How to run your project on Product Hunt: Administration Guide
There are dozens of different posts and articles, literally each of which claims to be the title of “Complete Guide to Launching a Project on Product Hunt.” Although the authors of these articles are guided by good intentions and most of their recommendations are reasonable, not all of them are true. This post will affect everything that could mislead you.
In this article we will tell:
Disclaimer: none of these tips guarantee 1,000 votes, wide publicity or a multitude of new users and traffic influx; These are the best methods for a successful launch. In addition, they may change as the Product Hunt platform evolves. Based on your feedback, we are constantly adding new features (such as “Ask a Question” and “Getting Ready for Launch”), as well as experimenting with new ideas to draw attention to good products and help their creators find their users.
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People often send us letters (to hello@producthunt.com) or write to someone from the team to talk about their product and ask for advice. About why this is not the most effective way to get to the main page, it goes on, but we always give advice with pleasure!
Here's what you need to do when starting on Product Hunt:
Register for Product Hunt : Getting to the main page will not work if the product is not on the site. Here you can post a new project. If you do not have access, log in and follow the steps below or ask a friend to invite you. You do not need to contact the "best hunters" or powerful users to get your product noticed. Basically, community members support products that they like and seem useful, so it’s much more important to create something worthwhile and clearly show the world what its value is.
Links : Place as the main link to the product or company website. Then add links to the App Store, Google Play and other resources where your product can be used or downloaded.
Name : Just the name of your product. Nothing supernatural!
Short Description (Tagline) : Describe why you need your product, laid out in 60 characters. More specifics! Tell us how the product is useful for people for whom it was made. If you have to omit 95% of the functions, do it. Avoid slogans, be guided by how users will look for the product after launch. Hint: if the description begins with the words “The best in the world ...”, perhaps you should come up with something else.
Avatar (Thumbnail) : Describes your product visually. Here, a static picture is best, or perhaps an unobtrusive GIF, to attract attention. In some cases, the gif can express the whole essence of the project (see Jack Dweck's Pitch with a GIF Collection).
Gallery : This is where you can turn around and showcase your product in all its glory; Gallery is the first thing people see when opening your post. Download at least two items here and notice the display order. If you upload a video (via a YouTube link), it will always be shown first. At least one image / GIF must be “tweetable” - that is, rectangular (with proportions of about 2: 1) in order to look good in social networks. Help people (and us) promote what you have created. PS Ideally, the image size / GIF should be below 3 MB.
Topics : Limit yourself to choosing 3-4 topics for your product. Even if it has a great interface, it does not mean that “User Experience” (User Experience) is your topic, you should not specify it.
The application for the iPhone-camera can be attributed to the themes “iPhone” and “Photo Tools”, whereas the product management application should include the topics “Productivity”, “Designer Tools” and “Developer Tools”.
Creators : If possible, try to refer to everyone who worked on the product (only personal accounts). This will allow them to join the discussion and get recognition for their hard work. In addition, there is another advantage: subscribers of each developer receive a notification on the day of launch of the product, which helps to convey the news to a wide audience. Therefore, be sure to mention all your teammates. To designate someone as a developer, it is necessary that he is registered on Product Hunt.
PS It's no harm to link your account with Twitter and Facebook so your friends can find you.
Links : Now you can add links to any resources that are relevant to your product. Refer to news stories, articles on Medium, user reviews, or funding requests in this section so that users can learn more about the project or company.
Creator's comment : Introduce yourself briefly: tell us about yourself, your team and the task that you are solving. In three or four sentences, state what the value of the product is, when and to whom it should be used and why you are developing it. If this is not the first launch on Product Hunt - say, a major update or an announcement of a grand new feature - explain what has changed.
Tip: Make it easier for people to get interested in the product. For example, if you are 16, you start your first project and answer questions in the middle of an algebra lesson - from this and dance! If you are a businessman who has mastered programming on your own - tell us about it. Create a story that will affect something in people and make you want to help you.
Links to social networks : It's time to add links to company accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Medium and AngelList! They will all be displayed directly in the sidebar. If you have vacancies on the Angel List, turn them on. The launch is the best moment to attract applicants.
Additionally:
Promotions : PH users love great deals. Feel free to post special offers or promotions in your first comment. Such launch gifts (for example, a 20% discount for 6 months) can increase engagement, attract attention and encourage people to try what you are working on .PS Dissemination of promotional codes in the comments that give members of the community early access works wonders
Ask for feedback : Dialogue is important. Want to start a conversation and get feedback - ask for it directly. Tell us exactly what kind of response you would like to see (for example, “Let me know what you think about the functions X, Y, Z). Products that are actively discussed, cause more interest and, in general, usually come to good results.
For the most part, everything that is said here concerns marketing. The main thing - do not spam.
Do not solicit voices . You can safely ask for feedback, but no voices and no voices again. People need to promote the product because they like it, not because they are pressured.
Do not spam people . Mass mailing by e-mail or on Twitter without prior consent with a request for feedback or votes is ineffective. Even if it is addressed to those who have already promoted similar products. If your tape is filled with dozens of identical messages, you are on the wrong track. Be original.
Do not use Thunderclap . All this applies to tools like Thunderclap, screaming about your launch at every corner - they are obviously ineffective: it is too much like spam, and the top-secret algorithm does not like spam.
Do not look for “Hunter” . You can safely promote your product yourself. If someone else has written about you, it’s okay, but it’s not worth spending a lot of time searching for Hunter, it only slows things down. You know your product better than anyone else, and the success of the project as a whole practically does not depend on who exactly places the post. Follow these steps to become a member of the community with the right to publish materials.
Do not link to the “producthunt.com” domain . Link to your product page directly, otherwise people will find it harder to find you. The fact that you refer to the Product Hunt page doesn’t affect the algorithm’s actions at all. It is considered “well-known” that the algorithm imposes sanctions for direct links to the product page, but this is not true. Focus on telling about yourself.
PS The link to producthunt.com is perhaps one of the most obvious signs of an “over-optimized” launch (i.e., an attempt to replay the system).
Clarify: The main thing is to share the product and tell people about it. One of the main indicators for which we, as a company, work, is directly related to how many users know about your product. Our interests coincide.
We are trying to stop only what is harming the community: intrusive mass information (i.e., spam) or attempts to deceive the system in order to get more votes (everything that is considered “popular” in the community). PS Such actions are very easy to detect (which is often confirmed by the screenshots that are sent to us). In addition, keep in mind that the votes that the system perceives as spam can lead to a downgrade in the overall rating.
It is better to give preference to a more natural way of communicating with users and creatively approach the promotion of the product. In the following sections, we will talk about the methods that give, according to the experience of the developers, especially good results, including those actions that can be taken in advance.
Check out Product Hunt : If you have never been to Product Hunt before - register (but do not create a company account yet). Spend a few days exploring the platform: follow the topics, comment, make friends in the course of discussions. Your account must be tied to a real person so that people know who they are talking to. For starters, you can try asking questions and offer recommendations in the Ask Product Hunt section.
Make a list of Mentors and Advisors : These are the people you can ask to support your launch on social networks. Try to seriously get acquainted with them. Avoid starting bulk emailing or tweeting the day before launch.
Gather your audience in advance: Use the product page in the Upcoming section (it looks like this ; more on this below) or landing page to collect the email database of those who are interested in your product. Some creators supervise groups with beta testers and potential Facebook users or channels in instant messengers like Slack. Creating a small group of people who will use your product before launch is one of the most important things you can do.
Upcoming pages (“Getting ready to launch”) on Product Hunt : This new tool will be available to everyone soon (we recently talked about it in more detail in the newsletter ). What they are, you can see here .
All products on the main page of Product Hunt are divided into two tabs: " Popular " and " New ." Each placed product first falls into the “New” category, and only then the most popular of them appear in the “Popular” list (saying name, yes?). Everyone wants to get there. If you use the above tips, your chances to gain a foothold on the main page will increase.
There are two ways to place a product: on your own or with someone’s help. People often place products they like without contacting their creators. So if your product is freely available, we advise you to submit it to Product Hunt as soon as possible. Community members love to be the first to discover new cool products, even if they are not flawless.
Get membership rights : If you do not have access to host a product, take these steps or ask a friend to invite you. We want you to become part of our community, our goal is to help you successfully launch your product and find something new for you.
Place your own product : As already mentioned, please place your product yourself: this will save you time and give you full control over the pre-launch campaign. If you write to random hunters via e-mail or on Twitter asking for help, this will most likely decrease your chances of success. We sit on Twitter for whole days and see when creators or companies spam members of the community (and this is important because the same people can be harassed several times a day).
