Is Product Hunt Still Worth It? Here’s What Our Launch Taught Us 🐱💰

Introduction

On Novemebr 17th, our product Momen, a full-stack no-code web app buider, launched on Product Hunt, and was awarded Product of the Day top 1.

We had our doubts. People often claim that Product Hunt has become a “pay-to-win” arena, where smaller teams struggle to compete against big-budget launches. But for us, it wasn’t just about chasing votes—it was about visibility, trust, and testing our reach.

To our surprise, the outcomes far exceeded our expectations. This launch has boosted our web traffic 500%. And within one day, our backlinks have increased 2.4k and organic keywords have increased 1.5k.

In this blog, I’ll break down why we launched on Product Hunt, the detailed plan we followed, and the lessons we learned along the way. Whether you’re planning your first launch or considering giving it another shot, this guide might be helpful to you. 🚀

Before Everything Starts: Craft a Detailed Launch Plan

A well-structured launch plan is the foundation of a successful product debut, ensuring that all elements align for maximum impact. In this section we'll go through how Momen set the plans from selecting the perfect launch day to setting clear goals and timelines.

Choose the Right Time for Your Launch

The first step is determining the optimal day for your launch. Your choice should align with your specific goals:

• Weekend: Best for visibility and ranking, as competition is often less intense.

• Weekdays: Ideal for higher engagement and conversions, as more users are actively browsing and interacting during workdays.

We choose Sunday because our goal is to rank in #1. Though there's less traffic, but it's the best chance to win #1. If your goal is to gain more conversions and engagement for your product, week days would be a good choice.

We also considered the time zone so that we can make a detailed plan based on our timeline. The official launching time is 12:01 AM PST, allowing us to capture attention from both early risers in the U.S. and users in Europe and Asia.

Refine Your Goals and Timeline

Before we began to prepare, our team created a detailed document outlining our goals for the launch, the timeline from preparation to launch day, and the key elements required to ensure everything ran smoothly. We completed this outline a month before the launch to allow ample time for team and audience engagement.

The following is our goal and timeline:

Goal

Product of the day #1 (aiming for 600 upvotes)

We set the 600-vote goal based on historical data showing that 500-600 votes are typically enough to secure the top spot on weekends. To account for unexpected competition, we set a higher target to ensure success.

Timeline

With the timeline in place, we then mapped out specific tactics for each phase. This phased approach not only helped us allocate resources effectively but also ensured we could track any gaps in our plan.

Pre-launch Preparation: Setting the Stage for Success

Crafting the Perfect Product Hunt Launch Page

Creating a compelling Product Hunt launch page is one of your most valuable marketing assets. A well-crafted page not only attracts attention but also communicates the value of your product effectively. Here's a checklist of essential elements that we used for our Product Hunt launch page, which should cover everything you need to get started for a launch.

Product Hunt Content Checklist

Teaser page content

• Tagline
• Description
• Banner image (1:2 for desktop, 1:1 for mobile)

Launch day content

• Name
• Tagline
• URL
• Product icon
• Social media URL
• Description
• Topic (your product's category)
• Product gallery (4-6 images)
• First maker comment
• Additional makers
• Shoutouts
• Promo code

High-Quality Visuals and Descriptions

We focus on developing a product description that clearly outlines the problem our product solves. High-quality visuals play a significant role in capturing attention. We ensure the images and videos highlight the unique features of my product. This approach not only attracts potential users but also communicates the value of our product effectively.

Maker's Comment

One of the most important components of your launch page is the maker's comment. We asked our CEO Yaokai to prepare a personal message for launch day. In his comment, he shared his background, the story behind Momen, and our product’s value proposition. This help us connect with our audience and build the credibility.

Interactive Demo

You can also add an interactive demo to make your launch page more engaging. Leverage tools like Arcade, Navattic, Storylane etc,. Adding an interactive demo is a great way to give your audience a firsthand experience and demonstrate your product’s value quickly.

Note: Decide whether to post the product yourself or collaborate with a hunter. A hunter means someone influential on Product Hunt, often with a following of engaged community members who trust their recommendations. Making a hunter post your launch would certainly brings exposure and credibility in the community.

Building an Engaged Audience and Network

Step 1: Identify and Categorize Your Channels

Building an engaged audience is crucial—and it’s something you should start well in advance of your launch. To ensure a structured approach, we categorized our audience engagement channels into internal and external groups.

Step 2: Execute Your Teaser Phase

Once we confirmed our channels, we start to execute the teaser promotion. Here's how we approached this important phase:

Send Pre-launch Teasers Across All Channels

Internal Channels:

• Send teaser emails to our existing users, hinting at key features or benefits.

