Anyone did their public launch straight on Product Hunt? - How's it vs launching on PH a bit later.
Public launch directly on Product Hunt vs going on Product Hunt a bit later.
I am looking to compare and learn from experiences of others.
PH launch is a must - so question is only about the timing.
To me, launching directly on PH looks good as it's a very good community and the feedbacks can really help sharpen your product roadmap. I haven't yet launched on PH but planning to launch directly as a public launch.
Looking to hear views from the community who have been there and done that.
Replies
I launched payscope.ai on Product Hunt without delay. Although I wasn't featured, I reached the top 8 and received a lot of feedback. Following the launch, my tool was quickly listed in several AI tool directories, backlinks emerged, and the domain ranking began to improve right away. In summary, I have never regretted launching on PH so promptly.
@michael_vavilov @manu_goel2 Congrats! How did you get featured in other AI tool directories? Do you maybe have a list of top AI tool directories?
@michael_vavilov @borja_diazroig While Michael can comment but I believe it must be because people review or keep a track of the launched products esp the ones in top 10
@borja_diazroig
@manu_goel2 yes, you are right
We waited a bit before going on PH. Used that time to build some declaration and refine the UX. Helped us get a better response when we did go live there.
@angelina__ashley How long did you wait -- a few weeks or some months? And was in addition to beta phase?
Launched directly on PH is felt like ripping the band-aid off. Feedback came fast, good and bad, but it helped us iterate quicker.
Kalyxa
We launched straight on PH and it was 100% worth it. Real users, authentic feedback, and momentum right out of the gate. The key is to treat it like a full launch — not a teaser. If your product is ready for real-world use, PH can be the spark that kicks things off.
Hey! We're excited to share that we're preparing to launch our product myjobb.ai on Product Hunt.
We’ve just gone live in a soft phase to build some early traction, and in the next 3 - 4 days, we’ll be officially launching.
Fingers crossed, hoping everything goes smoothly!
@deepanshu_chittoria All the best!
Typewriting
I did both, some of my projects "Genie" or "Contentpace" (3 launches) came to PH with good early tractions, all got featured and hailed by the community who also knew these projects from some other forums or market places.
On the other hand Typewriting is totally made in PH. We continuously built it and launched multiple times to validate every iteration. PH is a really good community of people who welcome new ideas and try out new things early. It adds values for the popular products as well.
PH is not supposed to be the place where you look for customers, but it's the place where you get inspiration to carry on the mission.
@moin_uddin1 agree with you on PH community being an motivation! Glad that I joined!
Some teams go straight to Product Hunt for instant visibility, while others wait to refine and build buzz.
Both approaches work early launches test the waters, later ones often convert better with momentum.
@amreli_steels Thanks
Hi Manu,
Great question! From my experience, launching directly on Product Hunt as your public launch can be very effective if your product is ready and you have a solid initial user base or network to support the launch day. The immediate exposure to an engaged community often brings valuable feedback, early adopters, and can help generate buzz quickly.
However, some founders prefer launching a bit later on PH after ironing out initial kinks and gathering some preliminary feedback from a smaller group. This approach can lead to a smoother experience for PH users and potentially better reviews, but it might miss out on the excitement of a fresh debut.
Ultimately, it depends on how confident you feel about your product’s readiness and your ability to mobilize support on launch day. If you can prepare well—having marketing assets, outreach plans, and community engagement lined up—going direct on PH can maximize impact.
Would love to hear from others who have tried both approaches!