Hunter : Developing the theme: it doesn't make much difference who exactly will place your product. Previously, this was important, since we sent hunter subscribers an email notification. But we have not done this for a long time. You'd better spend time on a small group of people who, even before the launch, will be interested in what you are creating, rather than on an “influential” hunter who owns only general information.
Best time to post : There is no uniquely perfect time, but there are factors to consider. The main page works on a 24-hour cycle. New products appear here at midnight, Pacific Standard Time (11 am Moscow time) and continue to be posted throughout the day. We try not to post new products after 11 am Pacific Standard Time (10 pm Moscow time) so that they do not go unheeded - such posts are postponed to the next day. Although there is no “magical” time, it is best to post until 9 am Pacific Standard Time (8 pm Moscow time), then people will have enough time to get acquainted with your product and discuss it.
Example 1: Boring Company
Magnificent miniatures and video for the gallery, which perfectly reflect the essence of the product.
Name: Company Name. Fine.
Short description: "The new company of Elon Mask, creating transport tunnels" - is short and clear, there is nowhere more obvious.
Topics: All three themes (Automobiles, Transportation, Technologies) clearly correlate with the real product (a network of underground automobile tunnels).
Icon: The icon (in this case - GIF-animation) clearly demonstrates the functionality and key features of the product.
Gallery: The gallery contains promo videos on YouTube, demonstrating the essence of the product, and several pictures / GIF-animations that give an idea of the functionality.
Creators: We are still waiting for Elon to join us ... But we can confirm that he received two Golden Kittens , which we sent him.
Example 2: Polymail
Links: The page has direct links to the Polymail website and to download the application in the App Store.
Name: Again - just the name of the product (Polymail).
Slogan: Competently issued a clear statement of the essence of the product.
Short Description: The essence of the project and the main functions that Polymail offers are in two clear, easy-to-understand lines.
Topics: The correct number of topics (2-4) - the client application for email on iOS / Mac fits well into the categories of Performance, Email, Technology
Icon: Even without using a bright gif as an icon, at the end of the year, the Polymail application received 4,700 votes and the Golden Kitten. Sometimes a simple logo is all that is needed.
Gallery: The creators of Polymail have posted several screenshots with the main functionality of the application (and interesting text, if you look closely). Pictures and GIF-animations on Product Hunt are always good.
Creators: The entire team that worked on the application is marked as “Creators,” and not just the founder or CEO.
Social networks: The Poymail team added information about their accounts on AngelList, GitHub, Facebook, Twitter and Medium.
Comment: Brandon's comment is short, informative and modest; the most suitable tone when you start the application. He simply and clearly explained the main differences between Polymail and competitors.
Suggestion: The Polymail development team invited all those who commented on the post (using codes) to the role of beta testers all day. This is a great example of how an offer that users like (early access) and is distributed publicly can whet the interest of the audience and encourage them to try the product.
Here we will share tips on marketing. There is no single approach, much depends on the context. Below are some effective methods tested by your predecessors. Remember that you can (and should) combine several different approaches at once (both personal: “We have just started!” And informative: “This is what you can do with the help of our product ...”). Asking your friends for help in spreading information is also a good move.
General tips : Tell us about the product by adding an image / gif to attract attention, without hashtags, but with the @ProductHunt tag. We are looking for new tweets and posts of companies or creators about the launch of a product that can be helped by retweeting or repost through our account.
Make the post more personal : Posts with eyeliner in the spirit of “I just launched my first product!” Or “After months of hard work, we are ready to share ...” find a greater response and attract a wider audience. Sincerity is the best policy.
Place accents . The very first words of the post are important - they must capture. Think that in the history of the creation of your product may interest people, and try to somehow link this with the advantages that it provides to them.
Let's link directly to your product page, not to producthunt.com.
Do not use hashtags . Or at least know the measure. Hashtags are highlighted in blue, links to which your visitors should click are also blue, as are references to other users via @. If the blue becomes too much, the link that you post to transfer the audience to the site will be lost among other things. PS Hashtags do not carry any value, unless it so coincides that they will be at the peak of popularity (usually this happens during live broadcasts or some major events). In all other cases, no one clicks on them, and as a result, they only violate the structure of the post and drag attention.
