I decide what's featured on the leaderboard - AMA w/ Gabe from Product Hunt
Hi everyone, Gabe here! I lead curating Product Hunt's leaderboard.
First thing I will say is that if I could feature every single product that works, I would. I love supporting makers and demoing products. I actually try to test every single thing that gets hunted every day... which is A TON. But I view our job as to surface the most interesting, novel, useful, and innovative products - daily. Now we may not always get it right, the process isn't perfect, but we're trying to do right by the community.
Hopefully, you've noticed that over the past months the quality of the leaderboard has felt really good. (Please share your thoughts!) Some of the things that I've been doing aside from testing and reviewing products is reaching out to makers to help them with their launches, provide feedback on why something may not be featurable, and help makers craft their best launch as possible. Scalable -> no. Huge impact -> I think so. I'm working with the team on how to create a more scalable version of this but for now just know I try to make myself available to you all.
Top mistakes I've seen
Product is waitlisted
People schedule a draft.... (we have a draft function!)
Maker's profile is their product/business and not an actual user account
Tagline does not describe the product ie. "Best way to earn users" vs "Capture user data with a single button in your iOS app"
Too much marketing jargon, not enough product description / story
NO PRODUCT SHOTS/VIDEOS -> just marketing fluff images
Only one image that is a low quality screenshot
Using a paid service for upvotes/hunters -> this will get you unfeatured or severely impact your launch
Some other notes to consider:
We've gotten stricter on keeping true to our Featuring Guidelines.
We highly recommend making a draft and sharing with folks to make sure it passes the "mom test" -> do they get what you're launching?
If you can quickly Google a solution that similar to what you're launching then really make sure your launch stands out. Focus on highlighting what's special about your product vs being too general.
Highly recommend having a loom or some sort of visual that showcases the start process, the end result your product produces, and what's special about your product.
Be honest, authentic, and have fun.
With all that being said, AMA! I'll try to answer as much as I can without getting fired
Replies
Product Hunt
@alan_rivera hey, thanks for asking and congrats on your launch! Yeah, so early access/beta/waitlist - things that the community cannot immediately try won't get featured. The curation team also can't demo the product so it's hard for us to vet quality, make sure nothing is broken, and provide feedback to the maker as well.
You can always launch again once public!
Roads Audio
@alan_rivera Would this mean it's not a good idea to schedule the product hunt launch the same time or close to the actual product launch?
How long would you recommended delaying the PH launch after the product is live?
Product Hunt
@alan_rivera @davefaliskie the requirement is that the product can be used by the community. I've seen some products open it up exclusively for the Product Hunt launch, others release what's available/ready and show the roadmap of upcoming features.
But if we/the community land on a waitlist, then I would wait to launch until your product is no longer waitlist only.
Roads Audio
@alan_rivera @gabe Yes, that makes complete sense. When you're considering what products to feature are you looking at them before they launch, if they are scheduled?
What I'm wondering is if someone was planning to launch a product and have a scheduled Product Hunt launch for the same day of the product's launch, could that negatively effect the chances of a feature because you wouldn't be able to test/ use the product in full until the day of the launch?
My question for @gabe @rajiv_ayyangar and @noahkagan —
Does Product Hunt and AppSumo view each other as competitors?
I’ve noticed a few interesting dynamics between the two platforms:
AppSumo displays PH badges on product listing pages but does not backlink to PH.
PH seems to discourage AppSumo links on launch posts or discussion posts by not featuring it.
AppSumo has developed its own version of a Product Hunt-style platform.
Rajiv mentioned in a forum comment that Product Hunt might explore an affiliate fee model, possibly similar to AppSumo’s approach of taking a significant percentage of sales. However, PH could take a different approach and opt for a more competitive pricing structure.
Could you share your perspective on the relationship between Product Hunt and AppSumo or the above points are purely coincidental? :)
Product Hunt
@rajiv_ayyangar @noahkagan @rohanrecommends can mostly comment on bullet #2 but it's not necessarily that AppSumo links are discourage it just so happens that products launching with an AppSumo link don't typically meet the bar.
