How can startups leverage Product Hunt to gain early traction?

Question

Business Marketing with Nika · Accepted Answer

At least increased visibility + Feedback for improvement + contacts (e. g. investors, top-notches in the industry that can help them with the direction).

Doğa Armangil · Answer

Great question! This question hints at one possible answer to another question, which is: "why should I launch on PH?".

To come back to your question:
* Sell to businesses/entrepreneurs rather than consumers. PH is probably not the place for reaching consumers one by one, although word-of-mount can play a role.
* Try and show hard numbers about how what you are selling can grow your customers' revenue or reduce their expenses.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘉2𝘉 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮.𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘢𝘚 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵 13 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰? 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘢𝘚 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘢𝘚 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘘𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘈𝘗𝘐𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 10𝘹 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘛. 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.

Answer

I think timing is key. I think timing is key. Launching when your target audience is active on Product Hunt can give you the push you need. Engage with the community early on to build momentum!

Luka Brzin · Answer

They can use it primarly for one thing: a backlink to their landing page.

After being a daily Product Hunt user for about 6 months now I have discovered that this is the most useful thing you get from Product Hunt.

You get traction also, but 0 users...

Ryan Ward · Answer

Startups can use Product Hunt to gain early traction by launching their product there to tap into a community of tech enthusiasts and early adopters. Engaging with the community, gathering feedback, and building buzz around your launch can drive visibility and initial user adoption. It’s also a great way to get valuable insights and build relationships with potential customers and influencers.

Answer

I believe startups should make the most of their Product Hunt launch by building a buzz before launch day. Being active in the comments and showing appreciation to early supporters can go a long way.

Answer

Definitely consider building up some buzz before and during your PH launch. Reach out to your networks, do some guest posting on relevant blogs, run some paid social media ads, etc. Use PH as a focal point but create anticipation and interest through other channels. And make sure to be super responsive and engage with the PH community during your launch! Leverage that momentum and direct interested people to your site/app.

Answer

Make sure  your listing is compelling with a clear description, high-quality visuals, and a strong value proposition. Your goal is to capture attention quickly.

Answer

Craft a thoughtful and engaging launch post that explains what your product does, why it’s unique, and why it matters. Include screenshots, a demo video, or a quick walkthrough.

Answer

I feel focusing on creating a solid, helpful product page helps. A clear description, engaging visuals, and getting your community involved on launch day really sets things off.

Noah Christopher Bennett · Answer

Definitely leverage PH to reach potential B2B customers! Share concrete examples of how your product can boost their revenue or cut costs. For instance, if you're launching an AI writing assistant, highlight how much time and 💰 it can save businesses on content creation. Show real-world numbers. Also engage with the community, build relationships, and get feedback from potential customers to improve your offering. PH is a great place to get early traction for B2B!

Answer

Pick a day with less competition or when your target audience is most active. Product Hunt’s daily leaderboard can be less crowded on certain days, helping your product stand out.

Nicholas Ryan Carter · Answer

Definitely! A few tips for startups launching on PH: 1) Focus on conveying the unique value prop and key benefits succinctly. Get right to the point of how you solve a real problem. 2) Visuals are key - use eye-catching imagery, gifs, or a short demo video to quickly show what your product does. 3) Engage with the PH community by responding to all comments and questions. Build relationships. 4) Have a clear CTA, like an exclusive PH discount or incentive to try your product. 5) Spread the word and ask your network to support your launch. Every upvote counts! Hope this helps and best of luck with your launch!

Toni · Answer

From my own experience and with the startups I advised for their launch, it’s more about viability and “exposure momentum” than early client acquisition.

1) PH is good to get visible and test your value prop to see it attracts people to your product/site.
2) it’s Great to get feedback on your product to iterate and improve fast.

But unless your product really target PH’s audience, most of people are just curious but not buyers.

Derek Liu · Answer

Launch their products on PH first (to earn some backlinks), I guess?

How can startups leverage Product Hunt to gain early traction?

Replies