DEV Community: Vasyl Holiney

Sometimes the Best Strategy Isn't Being First

Vasyl Holiney — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:21:10 +0000

When people launch a new product, the instinct is usually the same: invent a brand-new category, create a completely different workflow, and convince everyone they've never seen anything like it before.

I decided to do the opposite.

Today I'm building Sowiks, a screenshot tool. It's hardly a new category. There are excellent competitors with loyal users, polished products, and years of development behind them.

And honestly, that's one of the biggest advantages.

The most expensive marketing campaign has already been paid for.

Thousands of users already understand why a dedicated screenshot tool is better than the built-in one that comes with their operating system. They've already learned the workflows, adopted the habits, and integrated these tools into their daily work.

I don't have to teach the market that screenshot tools matter.

I only have to convince people that Sowiks is a better choice.

Competing for Preference, Not for Awareness

One of the biggest misconceptions in startups is that competition is bad.

In reality, having no competitors often means there's no proven demand—or worse, that you'll have to spend years educating the market before anyone is willing to buy.

In an established category, users are already searching for solutions. They're typing queries into Google, watching YouTube reviews, comparing products on Reddit, and asking colleagues for recommendations.

That's a completely different marketing problem.

Instead of asking:

"Why would anyone need this?"

the conversation becomes:

"Why should I switch to your product?"

From a marketing perspective, those are worlds apart.

My Biggest Advantage? I'm Already a Customer.

For years I've been a happy CleanShot X user.

I've recommended it to friends, coworkers, and other founders countless times.

Now I'm trying to replace it—with my own product.

That turns out to be one of the most honest forms of product validation.

Every time I instinctively reach for a feature that doesn't exist yet in Sowiks, I feel the friction immediately. I don't need surveys to tell me what's missing—I experience it myself.

There's another lesson hidden in that.

I'm not trying to redesign familiar workflows simply to look different.

If an interaction already works and millions of users understand it, changing it for the sake of originality usually creates more friction than value.

Users shouldn't have to relearn everything just because they've installed a new app.

Let them keep their habits.

Then give them reasons to stay.

Don't Copy Features. Create Reasons to Switch.

The hardest part isn't building something that looks similar.

The hardest part is giving someone enough value to overcome the switching cost.

People don't just invest money in software.

They invest muscle memory.

Keyboard shortcuts.

Automations.

Years of habit.

A new product doesn't win by being almost as good.

It wins by consistently saving time, removing frustration, or unlocking workflows that weren't possible before.

For example, one feature I'm building automatically uploads screenshots directly into the WordPress media library while I'm writing articles.

It's a tiny improvement.

But for me, it saves around twenty minutes every single time I publish a post.

That's the kind of feature that justifies switching.

The Monobank Strategy

This reminds me of how Monobank entered the Ukrainian banking market.

They didn't invent online banking.

They simply looked at what people already used and made almost every part of the experience a little bit better.

Same category.

Same service.

Better execution.

It's a strategy that reminds me of Formula 1.

At first you stay in another driver's slipstream, using less energy while learning the race.

Then, when the opportunity appears, you overtake.

Being first is expensive.

Being better is often much cheaper.

The Most Underrated Source of Product Ideas

Recently I've started doing something I never did before.

Before building a major feature, I read my competitors' changelogs.

Not their landing pages.

Not their feature comparison tables.

The release history.

Sometimes going back several years.

Marketing pages only show the polished destination.

A changelog shows the journey.

You can see features that were rewritten three times.

Ideas that quietly disappeared after a few releases.

Capabilities that took years to mature.

Product decisions that looked obvious in hindsight—but clearly weren't obvious while they were being built.

In many ways, a competitor's changelog is a public archive of their mistakes, trade-offs, and technical debt.

And the best part?

You get to learn from those lessons for free.

It's also a surprisingly powerful marketing resource.

If a company keeps investing in the same area year after year, users probably care about it.

If a feature appears once and is never mentioned again, maybe it never created meaningful value.

These days I ask AI a different question.

Instead of asking:

"How should I build this?"

I ask:

"What have competitors already learned the hard way?"

The second question usually saves far more time.

Marketing Starts Long Before Launch Day

One thing I've come to appreciate is that marketing doesn't begin when you start buying ads.

Marketing begins when you're studying customers.

Reading App Store reviews.

Analyzing competitor roadmaps.

Understanding which features people happily pay for—and which ones they completely ignore.

You're essentially observing a giant focus group that someone else has already funded.

That's an incredible advantage if you're willing to pay attention.

What the App Store Review Process Taught Me

Launching on Apple's App Store reinforced the same lesson: learn from mistakes—preferably someone else's.

Here are three things I wish I'd known sooner.

1. Sign in with Apple isn't optional.

If your app supports third-party login like Google or Facebook, Apple expects you to offer Sign in with Apple as well.

2. Users must be able to delete their account completely.

Not by emailing support.

Not by submitting a request.

Directly from inside the app.

3. Your App Store listing must match reality exactly.

Most of my rejections weren't caused by bugs.

They happened because the product description suggested functionality that wasn't available yet—or wasn't clearly explained.

That's a marketing lesson as much as an App Store lesson.

Great marketing doesn't promise more than the product actually delivers.

Sometimes a single sentence costs several extra days waiting for another review.

Final Thoughts

I don't believe "never be first" is universal advice.

Some categories absolutely reward the pioneers.

But if you're entering a market where customers already understand the problem, competitors have already educated the audience, and you personally use the existing products every day, maybe you don't need to invent an entirely new category.

Maybe you simply need to build the product you always wished existed.

Because sometimes the strongest marketing strategy isn't creating a new market.

It's becoming the obvious choice in one that already exists.

