How Industry Leaders make their Product Hunt Launch a Success
Table of Contents
- Product Hunt: A Reality TV Show for Startups
- Product Hunt as a Market Test and Team Milestone
- Product Hunt as a Distribution Channel
- A Realistic Playbook for Winning on Product Hunt
- Product Hunt as a Celebration, Not Just a Competition
- Product Hunt as a Growth Engine
- unch like a show, build anticipation, engage your audience, and perform when the spotlight is on you.
- The Four Pillars of a Top 5 Product Hunt Launch
- Conclusion
Launching on Product Hunt can feel like stepping into a high-stakes game, one where the rules keep changing, the competition is fierce, and the difference between success and obscurity often comes down to preparation, timing, and how well you rally your community.
But here’s the thing: the founders and marketers who consistently win on Product Hunt don’t treat it as a gamble. They approach it like a strategic campaign, one that starts weeks, or even months, before launch day and extends far beyond the 24-hour race for upvotes.
We spoke to seven industry leaders who’ve cracked the code, not just to hit #1 Product of the Day, but to turn their launches into real business momentum. What they all agree on? Product Hunt isn’t just about the launch day, it’s about the work you put in before, the energy you bring during, and the relationships you build after.
Product Hunt: A Reality TV Show for Startups
Rohan Chaubey is one of the top hunters on Product Hunt with 300+ hunts in the past couple years with most being Product of the Day. He compares launching on Product Hunt to competing on a reality TV show. Understanding the platform’s dynamics, from moderator selection to community voting, can demystify the process and improve your chances of success.
For first-time founders, Product Hunt often feels like a black box. Who decides which products get visibility? How do votes really work? Why do some launches skyrocket while others disappear into obscurity?
One expert put it simply: launching on Product Hunt is a lot like being on a reality TV show.
- Step 1: The Audition
Think of shows like American Idol or The Voice. Everyone auditions, but not all make it to the main stage.
On Product Hunt, this “audition” is when moderators decide which products will be featured on the homepage. Featured products sit at the top, with the rest listed below. Getting featured gives you a serious visibility boost, but even if you’re not, you’re still in the competition, you just have to work harder to get noticed.
- Step 2: The Big Stage
Once featured, it’s not about the “judges” anymore, it’s about the audience.
In reality TV, viewers vote for their favorites. On Product Hunt, it’s the community. They decide with upvotes, comments, and engagement. The more active support you gather, the better your shot at climbing the leaderboard.
- Step 3: The Golden Buzzer
Every good reality show has a twist. On America’s Got Talent, it’s the Golden Buzzer, a shortcut to the finals.
Product Hunt has its own version. Sometimes the PH team or an experienced Hunter gives your product special attention: feedback on your landing page, tips on positioning, or extra visibility. It doesn’t guarantee the win, but it’s a huge advantage that can separate you from the pack.
- The Takeaway
When you think about Product Hunt this way, it stops being a mystery and starts to feel like a competition you can prepare for:
- Round 1: Mods decide if you’re featured.
- Round 2: The community votes and supports.
- Golden Buzzer: Guidance from Product Hunt staff or a Hunter that gives you an edge.
So, if you’re a new maker heading into your first launch, remember: treat it like a show. Build anticipation, engage the audience, and be ready to perform once the spotlight is on you.
And just like TV, it’s supposed to be fun.
Treat your launch like a show, build anticipation, engage your audience, and perform when the spotlight is on you.
Product Hunt as a Market Test and Team Milestone
Product Hunt remains a vital platform for startups and builders, offering a unique opportunity to test market fit and generate buzz. Sofia Bettari of Crono emphasizes that the platform’s tech-focused community makes it ideal for launching niche products, not just SaaS solutions.
Product Hunt is the place to be for builders and startups, as it has the most tech-focused community. Launching a product or a product release is probably one of the best ways to
test the market, even for the most niche industries. Of course, SaaS B2B and B2C is the queen of the platform, but literally anything that complies with the rules can be posted.