With AI making building apps incredibly accessible and builders becoming super creative, the bar for what is considered for a feature is constantly being raised.
Product Hunt
@gabe @noahkagan @rohanrecommends When it comes to building a sustainable business, I'm not a fan of the AppSumo approach. Lifetime deals, and the significant percentage that AppSumo takes don't seem conducive to building great products or great businesses.
I don't view us as competitors because I don't think the products on Product Hunt have much overlap with the types of products on AppSumo (Product Hunt products are better, more creative, more ambitious - there's no comparison). If we were to do an affiliate model, it would be for a much lower percentage of sales than AppSumo takes. We would only make money if we're bringing you significant revenue.
@gabe @rajiv_ayyangar @noahkagan @rohanrecommends I also wanted to know this. Thanks for the question bhai 😍
@rajiv_ayyangar Are you planning for something like that (affiliate model)? 🧐
So I made my first launch on Sunday - firm middle of the table ranking for the day but I was honestly just stoked that people were taking a look at it. It's a goofy generator - nothing fancy - and I certainly wasn't expecting to be featured. I guess my question is, for those like me who enjoy making things for fun, or introducing something purely meant for fun in the space, do you guys have room for things like that on the featured list from time to time or do you prioritise legitimate function?
Product Hunt
@how_about_this_group congrats on your launch! I personally LOVE fun, quirky, goofy products. I think the internet needs more of it. Some recent launches that have been featured are Googly Eyes, touch grass, @Ball, and @Scroll Buddy!
The key things about these quirky ones are:
How unique is it
How good is the output/final product
How well is it designed?
There's no perfect formula for these as they're usually each unique in a way - but I think the common denominator is that they're fun and decently polished!
Googly Eyes touch grass @Ball @Scroll Buddy @gabe Makes sense, thanks for replying. Agree that those were all worthy contenders!
Roads Audio
Do you and the curator team make bets on what product you think will be product of the day?
This is great info thanks for sharing!
Product Hunt
@davefaliskie haha, great question! No money or anything involved but often I do go, "I have a feeling this is going to be #1" and It's honestly pretty cool when I'm wrong.
Product Hunt
@davefaliskie @Polymarket on Product Hunt incoming???? Not a bad idea aha.
Hey Gabe, I think you're doing a great job! I was just discussing the logic behind featuring products with @sentry_co the other day, and we agreed it must be incredibly difficult to balance quality and quantity on the daily leaderboard. I'm sure I couldn't do it as well as you! 🙂
I often share products I find interesting, and while I totally understand why some don't get featured, I do occasionally feel a little disappointed when a really unique one gets missed. But that's normal – just a hunter's expectations getting ahead of reality, I guess!
Some hunted products of mine get featured, thankfully, but I do think giving more "smaller," lesser-known projects a chance to be seen would help keep Product Hunt fresh and engaging. It's obvious that products from well-known companies/teams tend to dominate the leaderboard – which makes sense, given their established reputations – but it might mean some cool, smaller projects don't get the attention they deserve. Of course, finding those hidden gems probably takes a lot more time and effort, so maybe expanding the review team could help?
Also, I've noticed that the featured list often seems to be finalized within the first hour or so. Even with the 4-hour vote hiding, tools like @Hunted Space kind of make that irrelevant. Once the featured list is set, the random ordering only shuffles things within a limited pool. So, maybe there's a better way to keep the "battle" for the featured list going a bit longer? Though I know extending the evaluation window would probably be terrible for your sleep schedule! 😄Just a thought, based on my own experience. I'm sure you and your team have already considered many ways to improve the process.
Product Hunt
Hi @zaczuo!
You hunt some awesome stuff, super happy to see you jump in here and I appreciate the thought behind the comment.
I definitely try to be fair to all products, regardless of size or how well they're known. Generally speaking, if something might be super unique or "lesser known" the best thing to do is make sure it's super clear what the product does and there's a really good demo/showcase. Hopefully this help!
