How to Prepare Product Hunt

Launching on Product Hunt is a big deal, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you prepare strategically over four weeks. So we made a step-by-step video tutorial to guide you through the process.

Between the two of us, we won the #1 Product of the Day badge on Product Hunt multiple times and got 10000s of upvotes. We’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. This guide breaks down the steps to get your product and marketing ready, so you can make the most of your launch day! 🙌

Week One: Set Up for Success

During the first week, you’re laying the groundwork. Here’s what to focus on:

• Notify Me Page: Create a landing page with a "Notify Me" button so potential users can subscribe to updates about your launch.
• Outreach Strategy: Start collecting people’s emails and contacts in a Google Sheet. These will be the folks you’ll engage with throughout the launch process.
• Set Up Engagement Channels: Join communities on platforms like Twitter, Slack, and Telegram. Introduce yourself and your product, and start building relationships.
• Initial Content Creation: Draft some basic posts to announce your upcoming launch and get feedback on your landing page, visuals, or even product demos.

Week Two: Survive and Engage

The second week is all about survival. You’re going to feel overwhelmed, but this is when you begin finding your marketing voice.

• Daily Engagement: Spend about 3 hours a day connecting with potential users, sharing posts, and interacting with the community.
• Content Testing: Try out different types of content—text, images, or even video—to see what resonates best with your audience. You’re in testing mode here.
• Keep Growing Your Google Sheet: Every day, aim to add around 20 people to your Google Sheet to build up a solid outreach list.
• Hate Marketing, But Keep Going: It’s normal to hate the grind at this point. You’ll be learning a lot and starting to refine your approach as you survive through daily engagement.

Week Three: Scale Your Engagement

By now, you’re more comfortable with what works. In week three, you’ll start scaling your efforts.

• Scaling Content: Continue building discussions on Product Hunt, engaging more deeply with your audience, and creating more content. You should now have a sense of what works best.
• Reach Goals: Aim for at least 100 people on your "Notify Me" page and 500 people in your outreach list by the end of this week. This daily outreach remains key.
• Focus on Fun: Make the engagement process enjoyable. Find creative ways to engage with your audience and build real connections, which will translate to excitement around your launch.

Week Four: Preparing for Launch Day

This is the most critical week before your Product Hunt launch. You’ll want to prepare as much as possible so that launch day is smooth.

• Content Preparation: Have all of your social media posts, messages, and emails prepared before launch day. You won’t have time to write on the day of the launch!
• Divide Your Outreach: If you’ve built a large outreach list (e.g., 700 people), break it into manageable chunks to message throughout the day. Stay organized!
• Pre-launch Post: The night before your launch, share a personal post about how you’re feeling, and remind people to check out your Product Hunt page. This will keep your launch in people’s minds the next morning.

Launch Day: 3 Phases of Success

When launch day arrives, it will be intense, but by following these three phases, you’ll be ready.

1. Initial Launch: When the product is first visible on Product Hunt, make sure all your content is posted. Send out messages to your list, notify your groups, and start the buzz.
2. Visibility & Engagement: Your goal early on is to land in the top five. Reach out to your core supporters and engage with the community. Keep posting and replying to comments.
3. Sustain Momentum: Throughout the day, continue to engage, reply to comments, and keep posting on your various platforms. You’ve prepared everything, so now it's just about execution.

Final Tips for a Smooth Launch Day

• Prepare Replies: Have pre-written responses ready to save time replying to comments.
• Technical Prep: Ensure your app or product is working smoothly with tools like Sentry to catch bugs before users complain.
• Stay Calm & Have Fun: Enjoy the process! Launch day is exciting, but preparation is key to keeping everything under control.

Wrapping Up

The full playlist is available here.

Launching on Product Hunt is a marathon, not a sprint. By preparing over four weeks, scaling your efforts, and keeping it fun, you’ll not only have a great launch day but also build lasting relationships with your audience. Keep engaging, keep testing, and remember to enjoy the journey!

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