Pictures vs Gifs vs Video . Do not rely on previews, attach files. So your post will most likely be noticed in the feed (a preview may not be downloaded in some clients, so that only the link will be visible to users). The video can work, but only if it is an unprocessed demo recorded from a smartphone, or something just as simple (although it all depends on the specific case, you should not generalize too much). But in general, adding videos will inevitably lead to fewer clicks. We came to the conclusion that gifs provide an optimal balance to attract attention, transfer the necessary information about the product, but at the same time not reveal the cards so that the user lost the desire to go to the site. Speaking about the experience of Product Hunt, we actively use gifs and even created a separate twitter, where we place only them.
Marked vs mentions . In order for the post to be “cleaner” (that is, it contained less blue), mark the people in the photos, and do not mention them through @. The exception is made by situations when you want to emphasize that the person took part in the project, and not just pay his attention to the post. It is possible to mark people only in photos, in gifs and videos this possibility is not provided.
Our ability to promote the product is not unlimited. The main thing here is that the site visitors themselves want to tell others about it. You can achieve this by clearly explaining what your product is and what its value is. Make people experience emotions.
The name “ Pitch Decks From Top Startups ” (“ Pitch Decks from the creators of successful startups”; pitch decks - presentation of a business plan for investors - approx. Lane) conveys all the most important things. A brief description of the “Pitch Decks Collection that Gathered 700 Million Dollars”, the logos of popular startups and the creator’s comment all underline the value of the product.
However, it also happens that the name itself is not very informative. Take, for example, an application called Muzzle .
Short description: "Blocks notifications during the screen broadcast in order to avoid awkward situations" clearly explains what the product does: it blocks notifications. Notice, the description might look simpler: “Automatically turns on the Do Not Disturb mode when the screen is broadcast,” and then it probably would not have caused such a reaction:
Tweet : “A brilliant demonstration, the app is brilliant. Exactly what I needed, although I was so embarrassed for my notifications. ”
Make people experience emotions . Using the word “awkward” in relation to a situation in which it is easy to imagine yourself (screencasting) helps people to feel involved in the problem and easily understand the purpose of the product (even if the users themselves do not suffer from a similar problem).
Here are some popular Muzzle tweets:
Dave : “The best landing in history”
Ban : "The Best Leeeending"
Andreas : “The most. Best. Landing In the world."
Ryan : “The Best Demo Landing I Saw This Year”
Show yourself . The Muzzle team not only described its product well, but also created a funny landing page, where the user can experience the most awkward situations on his own screen. This landing makes visitors laugh and shows in parallel what Muzzle is for.
Think about how to present your product in such a way that a person who is not familiar with it will immediately understand the meaning. GIF-animation is the fastest way to convey the idea to users, besides, it is convenient to share gifs ( Giphy Capture and CloudApp are simple and popular applications in the community).
PS Your photo, photo of your team or other illustrations telling the story of product creation can work very well in social networks.
PPS For everyone, not just for those who launch the product: It will be great if you tell about any product using our tips. We are actively looking for good content for retweets, regardless of when it was published (just remember to put the @ProductHunt tag so that we can see it and place a link on the site).
Every day, we send hundreds of thousands of readers a newsletter with the five most popular products of the previous day. The best thing you can do to get into this digest is to focus on a successful launch using our tips. Sign up for the newsletter here .
After publication, you can also get into the list of newsletters.
The first part of the newsletter covers collections, topical issues, recommendations, the launch of major products and that this time Instagram has torn off Snapchat. This is the largest source of traffic from the newsletter, if we talk about the number of clicks.
If you want to be included in the newsletter, here's how to get our attention:
Create collections : Generate content related to your product. If you have just launched a stunning alarm clock for your phone, collect the collection “Applications that will help you start the day productively”. This will give us cool content to share with the community. If we use your collection, we will certainly give you credit for it. Let us know if you already have an interesting collection or collection idea (you can contact our newsletter editor directly on Twitter or via email ).
Ask for Product Hunt (Ask Product Hunt) : This relatively new section of the site is gaining popularity. He became an inspiration for future newsletters. We encourage you to also participate by asking questions and offering product recommendations: producthunt.com/ask
We hope this article was helpful to you. Have a good start! And remember: no matter how you go, you can never lose faith in yourself.
Fred uses the Time Travel option , which we recently added to watch top products for a particular day or month , including tops 2015 , 2016 and 2017 . Look through these tops for inspiration.