• Post countdowns or sneak peeks on official social media accounts.

Note:
While building support for your launch, it’s crucial to follow Product Hunt’s guidelines to avoid penalties and ensure credibility:
Don’t Offer Incentives: Never provide incentives to users in exchange for their votes. Such practices violate Product Hunt’s rules and may lead to disqualification or penalties.
Avoid New Account Voting: Asking users to register new accounts solely to vote for you is counterproductive. Votes from new accounts carry significantly less weight and may trigger flags if a large number of them are detected.

External Channels:

• Reach out to other makers launching soon and propose mutual support. For example, “vote exchanges” or cross-promotion of teasers can create mutually beneficial relationships.

• Posting in Reddit subs to introduce our product and also seek early supporters.

• Engage with influencers that we collaborated before. Ask them to post about our product on our launch day, so that we'll attract traffic to our website and amplify our visibility.

Engage with Product Hunt Community

We also be active in the community by commenting under other products and host discussions. One of the benefits of scheduling your Product Hunt launch is the "launching soon" badge that appears next to your profile. This simple feature offers great visibility and can serve as a subtle but effective teaser for your upcoming product.

The more users you notify ahead of time, the more likely your launch page is to stay visible and gain traction. By getting early supporters to support your launch, you increase the chances of your page being featured prominently on Product Hunt. Having a solid group of early backers helps avoid the risk of your page being buried beneath other new launches.

Timing Your Launch for Maximum Impact

Timing plays a crucial role in the success of a Product Hunt launch. Timing plays a crucial role in the success of a Product Hunt launch. But timing isn’t just about choosing the right time of day—it's about strategically planning your timeline and task distribution for launch day.

We planned the logistics for engaging with the community throughout the launch day. From the moment the launch went live, we outlined key tasks and activities to ensure we could generate consistent engagement from multiple channels. Whether it was responding to comments, reaching out on social media, or collaborating with influencers, we made sure we were active and responsive throughout the day.

Based on prior data, we aimed to secure between 150-200 votes in the initial four hours. To achieve this, we aligned our announcements within that timeframe, anticipating natural inflows of votes initially. Starting from the fifth hour, we intended to engage with our previously established network, as this channel allows for quicker and more controllable voting responses compared to emails and broader social media outreach. We meticulously adjusted our plan for each hour, contacting different networks at each stage.

By coordinating all of these moving parts, we ensured that our launch not only reached a global audience but also generated sustained engagement throughout the day.

Launch Day Strategy: Making a Splash

On launch day, we followed our logistics of the day focus on creating buzz and sustained engagement. This involves a strategic approach to announcing the launch and interacting with the Product Hunt community.

Creating Buzz and Engagement

Here are some strategies we used to ensure our launch attracted attention and kept the momentum going:

1. Social Media and Email Announcements: We first post updates on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. And we sent email to users. These posts include key details about the product and a call to action for support. Since our audience was global, we made sure to schedule posts at different times throughout the day to reach users in various time zones. This helped ensure that our message got noticed by people in North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. By strategically posting on different platforms and at different times, we maximized the reach of our launch announcement.

2. Engage the Network Built: In the pre-launch phase, we made an effort to connect with other makers in the Product Hunt community and our early supporters. We reached out to these contacts in the days leading up to the launch, letting them know when our product would go live and asking for their support. On launch day, we followed up with this network to remind them of the launch and encourage them to support our product. Engaging with people who had already shown interest in the pre-launch phase gave us a solid base of initial supporters, and their involvement helped generate momentum for the rest of the day.

3. Collaborate with Influencers: Momen has established long term collaboration with some influencers before launch. We reached out to them before our launch day to confirm the content and details of our launch. So that they can help us to amplify our message on launch day.

4. Embeding the vote button on your website: On the launch day, you can find the embed code in your Product Hub. Embeding the button is a simple but effective way to leverage your existing audience and drive traffic to your Product Hunt profile.

Monitoring Performance and Adjusting Tactics

During the launch day, it's essential to monitor your launch’s performance closely and adjust your tactics in real time. Here’s how we did it:

Track Upvotes and Engagement with Tools

Throughout the day, we use Hunted Space to track upvotes and engagement levels. This tool gave us access to real-time data, which was crucial since Product Hunt's order is randomized for the first four hours, and votes are not visible during this period. This tool helped us make informed decisions about our strategy.

