, we reached out to them on Twitter & LinkedIn and asked for their feedback & support.
3. Then we made a list of all the people who agreed to support us.
4. And we DM’ed them on launch day asking them to upvote.
Communities:
Share your product on relevant subreddits, Indie Hackers, Whatsapp groups, Slack groups, Discord groups and other communities and ask for feedback or their opinions about your product. And when people support your product, tell them about your launch and ask for support.
We gave a heads-up about our launch on Reddit communities, Developer communities and other relevant forums like Hacker News, FB groups etc.
Step 7
Pricing Strategy
You have 3 pricing options to choose when your launch your product on product hunt. They are:
1. Free
2. Free Options
3. Paid
In this chapter, you will learn when to launch a free product and tips to get more sales from a paid product.
Pricing your product will depend upon your launch goals.
When you should launch for free?
1. If you want to build an Email list
2. If you want to get positive word of mouth and
3. If you want to get social proof
I launch products for free & then set a price for them after the launch day. Reasons:
1. Paid products get lesser upvotes than free products.
2. Free products get better ratings on Gumroad. This builds trust and help you when you switch to a paid product.
3. Free products also help build your email list faster.
1. Paid products get lesser upvotes than free products.
2. Free products get better ratings on Gumroad. This builds trust and help you when you switch to a paid product.
3. Free products also help build your email list faster.
If you launch a paid product, give a launch day discount or coupon code:
1. To get more sales on the launch day 2. To get more users to try your product and get feedback
We give discounts on Product Hunt launch day. And increase our prices after the launch. The Product Hunt community loves discounts.
The main objective of giving a coupon code for our launch is to get more users to try out our app.
Step 8
Preparing for the launch
If you’re reached this step, You’re just one step closer to launch. Now is the time to drop everything and focus on tasks you need to do on the day of launch.
In this chapter, you will learn how to create a fool-proof plan for your launch day and the tasks you need to complete before the big day.
The second most important day for your launch is the day before launch.
You need to make a plan on what you are going to do on the launch day, backup plan if some mishap happens during the launch, and prepare lists for reaching out.
List of Tasks on the before day to ensure a sress free launch day:
1. Make a list of subreddits, and communities to promote your launch
Rather than focusing on how to get upvotes, try to find the relevant communities and the right audience for your product.
2. Prepare a set of replies for comments on Product Hunt
I prepare a set of replies before the launch day.
3. Create and schedule launch posts on Social Media
I schedule all my launch posts before day
4. Build a list of people on social media who would be interested in your product
DM people who are relevant to the product about your launch. I won’t suggest sending messages to random people.
5. Prepare launch posts for subreddits and WhatsApp groups
I have a set of post templates that I use for posting on Subreddits and Whatsapp groups.
6. Prepare a list of people who can promote your launch
We Made a list of customers and friends who are not on Product Hunt but can endorse us on Linkedin, Twitter and communities
7. Reach out to your supporters on twitter, tell them about your launch and check whether they are ready to support you or not
Strategize DMs, not just send DMs randomly. Make a database of people that you will reach out to and make sure that you have an okay from everyone.
8. Prepare a list of Product Hunt users who can support you when the launch goes live
We made a list of folks from our network that are on Product Hunt
Step 9
Launch Day
There comes the launch day!! The hectic 24 hours for any maker who is launching on Product Hunt.
In this chapter, you will learn what are the tasks you should on the launch day, how to divide your team, what to do in first 2-3 hours.
Finally, the day arrived!!
Launch days can be very chaotic days if you haven’t planned them well.
1. Block the entire day:
Don’t have any distractions or commitments on the launch day. You have to give 100% of the time to your launch on launch day
Don’t have distractions on launch day. It will be a huge mistake if you have any other commitments
2. The golden hour:
The first 2 hours of your launch are crucial. You should focus completely on promoting your launch and getting the maximum upvotes, not on content or visuals.
My strategy is always to try & get the maximum upvotes within the first hour of launch (I call it The Golden hour). When you get more upvotes in the initial hours, you will be ranking in the top 3. And being on top of the homepage brings a lot of views and upvotes as many users check top products only.