I do try to actively monitor the launches after they launch! The team and myself actually make sure that we're not only looking at the products but the activity (spam users, foul players, etc) once the day has started to ensure as fair as possible leaderboard.
We're not perfect and are constantly updating the way we do things so hearing ideas from community members like yourself is always welcomed and helpful!
What percentage of featured products are similar to something else you've featured before? Another way I'd ask this question: how much weight do you put on the uniqueness of the product when choosing to feature it?
Product Hunt
@anandsays uniqueness does weigh pretty heavily. For example, to-do apps. It's a really crowded space, so we try to only feature those that stand out some way. This could be their approach is completely different, they've designed (UX/UI) the product in a unique way, have integrations competitors don't have...etc.
If you're the first of your kind - it's also a big deal! Another way to think about it is being the first hamburger shop in your city vs the 20th. One started the movement, but what did the 20th do to make itself unique/stand out?
Thanks for this thread Gabe!
I have a question regarding the screenshots that are shown when we launch a product.
By default the quality of those images, i mean the way they are rendered in the PH page, is just not good quality. Is there a way that I might be missing in order to make those images of higher quality?
Also does it matter if the images are light or dark mode? Or completely irrelevant?
Thanks
Product Hunt
@cryptosymposium good question! Light mode and dark mode doesn't typically matter. I would take into account that Product Hunt doesn't have a "dark mode" so your images will mostly be against a white background.
For image quality - try compressing the image before upload. Images shouldn't still be crisp! If you're having issues, contact hello@produthunt.com - we'll want to make sure nothing is happening on our end as well.
@gabe thanks for the response. Will use that in my upcoming launch then.
hi @gabe, very helpful post and discussion for a PH newbie! I'm preparing for my first launch here and was wondering, how much time do we need to take into consideration for the moderation process, from submitting your launch/product to actually getting featured? Really want to make sure that we schedule enough time for it, and can imagine is a pretty time intensive task for the team! Thank you!
Product Hunt
@joyce_kremer ideally 24hrs at minimum! The team and I make sure to review things within a minimum of 24hrs. You got this! Excited to see what you launch :)
@gabe Great, that's good to know! Another quick question, does it matter if the product we're launching has a sales-led motion in order to get it featured? It's a Shopify app for a specific small business audience, so we need to make sure the right stores are getting access the platform. Understand that having a sales-led product will limit how easy people on product hunt can actually test the product, so would be great to know the impact. Thanks!
Hi Gabe, this seems like a very helpful post :) I don't want to see you get fired, but let me ask a few questions off the top of my head:
If we share our launch link with our users (without asking for upvotes), will your system flag us for spam/bot activity?
I saw in your guidelines that you recommend waiting six months before relaunching, but I've seen some products relaunch within a month of not being featured and make #1 of the day. What is the official policy on this? Are there any exceptions?
How does your team decide which relaunches to feature? Does past performance and engagement play a role, or is it purely based on product improvements?
Do you review planned launches in advance, or do you evaluate them after they go live?
Are there specific industries or product categories where you see more success in getting featured? (Tons of new AI products are launched every day)
I hope these will be helpful to everyone who is launching their products on PH!
Product Hunt
Hi @isibol01 good questions! Tackling them below.
Genuine support will not flag our system or team. However rewarding users for upvotes, buying votes, spamming communities, etc will trigger our review process.
Great question! Products should wait 6 months to launch but I've been experimenting with allowing launches that are genuinely big or significant updates. We might update the FAQ to reflect this soon as it seems to be going well :)
Relaunches are purely based on product improvements. We're looking into being able to submit feedback to makers if their relaunch or update is rejected to help provide more transparency.
I review launches in advance but I also review and monitor them as they're live!
This is also a good question and kind of hard to answer. AI for example is having a massive boom, so the amount of products using AI has largely increase and because of the industry trend, the likelihood of a product that has AI will be featured is higher.
Why it is very rare for products to feature after launch in initial hours, based on the public receptivity ? Why is it all decided before launch ?