In this article we will tell:
- How to place a publication on Product Hunt
- What should focus
- What to avoid
- How to prepare in advance
- How to serve your product
- Bonus : How to make official Product Hunt accounts on Twitter and Facebook talk about you, as well as how to get into the newsletter that hundreds of thousands of readers receive every day (even after launch).
Disclaimer: none of these tips guarantee 1,000 votes, wide publicity or a multitude of new users and traffic influx; These are the best methods for a successful launch. In addition, they may change as the Product Hunt platform evolves. Based on your feedback, we are constantly adding new features (such as “Ask a Question” and “Getting Ready for Launch”), as well as experimenting with new ideas to draw attention to good products and help their creators find their users.
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Product Launch: Checklist
People often send us letters (to hello@producthunt.com) or write to someone from the team to talk about their product and ask for advice. About why this is not the most effective way to get to the main page, it goes on, but we always give advice with pleasure!
Here's what you need to do when starting on Product Hunt:
Register for Product Hunt : Getting to the main page will not work if the product is not on the site. Here you can post a new project. If you do not have access, log in and follow the steps below or ask a friend to invite you. You do not need to contact the "best hunters" or powerful users to get your product noticed. Basically, community members support products that they like and seem useful, so it’s much more important to create something worthwhile and clearly show the world what its value is.
Links : Place as the main link to the product or company website. Then add links to the App Store, Google Play and other resources where your product can be used or downloaded.
Name : Just the name of your product. Nothing supernatural!
Short Description (Tagline) : Describe why you need your product, laid out in 60 characters. More specifics! Tell us how the product is useful for people for whom it was made. If you have to omit 95% of the functions, do it. Avoid slogans, be guided by how users will look for the product after launch. Hint: if the description begins with the words “The best in the world ...”, perhaps you should come up with something else.
Avatar (Thumbnail) : Describes your product visually. Here, a static picture is best, or perhaps an unobtrusive GIF, to attract attention. In some cases, the gif can express the whole essence of the project (see Jack Dweck's Pitch with a GIF Collection).
Gallery : This is where you can turn around and showcase your product in all its glory; Gallery is the first thing people see when opening your post. Download at least two items here and notice the display order. If you upload a video (via a YouTube link), it will always be shown first. At least one image / GIF must be “tweetable” - that is, rectangular (with proportions of about 2: 1) in order to look good in social networks. Help people (and us) promote what you have created. PS Ideally, the image size / GIF should be below 3 MB.
Topics : Limit yourself to choosing 3-4 topics for your product. Even if it has a great interface, it does not mean that “User Experience” (User Experience) is your topic, you should not specify it.
The application for the iPhone-camera can be attributed to the themes “iPhone” and “Photo Tools”, whereas the product management application should include the topics “Productivity”, “Designer Tools” and “Developer Tools”.
Creators : If possible, try to refer to everyone who worked on the product (only personal accounts). This will allow them to join the discussion and get recognition for their hard work. In addition, there is another advantage: subscribers of each developer receive a notification on the day of launch of the product, which helps to convey the news to a wide audience. Therefore, be sure to mention all your teammates. To designate someone as a developer, it is necessary that he is registered on Product Hunt.
PS It's no harm to link your account with Twitter and Facebook so your friends can find you.
Links : Now you can add links to any resources that are relevant to your product. Refer to news stories, articles on Medium, user reviews, or funding requests in this section so that users can learn more about the project or company.
Creator's comment : Introduce yourself briefly: tell us about yourself, your team and the task that you are solving. In three or four sentences, state what the value of the product is, when and to whom it should be used and why you are developing it. If this is not the first launch on Product Hunt - say, a major update or an announcement of a grand new feature - explain what has changed.
Tip: Make it easier for people to get interested in the product. For example, if you are 16, you start your first project and answer questions in the middle of an algebra lesson - from this and dance! If you are a businessman who has mastered programming on your own - tell us about it. Create a story that will affect something in people and make you want to help you.
Links to social networks : It's time to add links to company accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Medium and AngelList! They will all be displayed directly in the sidebar. If you have vacancies on the Angel List, turn them on. The launch is the best moment to attract applicants.
Additionally:
Promotions : PH users love great deals. Feel free to post special offers or promotions in your first comment. Such launch gifts (for example, a 20% discount for 6 months) can increase engagement, attract attention and encourage people to try what you are working on .PS Dissemination of promotional codes in the comments that give members of the community early access works wonders
Ask for feedback : Dialogue is important. Want to start a conversation and get feedback - ask for it directly. Tell us exactly what kind of response you would like to see (for example, “Let me know what you think about the functions X, Y, Z). Products that are actively discussed, cause more interest and, in general, usually come to good results.
