A New Idea for Product Hunt Makers: Targeted Launch Notifications for Relevant Audiences
One challenge for Makers launching on Product Hunt is getting in front of the right audience—especially for first-time launchers.
I think it would be helpful if Makers could notify followers of similar products about their new launch. Just like how we get updates from people we follow, users who are interested in similar products could receive a friendly notification about a new launch.
Example Notification: "Looks like you're interested in no-code web builders like $Bubble! Check out $SlashPage—a game-changing no-code tool where you can create everything from blogs to communities with just a click!"
Since Product Hunt members are generally enthusiastic about discovering new products, many would likely appreciate receiving these notifications rather than seeing them as spam. Of course, an option to turn off these notifications would be essential.
How this Could Work:
When registering a product launch, Makers could select a few similar products. A launch notification would then be sent to followers of those similar products.
This could be a paid promotion or something redeemable with Kitty Points.
The feature could be available only to Makers who reach a certain engagement level on Product Hunt (e.g., Silver tier or higher), encouraging more active participation on the platform.
Things to Consider:
Product Hunt would need to ensure that the selected similar products are relevant.
A decision would need to be made whether to notify all followers of the similar products or just a subset.
Notifications should be limited to users who have been recently active to ensure higher engagement.
This approach could reduce the "I upvoted your product, so please upvote mine" type of exchange, as it would offer a more organic way for Makers to reach users who are genuinely interested in their product.
I’d love to hear what others think about this idea. Would it be useful for the community?
Replies
This is a cool idea!
SlashPage
@ajinsunny Thanks for your interest in my idea, and I know many makers are doing similar activities manually without a system~.
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Makes sense the idea. How does it differ from the section “Recommended for you”?
SlashPage
@hedgeavenue Oh! Important question! I think the biggest difference is that this idea involves sending a push-style notification. Instead of waiting for users to come to the site with a purpose and then browse the "Recommended for you" section, it proactively lets them know, “Hey, there’s a product you might like!”
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I think this kind of notification could be useful, anyway I would make sure that it is not so disturbing – e.g. people could choose the periodicity of receiving notification or max. amount.
When I am flooded by the news, at a certain point, I am losing attention.
SlashPage
@busmark_w_nika I agree, that's always the biggest thing to watch out for when developing this kind of feature!
When you are able to choose apps similar to the one you’re launching, you might need to reconsider doing so 😅
But aside from that, and assuming PH would have the capabilities to match this automatically (e.g. using the selected categories interested in vs. how a product is tagged with), I find your proposal valuable & interesting! 👍
💡 The concern by @busmark_w_nika could maybe be addressed by sending a weekly roundup of upcoming launcheS, instead of per product notification.
SlashPage
@digimarkethingz I was thinking of it more like choosing places where people who might like their app already hang out—but you’re right, that could be tricky for some Makers. There are just so many products out there, so having PH recommend similar ones sounds like a great idea.
And I agree, limiting the notification frequency based on how much it's being used could help a lot too!
Thanks for thinking it through 🙌
Hmm… there are definitely a lot of factors to consider,
but I think that’s a great suggestion, Elly!
Another idea might be to add a toggle like “All” and “Recommended” at the top of today’s launch page.
That way, users could click on “Recommended” to see only the products they're likely to be interested in.
SlashPage
@kay_arkain Thanks for the thoughtful response!
What I had in mind was that “a new product similar to one you liked” might catch a user’s attention more effectively. I’ve often felt that recommendation algorithms don’t always align with what I’m actually looking for—so I imagined a system that not only explains why something is being recommended, but also nudges users to check it out through a push-style alert.
I thought that kind of approach might better serve Makers who really need visibility.
Big yes to this idea — the challenge isn’t just getting seen, it’s getting seen by the right people.
We’ve been working on something similar in ops — auto-triaging email based on context + intent — and it’s wild how much trust you can build by showing up when it actually matters.
One thought: what if PH notifications like this were triggered by activity (e.g. someone viewed a similar product in the last X days)? Would keep it high-signal and avoid becoming “another inbox.”
Would love to see this tested — even as a beta feature for repeat makers.
SlashPage
@goodgistai Both designing the right triggers and creating a separate notification space sound like things worth exploring if this idea ever gets built out.
I really love your suggestion — such a great insight!!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to think it through and share your perspective 🙏