Products & Launches · 4 min read
How to Launch on Product Hunt: A Practical Checklist
Short answer
To launch on Product Hunt, prepare a complete page (name, tagline, description, images and tags), schedule it for a day when you can be online, post a clear maker comment, ask your community for feedback rather than upvotes, and reply to every comment.
Key takeaways
- Launches go live at midnight Pacific Time and run for the whole day.
- Product Hunt's own guidance: ask for feedback, never for upvotes.
- A complete page and a clear maker comment do more than a big push for votes.
- Plan the week after the launch as carefully as the day itself.
Product Hunt is a site where people share new products and the community comments and upvotes them through the day. A good launch there can bring early users and, more usefully, a day of frank feedback. It rewards preparation more than hype.
How does a launch day work?
A launch goes live at midnight Pacific Time and runs for that whole day, with products ranked as the community upvotes and comments.
That means you don't need to wake up at a strange hour wherever you are: your launch has the full day. What matters is being around to answer comments while people are looking.
What should be ready before you schedule?
A complete page: name, tagline, description, logo, gallery images, tags and your role as maker or hunter.
Product Hunt requires these before you can schedule, and reviews scheduled launches before they go live. You can schedule up to 30 days ahead. Use a draft until everything is ready.
| Item | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Name and tagline | Clear on their own: what it is and who it's for |
| Description | The problem, how the product solves it, what's different |
| Gallery | The product in use, not just a logo; the first image matters most |
| Tags | The two or three that match how people search |
| Makers | Co-makers with accounts created well before launch day |
| Pricing | Stated plainly, including any free option |
What goes in the maker comment?
Who you are, why you built it, what it does, who it's for, what's different, and one specific question.
Keep it short and human. The question is the key part: "Would this be useful for a team, or mostly for individuals?" invites real answers, and real answers are the point of launching here.
How should you tell your community?
Ask for feedback, not votes.
Product Hunt's guidance is explicit: requests like "please upvote" break its rules. Tell your newsletter, your X followers and your users that you've launched and that you'd value their thoughts. Draft those posts in advance in the Share Queue with the times you'll publish them, so launch day isn't spent writing.
What should you do on the day?
Reply to every comment, thoughtfully and quickly, and note every piece of feedback.
- Post your maker comment as soon as the launch goes live.
- Share on your own channels at the times you planned.
- Reply to each comment with substance. Thank people, answer questions, admit gaps.
- Keep a running list of feature requests and confusions.
- Take breaks. It's a long day.
What happens after launch day?
Follow up on the feedback, publicly, within a week or two.
Write a short post about what you heard and what you'll change; how to write a product update people read has a format. Reply to the people who commented when you ship something they asked for. A launch is a day; the relationships it starts are what last.
Should you use a hunter?
You don't need one; makers can post their own products.
A hunter is someone who submits a product, sometimes with a large following on the site. Many successful launches are posted by the makers themselves. What matters more is a complete page, a clear maker comment and being present to answer questions all day.
Questions
What time should I launch on Product Hunt?
Launches become visible at midnight Pacific Time and stay live for that day, so your launch gets the full day whatever time zone you're in. Be available for comments through the day.
Can I ask people to upvote my launch?
Product Hunt's guidance says to ask for feedback, never for upvotes. Messages like 'please upvote' break its rules. Ask a specific question about the product instead.
How far ahead can I schedule a launch?
Product Hunt lets you schedule up to 30 days ahead once the page is complete. Scheduled launches are reviewed before going live.
Is a Product Hunt launch worth it?
For tools aimed at early adopters, makers and tech workers, it can bring useful feedback and first users. For products aimed at other audiences, the effect is often small.
What should I do if the launch goes quietly?
Use it anyway. Even a quiet launch gives you a permanent page, some feedback and a link to share. Collect the comments, improve the product and tell people what you changed.