The first 2-3 hours are important, you really have to go 200% at that time. So, I start with the big impact tasks, like sharing in communities (that I’m active in), sending one-on-one messages, and sharing the launch with the Email list
3. Reply to Product Hunt comments
If you and another product share a same number of upvotes on launch day, the one which has more comments will rank higher than the other. So, reply to each and every comment on Product Hunt.
Reply to every comment on Product Hunt. It will help in ranking high on the list.
4. Start reaching out
DM the people on your lists and ask them for support. Instead of asking all at once, outreach based on the time zone of your supporters.
We phased out our outreach based on time zones.
5. Post launch updates on Social Media
Tweet the number of upvotes you receive, feedback, reviews, and ranking once in every 2-3 hours
Post frequent updates during the launch on Twitter. As twitter likes engagement, your tweets will be shown to newer audiences.
6. Write a post on IndieHackers and Product Hunt Discussions
Write a post saying that you have launched on PH. Ask for feedback, do not ask for upvotes.
We started a discussion thread on the Product Hunt community to get more people to check our launch.
7. Divide your team
If you have a team working on PH launch, divide the team and distribute tasks. This can help you get some rest and also you can stay focused on one task
When the launch went live:
1. I was looking at the comments in the first 2 hours.
2. The rest of them started sharing the launch posts on Social Media.
Then, I took a break for a while. From there on:
1. Our team from India took care of the comments section.
2. Some of our team members started reaching out to their social network.
1. I was looking at the comments in the first 2 hours.
2. The rest of them started sharing the launch posts on Social Media.
Then, I took a break for a while. From there on:
1. Our team from India took care of the comments section.
2. Some of our team members started reaching out to their social network.
We divided our team into 3 groups and distributed the tasks between us.
Group 1: Reply to the comments and reviews on the product hunt page
Group 2: Make a list of all the upvoters with their Twitter & Linkedin profiles
Group 3: Reach out to people on our list and asked for an upvote.
Group 1: Reply to the comments and reviews on the product hunt page
Group 2: Make a list of all the upvoters with their Twitter & Linkedin profiles
Group 3: Reach out to people on our list and asked for an upvote.
7. Send Emails
Start sending emails to your subscribers. it’s better to divide your audience on timezones and send. This will help you get a better open rate.
We sent emails in batches based on the subscriber time zones.
8. Launch posts on Communities, Subreddits and Social Media
Post about your launch on all the websites, communities and SM platforms you prepared for. Send the message in batches, so that you can spread the upvotes through out the day
We divided the whole launch into batches and assigned members to each batch. If you see our social media posts you would notice that they came out in intervals.
The reason for that is we didn’t want a huge spike of upvotes in the first 2 hours. We wanted to spread out the upvotes throughout the day.
The reason for that is we didn’t want a huge spike of upvotes in the first 2 hours. We wanted to spread out the upvotes throughout the day.
Step 10
Aftermath of the launch
Congratulations, You have successfully launched on Product hunt! Pat yourself on your back for a job well done & take some rest. You tried your best.
In this chapter, you will learn about the aftermath of a Product Hunt launch, places you can launch your product next and what to do if you haven't achieved your goals.
1. Don't take it personal
No need to worry if you haven’t achieved your goals. Product Hunt doesn’t determine the success or failure of your product.
Don’t take your launch too personally. Remember that product Hunt is not the only way to launch or validate your product. Try all platforms, and don’t get disappointed by the things you can’t control.
2. Launch on Other Platforms
You can now launch your product on other launch platforms to get traffic & awareness to your site 👇🏼
3. Launch Again on Product Hunt
You can always launch on product hunt again after a new feature or update to your product.
If you fail, try again. I mean, it speaks true for a lot of things in life. But specifically with product launches if you fail, no one is gonna care if you launch it again in a week.
Next Steps
So that's it guys! These are the strategies and hacks for product hunt launch we got by interviewing over 15+ founders who ranked in top 3.
We'll updating this guide whenever we find a new strategy from other makers.
So keep checking this page for new updates.
Also we have created a bonus section with free tools and resources that will help prepare for your Product Hunt launch.
Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.
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