How to launch on Product Hunt?
Intro
Product hunt can be that home run you are hoping to achieve. If you are not familiar with what product hint is. Product Hunt shows the best new products every day. It’s a place for product-loving enthusiasts to share and geek out about the latest mobile apps, websites, hardware projects, and tech creations. There is a library of new products listed every day, but more importantly, it’s a community that tries out new products and gives feedback. It can inevitably be your potential customer/ user.
My name is Shivam Ramphal, one of the co-founders of Maya AI. I am the one who actually set up our Product Hunt campaign for Maya, and there is a couple of things I followed and needed to follow to launch the right way. Below will be some different tools and tricks I utilize to get the most out of Product Hunt.
Get known and start connecting within the community (1-month before launch)
One of the things I read online and thought about doing; using the platform to get used to the interface. Then I would need to comment (positive/ growth) on other makers’ products. So, they can get to know me or see my comments. Second I would add them as a connection. Now, this doesn’t mean, go and add everyone on Product Hunt lol, connect with people within your targeted audience. You will see why later down in this article.
Tips
- Upvote and comment on products
- Add people within your niche; users/ makers
- ENGAGE, ENGAGE, ENGAGE
Set up your
Product Hunt Ship
I actually never used this Product Hunt feature, lol. Ship is a toolkit for makers to ship products. It lets you spin up a quick landing page, share what you are working on, and collect email addresses. You can then send a welcome email, project updates, and user surveys. Your Product Hunt Ship lets everyone know your product/ Startup is beginning to launch soon. With the connections you are building, people will be staying up to date on your work, which means you need to create updates for your subscription list. It will give your potential users the excitement and news about what they are about to experience. It’s like reading the brochure while waiting in line for a new ride.
Tips
- Set up your landing page
- Create a story for your product and let users know what is in the works
- Use relevant media files that show your product in action
- Make as much noise as you can
Gathering your assets
For your launch, you will need to gather clean and understandable screenshots of your product in action. You will need to create a video (most preferable) demonstrating/explaining/ marketing your product. As statistics have shown, people watch videos more than they read. Product Hunt will also require image screenshots (App store style) to be displayed. Also, work on is getting a gif version of your icon or logo because, on the home page, gif logos get the most attention with a simple and engaging tagline.
Tips
- Get a gif logo (better attraction)
- Take screenshots with the product in action
- Work on a simple, but attractive tagline. Play around with it.
Work on your first comment (Story)
When creating your launch for the Product Hunt campaign, you will see an option about posting the first initial comment on your product. The first comment will display the Founder/maker’s perspective on their product. What I have seen and what most people like to see is the story behind the product. The audience will see what the product does as a summary in the description area while assessing the screenshot information set in the gallery area. Based on the PH behavior, most users tend to pay more attention to the comments based on what others think about the product. Therefore giving more focus on your first comment.
Tips
- Mention how you came up with the product
- Explain how your product will fix the “problem”
- List the different features and how the product works
Resources to help out
Original post: https://meetmaya.ai/how-to-launch-on-product-hunt/