Is Product Hunt Dead or What Results Can You Expect from Product Hunt Launch?

Vasyl Holiney — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 05:25:06 +0000

Product Hunt is the go-to platform for startups looking to make a splash.

However, recently, we've seen a lot of controversial feedback about launching on PH. Some founders find the experience frustrating:

While others are 100% satisfied with their results:

Launching on Product Hunt has become more challenging recently, as makers have noticed.

In response, Product Hunt CEO Rajiv Ayyangar shared that they've raised the bar for what gets featured on the homepage.

Our job is to be a site where the most interesting, impactful, creative products rise to the top. We can’t just feature everyone’s AI wrapper.

This is part of our commitment to highlighting only the most innovative and impactful products.

That’s why MySignature.io decided to conduct a small investigation to find out if it is still worth launching on PH in 2024-2025 and what realistic results can be expected.

We surveyed dozens of services launched on PH this year and secured a spot in the top 10 products of the day.

First of all, why do users launch on PH? Are they looking for traffic, leads, sales, links for SEO, or simply to get a PH badge for their homepage?

What motivates users to launch on ProductHunt?

According to our findings, 80% of users seek exposure and visibility for their products, 62% want to attract new users, 50% aim to earn the PH badge (looks great on your homepage and makes you feel like a tech superstar!), and interestingly, in fourth place is aiming to get feedback and validation.

Nothing surprising, right? Most users want to showcase their products and gain valuable feedback.

How many visitors can you expect from ProductHunt?

One of the most valuable insights from our survey is the amount of traffic a launch can generate. So, how many visitors can you expect from the Product Hunt platform?

According to a MySignature.io survey, 26.5% of launches attract 500-1000 users from PH.

Another 22.4% saw even more success, gaining 1000-2000 users. Meanwhile, 24.5% managed to get only 100-500 users.

Only 10.2% of the luckiest launches can boast about attracting 2000-5000 users.

The real question is: does this surge in PH traffic actually turn into meaningful results - leads and sales?

Could ProductHunt be the growth catalyst you’re hoping for or just another short-lived traffic spike?

Will Product Hunt users register on your website after launch?

Generally, yes. 50% of founders report seeing some increase in registrations after launching on Product Hunt. 30% experience a significant increase in registrations, while 16% don’t notice any spikes.

Alexander Belogubov, founder of IndieMerger, says that the conversion rate of Product Hunt traffic varies significantly from product to product. For some, it can be 20-30% higher than expected, while for others, it may be almost 50% lower. This variation largely depends on factors such as the product’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), how well it resonates with the Product Hunt audience and the overall market fit.

What can we conclude about sales?

ProductHunt isn’t primarily designed to drive sales or registrations. Yes, many successful launches enjoy these benefits — users, sales, and recognition. Some even attract investment.

However, we’ve observed that ProductHunt is best used for generating traffic and gathering feedback.

42% saw some sales increase after the launch, while for 14%, sales were not a goal.

Oleksandr Buratynskyi, a founder of tTravel.me, says that Product Hunt provides one of the most valuable resources for any startup: early adopters and social proof, which you can showcase on your website. Beyond that, you can reach out to users who upvote your product, ask for their feedback, and even offer them exclusive discounts, fostering deeper connections and driving growth.

Does Product Hunt help find new partners and investors?

Yes! 54% of services that launched on Product Hunt were able to establish valuable partnerships or connections within the tech industry.

Viktor, the founder of buzzabout, regarding his results after the Product Hunt launch:

We've gained over 2,000 new users, received hundreds of emails from people who love your product, and dozens of collaboration requests or investment offers. And then it hits you — that was just the first curve on your journey.

Does Product Hunt help get featured in mass media?

Usually not. 56% of launches don’t receive media coverage or press mentions after their Product Hunt debut.

What is the best day to launch on Product Hunt?

It depends on your goal — whether you want the most visibility or the best chance of getting the #1-3 spots.

We analyzed the number of upvotes needed to secure the #1-3 positions. Tuesday, Monday, and Thursday are the most competitive days, requiring the highest number of upvotes. These days are also likely to have the most traffic, which means launching on them can give you greater visibility but also more competition.

Source: Product Hunt data

If your goal is to get the PH budget or link for SEO, consider Saturday and Sunday as the days of your launch.

Time spent vs. results — is Product Hunt worth it?

Getting 1,000 or even 10,000 users after launch is impressive, but would you still consider the launch a success if your team spent 250 hours preparing for it?

We didn’t specifically ask respondents about the ROI of their Product Hunt launch, but we did ask two typical "NPS" questions:

How would you rate your overall experience with launching on Product Hunt?

56% of respondents rated their experience as very satisfied.

And 61% said they would definitely recommend launching on Product Hunt.

Alex Bargoff, CEO of outsource software development company:

Launching on Product Hunt the right way requires a lot of preparation. And if you do it honestly, there’s an 80% chance you’ll get overshadowed by those who pay bots and farms to boost their votes and comments.

Final thoughts

Overall, our respondents say a Product Hunt launch is usually worth it. Product Hunt is great for building brand awareness, but don’t expect a ton of signups. Think of it as a chance to create some buzz and get noticed. Plus, you’ll snag a valuable link for SEO — who doesn’t want a little extra boost for their rankings?

Given that big companies like OpenAI and Miro are launching on Product Hunt, Google will consider links and traffic from PH to be very reliable for your SEO.

Oleksandr Buratynskyi, founder of tTravel.me / the Ukrainian PH local community.

That said, keep in mind the time and resources you'll need to invest. Even if you don’t expect a lot of traffic and sales from Product Hunt, it’s important to consider these factors when planning your launch strategy.

Have you launched on ProductHunt recently? What is your experience?