Maintain a Steady Upvote Rate

One key metric we closely monitored was the upvote rate. Due to Product Hunt algorithm, it’s important to maintain a steady, consistent stream of votes throughout the day. A sudden surge of votes could be penalized by community.

It's best to keep the rate about 25-50 votes/hour. If it's too slow, we ramped up our outreach across social media, email, and other channels to encourage more engagement; if the vote increases too fast, we slow our pace to avoid penalties.

Comment Matters

When you are outreaching to your network, don't just ask for votes. An insightful comment could be much more valuable that a vote. Comments provide additional context about your product, spark engagement, and demonstrate authentic interest. It's also a good method to ask your engaged users to write some comments for you since they're familiar with the product. Their detailed feedback or personal experiences can help others understand the value and functionality of your offering.

For example, during Momen's launch, we received over 100 high-quality comments, which significantly boosted engagement. Our CEO was actively involved throughout the day, responding to every comment promptly and thoughtfully. This effort not only showcased our commitment to user interaction but also addressed questions and highlighted key product features.

Emergency Plans for Launch Day

As part of our preparation, we had an emergency plan in place for any potential issues on launch day. Here are a few things we prepared for:

• Product not featured on the homepage: We planned to reach out to the Product Hunt team (hello@producthunt.com) if our product wasn’t featured prominently or if we encountered any issues with the listing.

• Votes being cut: If we noticed that our votes were being removed or flagged by Product Hunt’s algorithm, we had a strategy to adjust our outreach to maintain a steady, natural voting flow.

• Website issues: We anticipated potential technical issues, like slow loading times or site crashes, and made sure our development team was on standby to resolve any issues quickly.

By outlining potential problems and solutions in advance, we were able to remain calm and handle any issues that arose without panic.

Launch Tips

No matter how detailed your launch plan is, unexpected challenges will arise on the big day. Based on our experience, here are some key lessons and actionable tips to help you navigate the uncertainties and maximize your success.

⬆️Tip 1：

Your vote count depends on the competitiveness of other launches. We initially aimed for 600 votes, expecting a relatively quiet weekend. However, due to unexpected competition, we ended up needing 700 votes to secure the #1 spot.

❗️Tip 2:

Only 30-40% of the products will be featured on the homepage on launch day. Not being featured means your product won't have the chance to win the badge. Make sure you are prepared according to Product Hunt's featuring guideline.

💡Tip 3:

When building your network, prioritize connecting with Product Hunt users who have gold or silver badge, as their votes carry greater weight in determining your ranking. For example, despite having more total votes (400 by the 20th hour), we ranked lower than a competitor with only 300 votes because they had a higher number of high-weight supporters.

✅ Tip 4:

The first four hours of your launch are critical. Product Hunt monitors upvote activity closely, especially during the early hours. Rapid or unnatural voting patterns can lead to flagged or discounted votes. To avoid this, focus on attracting organic traffic during this initial period. Once this organic base is established, gradually activate your engaged network to support your product.

Post-launch Actions: Sustaining Momentum

After the initial excitement of Momen's launch, we focus on sustaining momentum and leveraging the exposure that Product Hunt brought. Here’s how:

1. Leverage Increased Traffic

Use the surge in traffic to drive conversions with clear CTAs on your site.

Retarget visitors with follow-up campaigns to keep them engaged.

1. Maximize SEO Gains

Product Hunt’s backlinks can boost your site’s authority. Build on this by creating content that references your launch success.

1. Build on PR Opportunities

Use your Product Hunt ranking to secure interviews and collaborations with influencers and media outlets.

Final Thoughts

Launching on Product Hunt is a powerful way to boost your product's visibility and credibility, even in today's evolving landscape. For Momen, the benefits of this launch were undeniable:

Almost 500 Signups on the launch day alone.

A 500% spike in web traffic compared to our regular average.

2.4k new backlinks generated within the first 24 hours.

An increase of 1.5k organic keywords, significantly expanding our SEO footprint.

Media Recognition: Invitations from 2 media outlets for interviews and features.

Newsletter Spotlights: Coverage in high-profile newsletters.

While some believe Product Hunt's impact has diminished, our experience demonstrates its continued potential when approached strategically.

We hope the insights and strategies from Momen’s Product Hunt launch is helpful for you. Remember, with thoughtful planning, strong community engagement, and a robust network, your product can achieve remarkable results.

Good luck with your launch! 🚀

If you're curious about no-code development and want to build your own mvps, SaaS, AI apps etc, Momen is your choice. Don’t miss our exclusive Product Hunt offer—enjoy 50% off (until Dec. 31st) by using code 9744278 during onboarding.