The anatomy of a launch plan

Despite what you can read here and there, there certainly isn't a formula to launch on Product Hunt. Still, there's a set of principles to help maximize your chances with your launch:

1. Polish your content and visual assets;
2. Engage with the community;
3. On launch day, launch at 12:01 AM PST and spread the word;

Setting up the launchpad

To start, below are the required inputs to submit a new product on Product Hunt. You can find them here on GitHub to get started.

• Name of the product: simply the name of your product in 40 characters or less;
• Tagline: a concise and descriptive tagline in 60 characters max; avoid hyperbolic words and emojis — keep it simple;
• Description: a short description of what the product does in less than 260 characters; supports basic HTML: <strong>, <em>, <a>, <li>;
• First comment: tells the story, explains why you’re building the product, and invites people to join the conversation;
• Thumbnail: a 240 x 240 pixel thumbnail;
• Image gallery: 2 to 8 images to show your product; avoid stock images and marketing fluff. Show the product, i.e. product screenshots. You can add social proof and a call-to-action to inspire action; The first image is used as the social preview when you share the link to your launch page.

For inspiration, below are some images from great dev-first product launches:

Appwrite shows the product.

Lago highlighted testimonials and GitHub stars.

Supabase added a call-to-action to inspire action.

Tanya Rai and her team launched LastMile AI in October 2023 and ranked #2 Product of the Day and #4 Product of the Week. In this blog post, Tanya shared some lessons learned, and I really enjoyed this quote on polishing the details:

We spent some time nailing the messaging in a way that was palatable to the Product Hunt community. It's good to tailor your messaging and media assets to the community — it will resonate more.
— Tanya Rai, Product Manager, LastMile AI

Now that you've polished the details and tailored the messaging and visual assets in a simple and straightforward way, it's time to schedule the launch and submit the product. I recommend finding a Hunter.

Finding a Hunter

Do you need someone specific to submit your open-source product on Product Hunt? By default, the answer is no. According to Product Hunt, using a Hunter isn't a barrier to success:

• 79% of featured posts were by makers who self-hunted;
• 60% of #1 Product of the Day winners were self-hunted.

If finding a Hunter isn't a requirement per se, you may need one for three main reasons:

1. a Hunter reviews your inputs, gives feedback, and suggests improvements;
2. on launch day, a Hunter can support by upvoting and replying to comments;
3. a Hunter can leverage networks by promoting your launch on socials;

When done right, a Hunter is a catalyst for your launch.
— Repost this

Take n8n, an open-source Zapier alternative. When the team launched its 1.0 in July 2023 (ranked #1 Product of the Day and #2 Product of the Week), it partnered with Chris Messina, and Luis Guzmán, Head of Marketing, puts it very eloquently:

A recognized Hunter makes a difference. We partnered with Chris Messina to be our Hunter, and it helped a lot — even when Product Hunt says it doesn't.
— Luis Guzmán, Head of Marketing, n8n

Here's another example. When we launched Specify, we collaborated with Hiten Shah. We chose to partner with Hiten because he has an influence on Product Hunt and beyond. Above all, it was a fantastic feeling for the team, e.g. an extra source of motivation prior to the launch.

More personally, when I collaborate with teams to help them launch, like Corbado (launched in January 2024, ranked #4 Product of the Day), I'm committed to challenging every aspect of the launch plan and supporting on launch days by leveraging my network.

If anyone can submit a product on Product Hunt anytime, a Hunter certainly helps with the launch.

Warming up

In this blog post, Product Hunt's founder, Ryan Hoover, wrote:

Building a startup? Build an audience, first.
— Ryan Hoover, Founder, Product Hunt

This could apply to product launches, too: if you're launching on Product Hunt, build an audience first.

You can schedule your launch up to 30 days ahead. Below are some ideas to get started:

• Create a Coming Soon page;
• Add your upcoming launch on hunted.space;
• Schedule as much content as possible: social posts, website banner, email campaigns;
• Host an AMA session — see examples from Documenso here and Supabase there;
• Support other product launches.

Also, make sure to tease your network and community early.

We let our network and product community know that we had planned to launch on Product Hunt. It was super valuable for us to have support from our existing users and network and they came through for us.
— Tanya Rai, Product Manager, LastMile AI

In this file, I suggest some ideas to leverage your community:

• List some key elements to play and mix;
• Include links to posts and comments for inspiration.

Let's recap.

So far, you have:

• polished the details: messaging and visual assets;
• found a Hunter;
• scheduled your launch;
• scheduled as much content as possible;
• started raising awareness, reaching out to your influencers, and engaging on Product Hunt;

You're ready to go live.