How are ratings calculated ? We launched a product https://www.producthunt.com/posts/zenstream-live-2 that was top in non-featured section and had more votes than the last featured product, and we saw that our actual count was kind of paused for many hours, and ratings showed were definitely less than 50% of what
Why do some hunters hunted products have extremely high chance of getting featured ? You understand they have built an independent business based on this pattern, directly or indirectly charging money.
Product Hunt
Hi @siddhantjain92 - thanks for asking your questions!
We try our best to not make the leaderboard a "popularity contest" but instead surface cool, innovative, fun and unique products. There might be instances that we're wrong and we'll adjust accordingly but typically our pulse is pretty accurate.
Points are decided by upvotes and other genuine engagement such as comments. You can learn more about how points are decided here. We're still improving the process! If you have any worries you can always message our support team if you're in doubt or want to double check.
I review products - not hunters. I try to test every product that comes through and surface some of the most interesting ones. I will admit that some hunters have a neck for identifying awesome or fun tech but it doesn't really factor in to the decision.
Lastly I will say, some users try to relaunch the same product or reschedule the product multiple times which can be considered spam behavior, especially if the launches don't change or barely change. So if you don't get featured the first time, don't give up! You can always launch again, just make sure there's a significant update and that you're really highlighting what's special about your product.
@gabe Thanks for the detailed clarifications !
Gabe, thank you for organizing this AMA and for the efforts you and the team put into curating the Product Hunt leaderboard. I appreciate the opportunity to ask a few questions:
1. You mentioned that using a paid service for upvotes/hunters can negatively impact a launch. I’d love to understand PH’s approach in addressing this:
a) There are LinkedIn influencers who openly sell upvotes and regularly DM makers about it. Since the PH team is aware of these individuals (as they message PH team members as well), has there been any consideration to removing their profiles to enhance the platform’s authenticity?
b) One of the users has been awarded a “Top Hunter” badge by the PH team, yet they openly promote a paid service for hunting products, as indicated on their website which is mentioned in their PH bio. This seems to contradict what you shared in your AMA post. Could you clarify how PH thinks?
2. There seems to be an algorithmic bias in favor of certain hunters. Does the PH engineering team plan to address this to ensure a more level playing field?
3. How does Product Hunt differentiate between established brands and indie makers in the curation process? Are there any specific considerations for independent makers to ensure fair visibility?
4. In 2024, Rajiv (PH’s CEO) collaborated on a post with a popular newsletter. The post featured a guest author who runs a PH agency that guarantees top leaderboard placement. Since PH discourages paid upvotes, could you clarify the reasoning behind this collaboration? Additionally, the same newsletter was advertised on PH, and its clients often work with the same “Top Hunter” known for paid hunting as mentioned in my point 1(b). Does PH favor agencies that have direct commercial relationships with the platform, the CEO, or hunters who are granted special badges by the PH team?
5. The previous version of PH provided public feedback on why a launch wasn’t featured (When Ryan moderated the leaderboard). Would it be possible to introduce templated reasons (similar to Reddit’s moderation feedback) so makers can better understand why their launch wasn’t featured and how / what they can improve for future attempts?
6. When can we expect the rollout of the green tick verification? Will this have any impact on voting or featuring criteria?
7. Occasionally, PH team members launch products that are relatively simple or redundant, yet they get featured. Is this done as an internal encouragement initiative, or are there any specific guidelines regarding PH staff launches?
8. The 2024 Golden Kitty Awards saw a higher number of winners from funded startups, products hunted by PH team and big tech companies. Will this be a trend going forward, or does PH still aim to highlight indie makers and small startups in these awards?
9. The current leadership at PH appears to favor a more condensed approach, as seen in the shorter newsletters, leaderboard with few products featured, stricter discussion post approvals, reduced Golden Kitty nomination categories, and fewer winners per category. Is this a collective team decision, or is there a particular individual driving this approach?
10. Does the engagement data from a “Coming Soon” teaser post (e.g., the number of users who click “Notify Me”) influence whether a product gets featured? Or is this step entirely optional?
