A quick intro about Sharath
Sharath Kuruganty, founder of Shoutout and community builder at Threado, is one of the OGs of Product Hunt. He has launched 15+ products and hunted more than 100 products on Product Hunt in the last 5 years.
His popular launches:
- Shoutout
- Threado and
- Tools for Makers
Maker Interview
Could you tell us a little bit about your journey on Product Hunt?
A few years back, my friend and I launched our first product “closing page” on Product Hunt. That launch turned out to be the biggest failure of my life. We spent a lot of money on it, and it still didn’t go well.
However, I loved the energy I witnessed among product hunt users & community, with makers cheering and supporting each other. So I decided to keep building small projects and launch them on Product Hunt.
Then I launched my first side project “Tools for Makers”. It ranked number 3 on that day, and more than that got huge encouragement from people. That’s where it all started.
You’ve been using Product Hunt for 5+ years. How has product hunt changed over the years from 2018-2023?
I think the ethos still remains the same. However, launching a product has become better from a logical standpoint with features like scheduling the launch.
Back then, the main goal of a product hunt launch used to be to get feedback from the community. But nowadays, founders are looking at product hunt as a traffic source and lead generation engine.
The expectation is slowly moving from feedback to growth.
I feel that looking for growth from a product hunt launch is fine, but that should be the by-product of your launch. Not the main goal.
Don’t chase numbers, rather chase feedback. This will help make your product better.
What are your goals while launching on Product Hunt?
My goal was always getting feedback from the community. It’s about learning how I can improve my product 1% better.
Getting sales or traffic is good, but fundamentally my goal is always getting feedback.
Getting feedback is the only thing we can control on the Product Hunt. You cannot control your ranking or your sales.
Some of your products have done really well on the Product Hunt while others didn’t perform. Are there any observations from them?
I think fundamentally people get excited about some products while others don’t excite them enough. So I think visitors weren’t excited about those products of mine that didn’t perform well.
There are a lot of factors involved in a launch, including promotions & marketing. So I think it’s really hard to pin a point on exactly what went wrong.
How do you plan your launch?
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.
Basically, I try to bring as many eyeballs as I can. I don’t ask for upvotes explicitly. If they come, it’s good. I experiment with launch every time – from the copy to email to product images, etc to see what’s working and what’s not.
What will you do if big brands are launching on the day of your launch and how do you compete with them?
You can’t do much about it. They have a big audience and if you want to compete with them, then you should also focus on building a big audience. That’s it, don’t take it personally.
Also, this is the reason why you should always start building things with intention, which is always better than a goal-driven approach. If you are launching for goals, you will get disappointed. Don’t do it for PH, do it for yourself.
What do you do if your product hunt launch fails to get traction?
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.
You have hunted more than 100 products on Product Hunt. What do you see in a product before hunting it?
I see a few things:
- Is the product really exciting for me?
- Will I use the product?
- Does it provide some value to me or other makers?
- I prefer makers who want to build a relationship with me over makers who want me just for the numbers.
How do you assist makers when you are hunting their products?
I connect with makers and share some strategies with them. I have a template on my link in bio that makers can use for assets or copy.
Does having more Product Hunt followers & higher golden k rating help with the launch?
It might help a little bit, but it is not the actual thing that moves the needle. Your result will depend more on what you are building and how you present it to Product Hunt. The numbers will add credibility to your product, but it is not the only deciding factor.
Building interesting products should be the goal. If your products are really interesting, PH will support them. You don’t need to worry about numbers.
Do you have any advice on how to make the best use of product hunt discussions?
Share your lessons & your journey, so that people will love it and connect with you. Don’t self-promote or don’t try to optimize these things.
Be more human. Don’t focus on building an audience, instead focus on finding friends. Friends are more important than followers.
What is 3 advice you would give to anyone who is launching on PH?
- Launch your product for feedback.
- Don’t have any expectations from the launch. You’ve multiple chances even if things didn’t work out. It’s not your only chance.
- Provide value to others. If you give more, you will get more.
What are your thoughts about hopping on product trends and capitalizing on them? (Ex: GPT3)
I don’t follow trends, I follow my own curiosity. I feel following trends just because they are on the rise is wrong.
You might get fame in the short term, but you’ll be burnt out along the way. So, try to build something that will solve a problem & if it needs AI, then use it.
Do something that excites you, that’s it!
Thanks a lot, Sharath for sharing your Product Hunt strategies and secrets with us. Your discussion gave us a whole new perspective on Product Hunt launches.
Follow Sharath on Twitter