How not to do
For the most part, everything that is said here concerns marketing. The main thing - do not spam.
Do not solicit voices . You can safely ask for feedback, but no voices and no voices again. People need to promote the product because they like it, not because they are pressured.
Do not spam people . Mass mailing by e-mail or on Twitter without prior consent with a request for feedback or votes is ineffective. Even if it is addressed to those who have already promoted similar products. If your tape is filled with dozens of identical messages, you are on the wrong track. Be original.
Do not use Thunderclap . All this applies to tools like Thunderclap, screaming about your launch at every corner - they are obviously ineffective: it is too much like spam, and the top-secret algorithm does not like spam.
Do not look for “Hunter” . You can safely promote your product yourself. If someone else has written about you, it’s okay, but it’s not worth spending a lot of time searching for Hunter, it only slows things down. You know your product better than anyone else, and the success of the project as a whole practically does not depend on who exactly places the post. Follow these steps to become a member of the community with the right to publish materials.
Do not link to the “producthunt.com” domain . Link to your product page directly, otherwise people will find it harder to find you. The fact that you refer to the Product Hunt page doesn’t affect the algorithm’s actions at all. It is considered “well-known” that the algorithm imposes sanctions for direct links to the product page, but this is not true. Focus on telling about yourself.
PS The link to producthunt.com is perhaps one of the most obvious signs of an “over-optimized” launch (i.e., an attempt to replay the system).
Clarify: The main thing is to share the product and tell people about it. One of the main indicators for which we, as a company, work, is directly related to how many users know about your product. Our interests coincide.
We are trying to stop only what is harming the community: intrusive mass information (i.e., spam) or attempts to deceive the system in order to get more votes (everything that is considered “popular” in the community). PS Such actions are very easy to detect (which is often confirmed by the screenshots that are sent to us). In addition, keep in mind that the votes that the system perceives as spam can lead to a downgrade in the overall rating.
It is better to give preference to a more natural way of communicating with users and creatively approach the promotion of the product. In the following sections, we will talk about the methods that give, according to the experience of the developers, especially good results, including those actions that can be taken in advance.
A few months before launch
Check out Product Hunt : If you have never been to Product Hunt before - register (but do not create a company account yet). Spend a few days exploring the platform: follow the topics, comment, make friends in the course of discussions. Your account must be tied to a real person so that people know who they are talking to. For starters, you can try asking questions and offer recommendations in the Ask Product Hunt section.
Make a list of Mentors and Advisors : These are the people you can ask to support your launch on social networks. Try to seriously get acquainted with them. Avoid starting bulk emailing or tweeting the day before launch.
Gather your audience in advance: Use the product page in the Upcoming section (it looks like this ; more on this below) or landing page to collect the email database of those who are interested in your product. Some creators supervise groups with beta testers and potential Facebook users or channels in instant messengers like Slack. Creating a small group of people who will use your product before launch is one of the most important things you can do.
Upcoming pages (“Getting ready to launch”) on Product Hunt : This new tool will be available to everyone soon (we recently talked about it in more detail in the newsletter ). What they are, you can see here .
Accommodation
All products on the main page of Product Hunt are divided into two tabs: " Popular " and " New ." Each placed product first falls into the “New” category, and only then the most popular of them appear in the “Popular” list (saying name, yes?). Everyone wants to get there. If you use the above tips, your chances to gain a foothold on the main page will increase.
There are two ways to place a product: on your own or with someone’s help. People often place products they like without contacting their creators. So if your product is freely available, we advise you to submit it to Product Hunt as soon as possible. Community members love to be the first to discover new cool products, even if they are not flawless.
Get membership rights : If you do not have access to host a product, take these steps or ask a friend to invite you. We want you to become part of our community, our goal is to help you successfully launch your product and find something new for you.
Place your own product : As already mentioned, please place your product yourself: this will save you time and give you full control over the pre-launch campaign. If you write to random hunters via e-mail or on Twitter asking for help, this will most likely decrease your chances of success. We sit on Twitter for whole days and see when creators or companies spam members of the community (and this is important because the same people can be harassed several times a day).