11. What advice would you give to makers whose products do not get featured? Should they iterate and relaunch after six months, or are there other recommended approaches? Some makers who are launching for the first time may have genuinely missed adding relevant assets and it could be a reason for them to not get featured. However, do you expect them to wait six months to relaunch or there is something else they can do for a reattempt?
12. Some waitlisted products have been featured while others have not. If there are strict guidelines against featuring waitlisted products, could you help clarify why exceptions are sometimes made?
Thanks again for your time and transparency! Looking forward to your insights.
Product Hunt
@ragsyme thanks for all the questions, going to tackle them one at a time below.
1. The most succinct way to answer this is that we have a number of methods to track and identify launches that are paying for services. If we catch this, we try to warn you. If warnings are well received - then there's a chance to course correct. If warnings are ignored - then your launch can be impacted and at worse be unfeatured.
a) The short answer here is, it's better for us to be aware of the profiles and log it. If we remove the profiles then there's nothing stopping that user from creating a new one, and we have to re-identify.
b) We penalize people buying upvotes. If other users are helping people launch, that's okay. It's like hiring a marketing consultant. Doesn't matter who is hunting, if the product isn't fit - it won't be featured. I will say that there are hunters who have built a reputation of hunting good products and that reputation goes a long way with the community. So it also behooves folks helping others launch to play by the rules.
2. I can see how it may seem this way, but in reality hunters build a reputation by identifying and hunting good products. Just like I curate the leaderboard, I'm sure they curate and identify what they want to hunt. Overtime, the community will follow those hunters and as their followers grow, so do the pool of folks that notice when that specific community member does something on Product Hunt.
3. I look at the product first. I've rejected big brands before and have featured things like @Scroll Buddy. Just make sure your launch is clear to understand and highlights what's unique about the launch and product.
4. RE the newsletter - this may have been before my time. I try my best to keep the playing field even for all. No one should be guaranteeing top spot. If they do, it's false. Some community members are long time Product Hunt members or high contributors and I do have touch points with many of them. Whether they are running agencies, or consulting doesn't impact us. It serves them best to work with high quality products because at the end of the day my job is to help makers launch, provide them and community members feedback on their product/launches, and then curate the best possible leaderboard as possible. --- if someone is gaming the system to be first, we'll catch it. We're cracking down on this behavior even harder now. See answer #2 as well.
5. I'm very passionate about this actually! I've been doing a non-scalable feedback cycle for now and am working with our team to introduce a more scalable way that sees most launches get feedback.
6. Good question - can't comment on timing but sooner rather than later. We will experiment to see how it can benefit the community and keep everyone updated.
7. Good question! I'm def guilty of launching something simple. But i'll be straight up, I'm more strict with our team. I'll let them know, sorry mate this won't be featured here's why" in our team chat. Simple doesn't mean it's not good and often times problems require simple solutions (products).
8. Not a trend, just happened to be. @pascalpixel won maker of the year and he's pretty indie - although I know he also works with a team on different stuff. Focus on making an impact with your product, the rest will come.
9. Not 100% getting this question but I will comment that we're focusing on quality all around.
10. Going to sound like a broken record but engagement does not = featuring. If the product is unique, interesting, fun, special, different, etc... it'll be featured.
11. Good question - I would say try to relaunch when you feel like your product has a significant update from the last launch. And during your next launch try to make it very clear what you're launching and what the user can expect by using your product.
12. Waitlist products are no longer featured. If one has slipped through the cracks please let us know.
Dropboard
Thanks @gabe! I have a product that requires payment for access but has a no-questions, money-back guarantee. Our marketing is very transparent about how the product works and we have walkthrough videos and other ways to see full functionality.
Do you see a paid-only product as less "feature-able" than a freemium or free trial product?
If so, we might consider allowing anyone coming from our PH page to get a free trial for a limited time. Or if you had any other advise for pay-first products, I'd love to hear it!
Product Hunt
Hi @colinmathews! Paid-only products aren't necessary less "featurable". What would make them less featurable is no way to preview what the user can expect to experience (interface, output, workflow, etc).
