What if Product hunt didn't exist?

Question

I see many non-exceptional platforms that never launched on PH but still managed to successfully find a good place in their competitive market.

On the other hand, I also know some platforms that didn't do well in their PH launch (very few upvotes, comments, etc.), but they are now well-known in their segment.

Do you guys have any idea about how they managed to do so, is there any other way to have the chance to promote a product strongly?

Hossein Yazdi · Accepted Answer

@ikiok I agree with you Giannis. However, I just cannot figure out how they'll manage to 'perform well', like what are their marketing strategies.

Giannis Kiokpas · Answer

@hosseinyazdi well, there are lots of guides and blog posts describing the successful launch for many products. I would say that the key points are community engagement (like what we are doing here) and a strong Hunter!

Giannis Kiokpas · Answer

interesting points of discussion! while PH is very helpful and has a very supportive community, it should not mean that when a launch is "unsuccessful" then the product is bad or will not perform well in the open market!

Answer

PH is a launching pad. That launching pad currently has alot of untapped potential before I would describe as 'the' launching pad.

Yes it has a wonderful friendly encouraging community. But fake, robotic, unreliable comments and reviews are not helpful in the long run. IndieTracker runs dissect x. They are running one now.

Dissect X - that is for me what your looking for. 
Dissect X are focus on what levers used, and how in a specific market context.

Blogs dont reveal that sort of laser-focus.  Before seeing it on indietracker, I have only experienced such insights in closed community groups where high-trust exists and ridiculous engagement occurs.

A group of us dissected Loomio. Loomio is not here on PH and its huge in my area.

Here on PH everything just lumped into a bucket called discussion. So many great ideas, requests for help, offers are missed. I my self may look at 7 then get on with my day. But if data presentation here at PH was more on point, then I would go to the unfilled request queue, and start helping. Or I would go to the offer queue, and see if any of the offers would help me.  etc etc.. Dissect X channels has been done in 2 ways.  At the app launch stage. At the app mainstream stage. And you can do it from discourse invite perspective, so you need contribute to get benefit, or open discussion.

The other idea you mention, and agree -- app launched on PH or not.  A visual indicator  for all the apps not launched here (and an ability to filter by this data attribute). I as newbie have not found any way here on PH to determine the basics.

Basics
- show me all launches/apps that listing is NOT claimed (seems listings claimed is not transparent). If something is not claimed and even if launched on PH, that tells me something.
- show me all apps launched here, and of these, those that are mainstream, those that got traction and those in the cementery. (like similar data presentation like the forrester curve). That is insight-generating for an early adopter geek community (how PH describes itself)
- show me the top 5 launches since PH pivoted from be the 'beloved' true product hunter platform.  TrustPilot reviews indicate PH was once x and now y.  
-- etc. blah blah blah

For me what you see going on with the platform, PH, is currently tracking as an example of what can go wrong after launch.  Its not role modelling the key levers that track to going-viral.

What if Product hunt didn't exist?

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