Hunter : Developing the theme: it doesn't make much difference who exactly will place your product. Previously, this was important, since we sent hunter subscribers an email notification. But we have not done this for a long time. You'd better spend time on a small group of people who, even before the launch, will be interested in what you are creating, rather than on an “influential” hunter who owns only general information.
Best time to post : There is no uniquely perfect time, but there are factors to consider. The main page works on a 24-hour cycle. New products appear here at midnight, Pacific Standard Time (11 am Moscow time) and continue to be posted throughout the day. We try not to post new products after 11 am Pacific Standard Time (10 pm Moscow time) so that they do not go unheeded - such posts are postponed to the next day. Although there is no “magical” time, it is best to post until 9 am Pacific Standard Time (8 pm Moscow time), then people will have enough time to get acquainted with your product and discuss it.
Example 1: Boring Company
Magnificent miniatures and video for the gallery, which perfectly reflect the essence of the product.
Name: Company Name. Fine.
Short description: "The new company of Elon Mask, creating transport tunnels" - is short and clear, there is nowhere more obvious.
Topics: All three themes (Automobiles, Transportation, Technologies) clearly correlate with the real product (a network of underground automobile tunnels).
Icon: The icon (in this case - GIF-animation) clearly demonstrates the functionality and key features of the product.
Gallery: The gallery contains promo videos on YouTube, demonstrating the essence of the product, and several pictures / GIF-animations that give an idea of the functionality.
Creators: We are still waiting for Elon to join us ... But we can confirm that he received two Golden Kittens , which we sent him.
Example 2: Polymail
Links: The page has direct links to the Polymail website and to download the application in the App Store.
Name: Again - just the name of the product (Polymail).
Slogan: Competently issued a clear statement of the essence of the product.
Short Description: The essence of the project and the main functions that Polymail offers are in two clear, easy-to-understand lines.
Topics: The correct number of topics (2-4) - the client application for email on iOS / Mac fits well into the categories of Performance, Email, Technology
Icon: Even without using a bright gif as an icon, at the end of the year, the Polymail application received 4,700 votes and the Golden Kitten. Sometimes a simple logo is all that is needed.
Gallery: The creators of Polymail have posted several screenshots with the main functionality of the application (and interesting text, if you look closely). Pictures and GIF-animations on Product Hunt are always good.
Creators: The entire team that worked on the application is marked as “Creators,” and not just the founder or CEO.
Social networks: The Poymail team added information about their accounts on AngelList, GitHub, Facebook, Twitter and Medium.
Comment: Brandon's comment is short, informative and modest; the most suitable tone when you start the application. He simply and clearly explained the main differences between Polymail and competitors.
Suggestion: The Polymail development team invited all those who commented on the post (using codes) to the role of beta testers all day. This is a great example of how an offer that users like (early access) and is distributed publicly can whet the interest of the audience and encourage them to try the product.
Marketing and product promotion
Here we will share tips on marketing. There is no single approach, much depends on the context. Below are some effective methods tested by your predecessors. Remember that you can (and should) combine several different approaches at once (both personal: “We have just started!” And informative: “This is what you can do with the help of our product ...”). Asking your friends for help in spreading information is also a good move.
Tweets / Reposts on Facebook
General tips : Tell us about the product by adding an image / gif to attract attention, without hashtags, but with the @ProductHunt tag. We are looking for new tweets and posts of companies or creators about the launch of a product that can be helped by retweeting or repost through our account.
Make the post more personal : Posts with eyeliner in the spirit of “I just launched my first product!” Or “After months of hard work, we are ready to share ...” find a greater response and attract a wider audience. Sincerity is the best policy.
Place accents . The very first words of the post are important - they must capture. Think that in the history of the creation of your product may interest people, and try to somehow link this with the advantages that it provides to them.
Let's link directly to your product page, not to producthunt.com.
Do not use hashtags . Or at least know the measure. Hashtags are highlighted in blue, links to which your visitors should click are also blue, as are references to other users via @. If the blue becomes too much, the link that you post to transfer the audience to the site will be lost among other things. PS Hashtags do not carry any value, unless it so coincides that they will be at the peak of popularity (usually this happens during live broadcasts or some major events). In all other cases, no one clicks on them, and as a result, they only violate the structure of the post and drag attention.