If you're marketing is really clear and the product is available upon sign up/purchase then that's perfect! I took a quick look at your landing page and I would highly recommend some sort of demo video, either a @Loom or an @Arcade are great! Adding the demo to the launch would be helpful as well.
The key thing is to share and show why your product is special and how it's different than what is currently on the market.
Dropboard
@gabe Great, thank you!
Thanks for sharing! Really helpful considering I'm doing my first launch in a couple weeks
Thanks @gabe Glad I saw this. I am planning my first PH launch in about 1 month. I am gate keeping my landing page with "Join Waitlist" as I build my campaign and do some outreach. Product is there just need to change the links.
Interesting to see that PH team tries the products before hand. Would access to staging environment with demo account be enough for the team to vet? (Saves you a ton of time). Production is exactly the same minus the onboarding!
Given the time frame when would be the ideal time to get the product vetted? I need a nudge to commit to a date!
Much appreciated.
Product Hunt
@armani_tg hey there! Accessing a staging environment would be helpful but the product would need to be available to community members as well during launch. Some recommendations I can make is to either open up the product with limited features available, open it up only for the Product Hunt community, or make a playable demo on your site that leads to an onboarding call vs a waitlist.
Good luck with building and your upcoming launch!
Thanks and great suggestion to change to an onboarding call. Easily done. When I mentioned staging I was specifically talking about the vetting process for your internal review. The product will be available in full, it actually already is. We'll cross that bridge when we get it.
Thanks for the insights, Gabe! 🙏 Love the "mom test" tip. Quick Q: How do you balance featuring truly novel products vs. "better versions" of existing tools? And any plans for a "Hidden Gem" category for niche-but-critical solutions? Keep fighting the good fight! 🔥
Product Hunt
@onbing we've had some internal discussion on "Hidden Gems" or "Editor's Pick" that help highlight products but nothing there yet, ideally the leaderboard should just be really top-notch products.
Regarding the balance, it all comes down to is the update/launch significant? For example an existing tool making their background image blue from white as the only change would not be featured as it the change from a functionality stand point is not that meaningful.
@gabe thx :D
Launched once on here before - It went reasonably well although didn't get the feature - For our next-one, I'm compiling all the advice we need & hoping to nail it!
Seriously impressive that you try each of the products, do they have to be 'HUNTED' specifically to try them, or if they are 'launched-normally' do you not bother?
Thank you Gabe!
Product Hunt
@cranqnow keep at it, Sam! Products don't have to be "hunted" as long as they're scheduled to launch, I'll review them. I try to keep it fair game and review all launches equally, regardless of who hunts them :)
@gabe I appreciate you taking the time to explain that!
Thanks Gabe, looking forward to getting the launch off the ground :)
what outliers have you featured, @gabe ? you cover a few just-fo-fun products, which is great. what about service businesses? I'm thinking something like @Hue back in the day which rebranded to designjoy since his launch on here
Product Hunt
@taniabell we do not feature services. In the past we may have, but we haven't done so for quite a while. You can see this reflected in our FAQ as well. The reasoning is simply that they are typically not products.
Indie.Deals
I remember Product Hunt changing its stance on directories and curation sites around 2023-24 saying it won't be featured anymore (in a way, its a good thing) but recently I noticed a lot of such "products" being featured.
Before you say "there could be something different", nope it was typical directory site with linked pages and details. Has something changed in the criteria of such products/projects?
Product Hunt
Hi@adithya - we take a pretty hard stance on directories. Can you point us to an exact example that was recently featured? Want to make sure nothing slips through, or if there are some we're understanding why. I appreciate you pointing this out!
Indie.Deals
Sure @gabe Let me see if I can find it. It was something related to AI Tools which I noticed in the last 1-2 weeks.
Btw, I would also highlight another issue. Take it up on email?
Potentially stupid question incoming... Do you feature products without a scheduled launch?
Product Hunt
@stellify_software launches can only be scheduled - if it's in a draft, I don't review it.