The platform has changed a lot over the past year, so I would suggest anyone planning a launch study the new dynamics in the platform and learn what has changed. Apart from the basic perks of launching, such as getting new leads, there’s always the hidden opportunity to generate awareness, which brings new possibilities in business.
Many people launched and found partners, investors, colleagues or new co-founders. At the same time, it’s a great opportunity for a team to work all together towards a goal: in Crono, we live every launch as a big day, and the entire team follows along the launch day as we’re all in a match.
That’s a great moment to create bonds and to really feel connected to what we’re building.
My 4 advice for a successful launch:
- Do it with purpose: set a clear, realistic goal.
- Prepare in advance all your assets (images, landing page, video, demo, anything)
- Tell it to everyone: the first 100 upvotes will come directly from you and will lead to the following 100. Tell your audience, on LinkedIn, in the office, tell your friends… you surely have lots of contacts; give them a chance to help a friend.
- Have fun doing it: a positive approach is the difference between failure and learning.
Beyond lead generation, Product Hunt can open doors to partnerships, investments, and even new team members.
Product Hunt as a Distribution Channel
For startups struggling with distribution, Product Hunt can be a valuable channel to drive traffic, generate leads, and earn backlinks. Aashish shares practical tactics to maximize visibility, from leveraging LinkedIn and WhatsApp groups to engaging with Product Hunt’s most active voters.
There are a lot of mixed thoughts around ProductHunt in the community? The way I look at it is quite simple – Today, everyone is struggling with distribution. ProductHunt becomes one source of a distribution channel for you.
It can help you in the following ways:
- Get traffic to your website
- Potentially get leads
If the above two don’t happen (which is quite possible) – Your software will be picked up by various websites across the internet and you will get backlinks.
Does it help if you have a ‘Hunter’ find you vs you uploading the product on your own? Unless and until the hunter has a large following – it really does not matter.
What did we do to rank #2 of the week and #1 of the week?
- Ask everyone in company to post about PH on their LinkedIn Profile
- Join multiple PH groups on Whatsapp that helps with upvoting.
- Find a list of PH people that help support launches – send them an email
- Identify the top 100 people on PH that are on a streak of voting products and send them an email (a quirky, fun, nice one)
- Post across multiple Reddit Groups/IndieHacker
- Post in a couple of Facebook Groups
- Post in a few Slack Communities
What are the other things you can do that will help?
- Create personal brands and leverage following- Each of us (or at least 5) – should have started becoming active on ProductHunt before the launch
- Leveraged Slack communities better. If you’re active in them – you’d get better outcomes
- Double down on the effort of reaching to people via ProductHunt. Hit rate is extremely high
- If you have an engaged community makes a huge difference.
- Give more in different places before you ask (may sound like general gyan but I swear it is not)
- Send out the bulk email to the PH folks as soon as you launch.
His advice? Build personal brands, engage in relevant Slack communities, and send targeted emails to Product Hunt’s most active users. The key is to give value before asking for support.
A Realistic Playbook for Winning on Product Hunt
Product Hunt launches are often seen as a rite of passage for startups, but Alexandre Contador of Vidsell.ai argues that success depends on strategy, not just luck. His team’s journey to #1 Product of the Day offers a roadmap for founders looking to leverage the platform effectively.
For many founders, a Product Hunt launch feels like a rite of passage. The orange cat badge still grabs attention, boosts credibility with investors, and converts visitors. But the real question remains: does it actually drive long-term business impact?
Some startups prepare for months, chasing the elusive #1 Product of the Day title, only to see disappointing retention and monetization. Others treat it as nothing more than a vanity metric. The truth sits somewhere in between: if approached strategically, Product Hunt can generate visibility, users, and even funding opportunities.
Recently, Alexandre Contador, CEO & co-founder of Vidsell.ai, shared his team’s journey to the top spot. His story offers a practical roadmap that any founder can adapt, not just for Product Hunt, but for any major launch.
