Article · Long-form guide, roughly a 20 minute read

How to Launch on Product Hunt

Nick Costelloe · Demand Curve Free Beginner

If you decide Product Hunt fits your audience, this is the playbook that treats a launch as weeks of prep, not a single day. Demand Curve's whole framing (Product Hunt amplifies momentum, it does not create it) keeps you honest: build a 400-plus person audience first, aim for emails captured over vanity upvotes, and time the post deliberately. It is tactical without the hype most launch guides pile on.

  • Product Hunt amplifies existing momentum, so line up at least 400 supporters before launch day rather than expecting the platform to find you an audience.
  • Set the goal as emails and signups captured, not upvotes, since the traffic spikes and fades fast.
  • Launch timing, a clean name, a demo video, and an honest maker comment do more than begging for votes (which the platform penalizes).

It answers 3 questions

  1. How do I actually launch on Product Hunt and not embarrass myself?
  2. What's the best channel to launch on, Product Hunt, Reddit, Hacker News, or LinkedIn?
  3. Should I launch on Product Hunt, and does it even matter for an Indian startup?

Read with it

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  6. A blunt, practical guide from Demand Curve's founder on which paid and organic channels fit which business, and why most... julian.com Article · Long-form guide Startup Handbook: Customer Acquisition Channels Julian Shapiro
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