Essentials for launching a product
There are a lot of products being hunted, launched, and competing for attention here.
But I still see some makers missing the very basics.
It got me thinking about putting together an "essentials package" of things that, in my opinion, every maker should have in place before deciding to launch their product on this platform.
My Product Hunt launch essentials would include the following (these should be done before launch, btw):
a properly filled-out profile
a finished landing page for the product (the one beyond PH)
a hunter
gathering relevant people who will be stated under the launch (e.g. as makers + products/stack used for building)
a first comment prepared in advance
choosing the right launch day
appealing visuals and compelling copy
Is there anything you'd add to this essentials package that I'm missing?
Replies
That's a great checklist, Nika!
I would add a few things to your list:
One is the prelaunch community engagement. Rally early adopters, customers, and colleagues from your industry before the launch.
Have a clear launch day engagement plan where you're ready to reply to every comment quickly. Visit other maker's launches and have real conversations with them. Share your launch on social media, your newsletter, or anything else you can leverage.
Make your comment section conversational. Don't let it become a place for "thank you" comments. Ask questions, seek feedback and encourage sign ups.
Make sure your product is actually ready before launching: no confusing onboarding, no obvious bugs, and a polished landing page that communicates the value proposition. Ensure your servers have the bandwidth to handle the traffic.
Hope this helps the makers who are doing their first launch. :)
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@rohanrecommends One solid list, thank you so much for contributing here! What is your opinion about comments from many people under someone's comment? Because I can see how someone contributes a comment and then 5 people answer from that launch (makers or so)... but at some point it doesn't add any new value or information.
@busmark_w_nika Love this question, Nika. And I'm 100% with you that those comment trains from the same team feel off.
I think a lot of makers still believe the myth that more comments equals more points. So they stack replies under every single message, when in reality, it doesn't add real value for readers and looks a bit like they are trying to game the system.
From what I've seen, it's comments from actual users and community members that really matter for both the algorithm and social proof, not for makers saying thanks under the same thread.
Instead of chasing volume, I would rather see makers turn each reply into a small user interview. They could ask questions like:
1. Did you get a chance to try it yet?
2. What's one thing you would love to see next?
3. What would you need to add or change for this to be useful in your workflow?
4. From a design perspective, does this feel intuitive to you, or is there anything that created friction?
That way, every response either gathers feedback, surfaces objections, or deepens the relationship instead of just inflating a comment count. It keeps the thread genuinely helpful for future readers and makes launch day conversations feel like real discovery, not a chain of polite thank yous. :D
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@rohanrecommends Actually, I think that more discovery questions are handled by that Kitty bot – that was also an interesting innovation on the team's side. :) And to be honest, they did a lot of things:
– Forums
– Different kind of Kitty awards
– Pitching to VCs
– Kitty bot
– Voice-led launches and forums
Huge steps.
@rohanrecommends @busmark_w_nika I completely agree. Comments are one of the key discovery mechanisms today.
What’s interesting is that LinkedIn already appears to recognize low-effort AI comments and gives them little to no weight (sometimes it even feels like they hurt reach).
I’m curious whether Product Hunt is moving in the same direction. Do generic AI comments still help products get visibility, or are meaningful discussions becoming the real ranking signal? 🤔
@rohanrecommends Appreciate all of your suggestions - I'm new here and not launching till August and September so these are helpful!
I would add an expectation building table also (aka "KPIs"). Actually, this is something I did in advance, estimating what impact our campaign can have, and especially what we would consider low results, expected results and wow level. Helps keeping the mind structured.
@lacikiszely Good point on the KPI table. We had targets going in but never actually aligned on what low, expected, and wow looks like for our specific product. Big difference between having a number in your head and having the whole team on the same page before results start coming in. Adding this before our launch!
@lacikiszely @jared_salois @chrismessina Dur pour l’équipe Windsurf. Mais ça prouve un truc : les IDE AI "tout-en-un" sont trop chers à défendre face à Devin + $1B.
Moi sur @Supaboard j’ai fait le choix inverse : pas d’IA qui code à ta place. Juste Supabase + Next.js pour que les créateurs gardent le contrôle.
Windsurf était génial, mais Devin Desktop = focus. Focus > features.
Vous migratez sur quoi vous ? 🫰🏽
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@lacikiszely What are low results vs wow results according to you?
