Product Hunt is the best online platform to launch and introduce your new product creations. It offers a platform where you can showcase your work to like-minded individuals. However, 100s of new products are launched on the site daily and you need to have a good product launch strategy to ensure that you can maximize the visibility of your new product. If not, you won’t get enough traction for your product and your target audience won’t be able to discover it. 

Don’t waste months of effort developing your product by going into your Product Hunt launch clueless about what to do. Follow these best practices and strategies on how to launch a product online to improve your chances of having a successful launch.

How to Launch a Product Online

Before you launch your product online, you need to establish your goals first. Specifying measurable marketing metrics that you can use to evaluate performance is essential. 

Some product makers evaluate product launch success based on the number of upvotes or comments on their product, the amount of traffic generated to their website, the number of downloads (for apps), the number of signups to their email list, or the mentions on social media platforms. 

You must identify the metrics you want to monitor during and after the launch to ensure that you have succeeded with your launch strategy. Otherwise, you have no way of telling if you used the right approach or not. 

Pre-Launch Checklist

Once you know your goals for launching on Product Hunt, it’s time to start planning your launch. Your preparation for the launch begins three to four months before the launch. 

The top 3 best-performing products receive the majority of the traffic on the Product Hunt homepage. The goal is to be one of those 3 products. Making it to the top products is not the only way to determine a successful Product Hunt launch, but it is a crucial part of increasing visibility for your product. Think about it: your launch day is the best time to create hype around your product. If you don’t do that, your chances of getting upvotes and attention to your product drop significantly each day after the launch.

• Develop a solid product presentation. Your product is the heart and soul of your launch strategy. If you’ve worked hard to build a great product, you must highlight that in your product presentation. What are the most helpful features? Why would people want this product? You must showcase valuable information about the product in the presentation. If you plan on linking to your website upon launch, make sure you develop a good product page. 
• Be active on Product Hunt before launch. Start engaging within the platform weeks before the launch. You want to establish relationships with other users to expand your network and get their support during the launch day. The Product Hunt algorithm rewards users who spend time building their profile and staying active in the community. Join forums, group chats, and discussions with other makers to share ideas and start valuable conversations.
• Connect with influential users. When networking on Product Hunt, it is crucial to identify the most influential users in your niche. The goal is to build a solid relationship with them so they will ‘hunt’ your product. If they do, this could improve the chances of your product getting noticed. You can also contact influential Product Hunt users and tell them about your product. If they are interested, they will reciprocate the support for your product. 

Checklist for a Successful Product Launch

Several components must work together to ensure a successful product launch on Product Hunt. Here is a checklist to follow if you want to maximize the visibility of your new product launch. 

1. Optimize your product listing

You must get your product listing right to give your product enough traction upon launching it on Product Hunt. The following components are what you should be focusing on:

• Tagline – Make it simple yet creative enough to pique the interest of your audience.
• Thumbnail – Choose an engaging thumbnail that represents your product well.
• Video – Include an interactive video on your product listing to highlight the essential features or how to use your product. 
• Comment – This is a short description of your product, how to use it, and other essential information you want your audience to know.

2. Share it on social media

Use your social media accounts to generate buzz for your new product launch on Product Hunt. You already have an existing network of friends and supporters on these websites, so you have to maximize them for added exposure to your new product. 

Share information about your new product on social media to gain attention and curiosity from the people in your network. Avoid spamming your accounts, though. Make sure you space out your updates on social media on the day of and after your launch. 

Encourage them to visit Product Hunt to check out your product. However, some experts recommend against directly sharing a link to your product page on Product Hunt to social media. 

3. Promote on your website

If you have a website, use it to increase visibility for your product on Product Hunt. You can generate a widget from the Product Hunt website that you could paste into your website. This widget will make it easier for website visitors to go directly to your Product Hunt page. 

If these people are visiting your website already, it is a great way to encourage them to support your new product.

4. Optimize your email list

Before you launch your product, send emails to your email list about the new product. Ensure you also notify them via email once you’ve officially launched your product on Product Hunt. 

Continue to work on building your email list so you can reach more people via email.

5. Stay engaged on Product Hunt

Make yourself available during the launch day of your new product. If there are any questions or comments from users on Product Hunt about this new product, make sure you respond to them promptly. People who are asking questions are already showing interest in the product. Keep that interest going by engaging with them or listening to any feedback. 

6. Analyze your launch performance

Keep a close eye on the metrics you set as your goal before the launch. Use the numbers and data you collect to analyze your current launch performance and develop a better future strategy.