Why Product Hunt Still Matters
- Credibility: A top ranking signals that your product stood out, even among VC-backed competitors.
- Visibility: Solopreneurs and small teams gain exposure to a global audience.
- Momentum: Journalists, investors, and early adopters still monitor the platform for breakout tools.
The Road to #1: Five Key Steps
1. Prepare Early
Have your templates, assets, and messaging ready. A leads list of at least 1,000 profiles helps secure the critical first four hours of traction.
2. Build Community Goodwill
Engage in Product Hunt forums, LinkedIn groups, and WhatsApp communities well before launch day. Supporting others increases the chances they’ll support you.
3. Partner with the Right Hunter
Hunters with strong audiences can give your launch an instant boost. Reach out weeks in advance.
4. Optimize Your Profile and Page
High-quality visuals, demo videos, and clear copy are non-negotiable. Presentation is as important as product.
5. Create Pre-Launch Buzz
A teaser page and early posts spark anticipation. Use this time to activate your network and test messaging.
Launch Day Playbook
- Start at 9 AM CET: The first four hours decide momentum.
- Email in Waves: Send launch emails at staggered times to keep traffic consistent.
- Engage Fast: Reply to comments instantly, ask questions back, and keep the conversation alive.
- Go Multichannel: Share updates across LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp, and niche groups.
- Track Performance: Tools like PostHog help monitor sign-ups and activity in real time.
Results from our Launch
- Reached #1 Product of the Day with 840+ upvotes and 360+ comments
- 300+ website visits and 100+ trial sign-ups on day one
- 80+ sales-qualified opportunities created
- Invitations to podcasts, events, and early investor conversations
Final Takeaways
Product Hunt isn’t a silver bullet. Some great products rank low, and opportunists may try shady tactics like selling upvotes. But for startups willing to prepare and engage, it’s still a powerful platform to test positioning, gain visibility, and kickstart growth.
As Alexandre’s story shows, it’s less about the badge itself and more about how you use the momentum afterward.
So, should you launch on Product Hunt?
If you’re ready to commit the time, energy, and resources, go all in. If not, focus those efforts on another GTM strategy that moves the needle for your business.
Alexandre’s five-step approach, preparing early, building community goodwill, partnering with the right hunter, optimizing your profile, and creating pre-launch buzz, ensures a strong start.
Product Hunt as a Celebration, Not Just a Competition
Alex reframes Product Hunt launches as celebrations rather than cutthroat competitions. His team’s repeated success, including multiple #1 Product of the Day wins and a Golden Kitty Award—stems from focusing on community activation and realistic expectations
Product Hunt is more than just a competition. It’s a celebration – a reason to bring together your existing users, community, and partners to celebrate your launch with a party to remember. And when there’s a good party going, others will join. This is the mindset we use when we plan for a new launch and has helped us win #1 POTD in most of our launches and even a Golden Kitty award.
- Don’t make getting the #1 Product of the Day your main goal.
Everyone strives for the #1 Product of the Day Badge (#1 POTD), but in reality, even the best planned, best executed Product Hunt launches can be overthrown by a “bigger fish” launching on the same day. Instead, focus on building a campaign around your Product Hunt Launch that will activate your existing & new users in a meaningful way, regardless of the PH outcome.
- Set your expectations correctly
Product Hunt does have a strong community of highly qualified users who are always open to trying out new tech. But know that that does not necessarily make them buyers. They try out a lot of products constantly, provide valuable feedback, but they are likely to not buy or stick around. Also, in terms of numbers, from our experience, for a great launch, you should expect a couple of hundred signups, but we have also seen #1 POTD with just a couple of users.
