Article

Preparing for launch

Product Hunt Free Beginner

This is Product Hunt's own pre-launch checklist, covering exactly the assets you need lined up weeks ahead: gallery images, tagline, maker comment, and your supporter list. Use it as your literal to-do list in the run-up to launch day.

  • Gallery needs at least two images, ideally 5 to 8 at 1270x760px
  • Your tagline should be under 60 characters, clear, and buzzword-free
  • Line up your maker comment and supporters before launch day, not on it
Open on producthunt.com ↗

It answers 3 questions

  1. How do I actually launch on Product Hunt and not embarrass myself?
  2. What does a 'soft launch' actually look like, and is it just a cop-out for being scared to ship?
  3. How do I write the actual launch post so it doesn't read like a press release nobody asked for?

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. The definitive talk that reframes launching from a one-shot event into a repeatable tactic, exactly this category's thesis. YC... YC Startup Library Video · ~25 min How to Launch (Again and Again) Kat Manalac (Y Combinator)
  3. Video · ~25 min How to Talk to Users Eric Migicovsky
  4. This is the canonical source of the ship-ugly-first idea, the LinkedIn co-founder's own essay behind the line about being... LinkedIn Essay · About a 6 minute read If There Aren't Any Typos In This Essay, We Launched Too Late Reid Hoffman
  5. The canonical fake-door test, told by the founder who ran it. Buffer started as a two-page site: one page pitched the tool, a... Buffer Article · ~10 min read Idea to Paying Customers in 7 Weeks: How We Did It Joel Gascoigne
  6. Free to read online, with chapters like "Build Less" and "Half, Not Half-Assed" that name your exact trap. It argues that... Basecamp / 37signals Book · Free online, ~4 hr Getting Real (free to read online) Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson (37signals)
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →