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Product Hunt Launch Guide
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Product Hunt Launch Guide
Product Hunt is a key platform for launching tech products, especially for reaching early adopters in North America.
Here's how to make your Product Hunt launch successful by Abhash Kumar, VP Marketing of Springworks:
Planning Your Launch (30 Days Before)
To succeed on Product Hunt, start your preparations at least 30 days before your launch. Begin by creating a WhatsApp broadcast group with 40-50 tech-savvy contacts. Encourage these contacts to sign up on Product Hunt early. This way, they can support your launch effectively.
Engage with the Product Hunt community by following others and upvoting products. This activity builds your presence on the platform. Additionally, join relevant Slack communities like AJVC, Product School, and others listed here. These communities can provide valuable support and feedback during launch.
By following these steps, you set a strong foundation for a successful launch.
Choosing the Right Launch Day
Peak Days (Tuesday-Thursday):
Highest competition
Most website traffic
Best for established products
Aim for top 5 position
Off-Peak Days (Friday-Sunday):
Lower competition
Ideal for first-time launches
Better for simple/no-code products
Easier to rank higher
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Last-minute preparation
Don't start planning just 2 days before
Build relationships with potential supporters early
2. New Account Support
Don't get friends/family to create accounts on launch day
Product Hunt's algorithm penalizes this behavior
3. Poor Timing of Support
Don't exhaust all support in the first few hours
Space out support throughout the day so your post keeps getting engagement
Consider US time zones (launch starts 12:00 AM PST) as this gives your product a full 24 hours to gain traction
Who Should Launch on Product Hunt?
Good Fit For:
B2C apps targeting tech-savvy users
Products used by early adopters
Self-serve SaaS products
Bottom-up adoption products
Not Ideal For:
Enterprise-only products
Products targeting non-tech decision-makers
Region-specific products
Traditional B2B solutions
Tips for Success
Build authentic connections within tech communities before launching. This creates a natural support system for your product. During launch day, strategically time supporter engagement rather than using all support at once.
If your first launch doesn't meet expectations, you can relaunch after a 6-month waiting period. Meanwhile, follow and engage with the top 500 Product Hunt hunters on X - their support can significantly boost your launch success due to mere-exposure effect of your avatar and your name.
Success on Product Hunt requires careful planning and genuine community engagement. Unless you are an influencer, prepare for a Product Hunt launch to achieve visibility through it.
Top Tweets of the day
1/
"If you're running a business today, you have to be a creator…" - Garry Tan:
- CEO of YC
- Employee #10 at Palantir
- Startup acquired by Twitter
- 250k subs on YouTube / 500k on XThe goat himself says it...
Either become a creator or pay your dues to Mark, Larry & Sergei:
— Guillaume (@iamgdsa)
6:59 PM • Oct 29, 2024
You can't afford not to own your own distribution channel.
Either you need lots of money to scale your business using paid ads or you need to learn how to go viral.
This newsletter is a hedge against the uncertainty of paid channels.
I do think operating multiple social media accounts will be the norm soon. Only blackhat hackers used to do this before but since followers don't count anymore in terms of reach, you need lots of accounts to go viral. Even Netflix is doing this since a long time.
2/
You make money on concentrated bets and bleed it on diffuse ones.
Earn on what you know, spend on what you don’t.
— Naval (@naval)
1:04 AM • Oct 30, 2024
Do fewer things. Do them well.
3/
This is a perfect example of “Distribution-led design”
This film adding this scene, while totally unnecessary in terms of plot progression, makes a great screenshot to be shared on social media hence virality
Same for b2c apps - add a screen that is not useful but extremely… x.com/i/web/status/1…
— Desmond (@desmondhth)
3:07 AM • Oct 29, 2024
Nowadays, most movies and series are reverse-engineered from their potential to go viral.
Rabbit Holes
Aldous Huxley and Brave New World: The Dark Side of Pleasure by Academy of Ideas
Alex Cooper: $0 to $160m in 6 years by Trung Phan
Until next time!
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