- Understand & leverage the power of “Community”
Product Hunt discourages any incentivized attempt to get more votes, such as Ads, Giveaways, Paid Influencers, etc. The #1 source of success on Product Hunt is Community-led Growth and for that, it’s important to understand the various communities you can activate, starting with your existing Community (Team, Users, Leads, Closed Group, Newsletter, etc.), External Communities (eg: Groups/Newsletters/Reddit threads/etc. that synergize with your offering) and last, but not least, the Product Hunt Community itself, which is highly gamified and enables multiple actions for you & your team both inside & outside Product Hunt.
- Timing & Launch day dynamics matter
Not all days are equal. Tuesdays to Thursdays are crowded, Fridays can give smaller teams an edge because competition is lower and some communities might be more active on weekends. Launch at midnight PST for maximum runway. The first couple of hours are “blind”, no rankings visible, so you need a coordinated push early to secure traction before organic traffic kicks in.
- Prepare & Engage in Advance
#1POTD is not won on the day of the launch. It’s won way in advance, by teasing & preparing your target communities for your launch day. Think of it as an event, that you have to sell tickets to in advance, to get people ready for when it will go live. This means teaser posts, waitlists, planned webinars on the day of the launch and even following your page and team on Product Hunt. Of course, there is also a lot of planning involved for community actions (Posts / Newsletters, etc.) for Product Hunt day.
Last, but not least, don’t forget to have a good time. More than a campaign, your Product Hunt Day should be a celebration of your new product launch, together with your community and all the new friends you’re making from other communities.
He advises setting expectations early: Product Hunt users are eager to try new tools but may not always convert. Leverage your existing community, external networks, and Product Hunt’s gamified environment to build momentum.
Product Hunt as a Growth Engine
Savian Boroanca treats Product Hunt as a growth engine, not a one-day stunt. His playbook emphasizes preparation, execution, and long-term engagement to turn a launch into sustained momentum.
Product Hunt isn’t a launch day. It’s a community and your compounding growth loop. The “15 minutes of fame” only matter if you prepare before and execute after. Here’s the playbook I’d use again:
Decide if you should launch at all. PH rewards new or substantially updated products that are usable, high-quality, and clearly explained. If you’re in closed beta with little for the community to try, wait. Integrity > hacks.
Define success beyond a badge. Track leaderboard position, comments, site traffic, signups/revenue, and brand lift. Not just “#1 of the day.” Winning attention is step one; converting it is the actual job.
Start months/weeks ahead. Research past launches, map your story, line up an experienced hunter, mobilize your network (without vote-soliciting), and prep a “Hunter Pack” (visuals, copy, FAQs, freebies).
Time it intentionally.
Easier “#1 of the Day”? Weekend/Sunday.
Maximum reach? Wednesday. Expect heavy competition from big brands. Pick based on goals, not vibes.
Ship the right assets. Crisp landing page, short demo, clear pricing/availability, a blog post that tells the “why,” and social visuals sized for fast sharing. Make supporting you effortless.
Run a true 24-hour campaign. Be online, answer every comment fast, amplify on social, and keep momentum rolling all day. Treat it like a live event, not a post.
Play the long game post-launch. Close the loop: follow up with signups, ship improvements from feedback, announce updates, and turn new users into advocates. The real ROI shows up in the weeks that follow.
Proof it works: Sessions. On our launch, Zoom dropped “Zoom Apps” the same day. And we still took #1 Product of the Day and Week with 2,000+ upvotes, 500 comments, and ~250 reviews. Within a year: Product Hunt’s Golden Kitty (Work from Anywhere), users in 144 countries, 6,000+ company accounts, 20+ new features & integrations. Plus a $4.5M seed round. Community > competitors.
TL;DR: Treat Product Hunt like a go-to-market milestone, not a stunt. Prepare deeply, execute intensely for 24 hours, and then compound relentlessly with the people you meet there. That’s how a launch becomes a growth engine.
The strategy includes defining success beyond badges, mobilizing networks weeks in advance, and treating launch day as a 24-hour live event. Post-launch, follow up with signups, iterate based on feedback, and nurture new advocates.
unch like a show, build anticipation, engage your audience, and perform when the spotlight is on you.