@busmark_w_nika Eg. for our recent campaign we would have been disappointed below #150 position (low), expect #100 or better, would be amazed by #20 (wow).
And similarly built up ranges for other relevant metrics. Upvotes, reviews, comments, website traffic, new deals in our case.
The expectation has the clearest logic behind, because that determines the resources (time, money, etc) that we intend to allocate - and also, whatever we allocate determines our expectations :)
Great list, Nika. One thing I'd add: a plan for the day itself, not just the prep. Being around to reply to every comment fast, and going to other launches to have real conversations. The prep gets you to the start line, but the day is mostly about showing up and staying present.
I'd also add knowing exactly who the product is for, so your first comment and your replies speak to those people instead of staying generic.
Launching today myself, so I'm testing all of this in real time. Thanks for the thread.
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@erdembilgin What really helped in your strategy? Did you spot anything new?
@busmark_w_nika Honestly, the real conversations helped more than the prep. Talking to other makers properly was the only thing that moved anything. And I learned that without an existing audience, day one is about the connections and the page that stays up, not the ranking.
ZeroHuman.
Great topic, Nika!
Honestly, one thing I keep seeing is that many products rush the launch. They ask for feedback from the community, but the truth is that the product itself is often not ready yet. The landing page is too basic, the onboarding inside the product is confusing, there are small bugs, and the overall first impression suffers because of that. Or the whole idea is outdated.
So for me, launch preparation should always start with the product. It needs to be in a solid, presentable state first. After that come the Product Hunt assets: gallery images, video, tagline, description, and the maker comment. But there is another layer too: outreach and collaborations. You need to coordinate with other founders, teams, creators, and relevant people at least 1–2 weeks before launch day.
And I also think more makers should prepare a post-launch strategy. A strong Product Hunt launch can help with investor conversations, newsletter mentions, YouTube coverage, partnerships, great ads and many other distribution opportunities.
So yes, the launch day matters, but the full launch preparation matters even more.
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@byalexai It is very complex and I do not get people who just out of blue want me to hunt the product like 1 hour before the PH launch day. :D
Exstats
I’d add a lot of free time on launch day away from the daily routine + good mood.
And of course a warmed-up account with at least of few weeks of useful activity before the launch.
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@nowaffl Personally, when would you start preparing on the launch?
Exstats
They say it’s better to start at least two weeks before launch. Earlier is better. Daily streak makes sense.
Personally, I started two months before, but I don’t think it helped much because I launched on a weekend, when there were fewer products competing for visibility.
Anyway, I saw your upvote at that day, thanks 🙂
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@nowaffl You prepared well! :)
You mention a hunter - curious, do you think it brings value Vs self-hunting. I see both self-hunted and hunted by a popular hunter products reach "Product of the Day"
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@denitsapenchevavaltchanova at least it brings more credibility and a chance "to be noticed".
@busmark_w_nika that's fair, popular hunters/people that have been in the community for a while definitely come with credibility.
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@myrto_skourletou To be honest, I would like to have an exposure, so I would start somewhere between Tue – Thursday. Or change to win a PH day – weekend :D
@busmark_w_nika Pour moi c’est simple : 1) Avoir 5-10 users qui t’attendent le jour J 2) Une landing qui explique le problème en 1 phrase 3) Être H24 sur les commentaires Product Hunt. Le design on l’améliore après. Le plus dur c’est pas de shipper, c’est que personne ne le voit. Toi t’as déjà lancé un produit ici ?
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@olivier_jury That's really bold to be here 24/7. :D But challenge accepted.
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@amm8 Not gonna lie, but if things were up to me, I would try to create a very strong brand first, so they have a will and reason to support me.
I'd add one more thing: go through your product as if you're seeing it for the first time.
Many founders prepare the Product Hunt assets perfectly, but forget to check whether a new visitor can actually understand the product once they land on the website.
Can a first-time user explain what the product does, who it's for, and what to do next within a minute or two?
A launch can bring attention, but clarity is what turns that attention into signups. what happens after users click through your product determines if your product win or lose.
@olive_mwangi Fair point! when you're deep in launch prep, the PH assets take over and it's easy to stop seeing your own site clearly. Worth doing a proper cold pass on the website specifically with a PH visitor in mind before we go live.
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@olive_mwangi True one, I can see many abstract copy versions of what the product is about but I barely understand what it does. Also instructions for using it.