Pictures vs Gifs vs Video . Do not rely on previews, attach files. So your post will most likely be noticed in the feed (a preview may not be downloaded in some clients, so that only the link will be visible to users). The video can work, but only if it is an unprocessed demo recorded from a smartphone, or something just as simple (although it all depends on the specific case, you should not generalize too much). But in general, adding videos will inevitably lead to fewer clicks. We came to the conclusion that gifs provide an optimal balance to attract attention, transfer the necessary information about the product, but at the same time not reveal the cards so that the user lost the desire to go to the site. Speaking about the experience of Product Hunt, we actively use gifs and even created a separate twitter, where we place only them.
Marked vs mentions . In order for the post to be “cleaner” (that is, it contained less blue), mark the people in the photos, and do not mention them through @. The exception is made by situations when you want to emphasize that the person took part in the project, and not just pay his attention to the post. It is possible to mark people only in photos, in gifs and videos this possibility is not provided.
How to really promote your product
Our ability to promote the product is not unlimited. The main thing here is that the site visitors themselves want to tell others about it. You can achieve this by clearly explaining what your product is and what its value is. Make people experience emotions.
The name “ Pitch Decks From Top Startups ” (“ Pitch Decks from the creators of successful startups”; pitch decks - presentation of a business plan for investors - approx. Lane) conveys all the most important things. A brief description of the “Pitch Decks Collection that Gathered 700 Million Dollars”, the logos of popular startups and the creator’s comment all underline the value of the product.
However, it also happens that the name itself is not very informative. Take, for example, an application called Muzzle .
Short description: "Blocks notifications during the screen broadcast in order to avoid awkward situations" clearly explains what the product does: it blocks notifications. Notice, the description might look simpler: “Automatically turns on the Do Not Disturb mode when the screen is broadcast,” and then it probably would not have caused such a reaction:
Tweet : “A brilliant demonstration, the app is brilliant. Exactly what I needed, although I was so embarrassed for my notifications. ”
Make people experience emotions . Using the word “awkward” in relation to a situation in which it is easy to imagine yourself (screencasting) helps people to feel involved in the problem and easily understand the purpose of the product (even if the users themselves do not suffer from a similar problem).
Here are some popular Muzzle tweets:
Dave : “The best landing in history”
Ban : "The Best Leeeending"
Andreas : “The most. Best. Landing In the world."
Ryan : “The Best Demo Landing I Saw This Year”
Show yourself . The Muzzle team not only described its product well, but also created a funny landing page, where the user can experience the most awkward situations on his own screen. This landing makes visitors laugh and shows in parallel what Muzzle is for.
Think about how to present your product in such a way that a person who is not familiar with it will immediately understand the meaning. GIF-animation is the fastest way to convey the idea to users, besides, it is convenient to share gifs ( Giphy Capture and CloudApp are simple and popular applications in the community).
PS Your photo, photo of your team or other illustrations telling the story of product creation can work very well in social networks.
PPS For everyone, not just for those who launch the product: It will be great if you tell about any product using our tips. We are actively looking for good content for retweets, regardless of when it was published (just remember to put the @ProductHunt tag so that we can see it and place a link on the site).
Product Hunt Newsletter
Every day, we send hundreds of thousands of readers a newsletter with the five most popular products of the previous day. The best thing you can do to get into this digest is to focus on a successful launch using our tips. Sign up for the newsletter here .
After publication, you can also get into the list of newsletters.
The first part of the newsletter covers collections, topical issues, recommendations, the launch of major products and that this time Instagram has torn off Snapchat. This is the largest source of traffic from the newsletter, if we talk about the number of clicks.
If you want to be included in the newsletter, here's how to get our attention:
Create collections : Generate content related to your product. If you have just launched a stunning alarm clock for your phone, collect the collection “Applications that will help you start the day productively”. This will give us cool content to share with the community. If we use your collection, we will certainly give you credit for it. Let us know if you already have an interesting collection or collection idea (you can contact our newsletter editor directly on Twitter or via email ).
Ask for Product Hunt (Ask Product Hunt) : This relatively new section of the site is gaining popularity. He became an inspiration for future newsletters. We encourage you to also participate by asking questions and offering product recommendations: producthunt.com/ask
We hope this article was helpful to you. Have a good start! And remember: no matter how you go, you can never lose faith in yourself.
Fred uses the Time Travel option , which we recently added to watch top products for a particular day or month , including tops 2015 , 2016 and 2017 . Look through these tops for inspiration.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/338450/
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