The Four Pillars of a Top 5 Product Hunt Launch
Meenank Minnu, known for launching YC-backed products in Product Hunt’s top 5, distills success into four pillars: choosing the right launch day, warming up your audience, crafting an irresistible offer, and activating on launch day.
Meenank has a track record of launching YC-backed products and info products, always finishing in Product Hunt’s top 5.
There’s no magic bullet for a Product Hunt (PH) launch. Success comes down to preparation and execution across four areas:
- Choosing the right launch day
- Warming up your audience + communities
- Crafting an irresistible offer
- Activating on launch day
Let’s break them down.
- Choosing the Right Launch Day
Your launch deserves maximum visibility. Here’s the truth:
- Weekends = low traffic, low visibility.
- Tue–Thu = high traffic, high competition (extremely bad for beginners)
- Mon or Fri = the sweet spot for first-timers.
💡 Why Monday? If your launch goes well, you have a chance to get featured in the PH newsletter → a direct line to 500k+ subscribers.
- Preparing Your Pre-Launch Audience
You need people in your corner before launch day.
- Dig into your inbox. Remember those “upvote request” messages you’ve probably received? Reach out to them before launch → most people are surprisingly supportive.
- Join communities. Find groups on Slack, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Discord, etc. The key is to ask for feedback and support → not “pls upvote.”
✅ Example (good):
“We just launched [Product]. It helps [audience] do [use case]. Would love your feedback as I’m the founder 🙂 [link]”
❌ Example (bad):
“Guys, upvote fast pls! [link]”
Pro tip: Start joining communities a few weeks before you launch so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
- Crafting an Irresistible Offer
Don’t just chase upvotes → chase customers.
Too many founders offer weak discounts (like 5% off). In today’s “fast fashion SaaS era, that won’t cut it. Instead, think generous:
I’m talking offers like: 1st month free, Get your first 100 audios for free, Lifetime free for just 5 image generations per month. etc.
and if someone goes for the paid plan, offer a real generous “launch only discount”
eg: If the product costs $20/m, Launch only 48hr discount is $10 a month (grandfathered until the subscription is alive)
Pro tip: If your offer isn’t exciting, people won’t even *click* through from PH.
Before launch, line up:
- Offer page + website sticky banner
- Social creatives (including video) + copy
- Email campaigns
- Launch Day Activation
The first 12 hours decide your fate. Go all-in.
- Team coordination: Everyone in your team should be posting/amplifying → but craft posts 1–2 hours apart if multiple of them are posting for maximum reach.
- Post variety: Mix announcements with storytelling, lead magnets, and personal angles.
- Community outreach: Hit your pre-launch lists (check step 2), communities, and explore new channels (Discord, Reddit, etc.).
Expect chaos: caffeine, pizza, and nonstop engagement. But that’s what it takes.
A successful PH launch isn’t luck. It’s preparation, It’s storytelling, It’s a strong offer, and relentless activation all combined together.
Nail those four, and you’ll set your product up not just for upvote but for real growth.
He recommends launching on Mondays or Fridays for optimal visibility, engaging communities weeks in advance, and offering generous launch-day discounts. On launch day, coordinate your team, diversify your posts, and engage relentlessly. The goal isn’t just upvotes, it’s real growth.
Conclusion
If there’s one takeaway from the experts who’ve mastered Product Hunt, it’s this: the launch isn’t the finish line, it’s the starting gun.
So, should you launch on Product Hunt? Only if you’re willing to do the work. Study the platform’s new dynamics. Mobilize your network. Make it a celebration, not just a competition. And when the day is over, double down on the relationships and momentum you’ve built.
Because in the end, Product Hunt isn’t about the badge, it’s about what you do with the spotlight when you’ve got it. And if you play it right, that spotlight can shine long after launch day is over.
