There are tons of tips and tricks out there about how to prepare for your product launch - the 24 hour window after you first post about your product - in which you can boost your product’s visibility, attract early adopters, and propel your growth.
What about after launch? You've stayed up late, replied to comments, onboarded new users, etc... but the excitement of launch day shouldn't stop just because the home feed refreshes. There are many more opportunities to continue reaching potential customers, establishing your brand as a thought-leader, and creating lasting relationships with your core supporters. To ensure your Product Hunt launch is a resounding success, we've compiled four strategies that will help you maximize your longer term impact.
Strategy 1: Reach more people through momentum campaigns and reviews
You’ll probably walk away from your launch with one of the following feelings: grateful, thankful, blessed [pray emoji], or utterly disappointed. Look, we’ve been there too. Tons of work goes into our launches and product announcements and not all of them are winners. We all set goals that stretch us, and when we don’t get there sometimes it’s disappointing.
If your product made it on the homepage that means of all the new products in the world that day, it was among the best. That in itself is a big win, but we get it - you wanted that top spot. While the integrity of our leaderboard will always be maintained by community vote, there are ways that you can continue getting exposure on your product after your launch completes.
That’s where momentum campaigns come in. They’ll keep your product on the leaderboard and in high-traffic spots across our website and mobile app for a few more days. Budgets can be as little as $1,000, but the more you allocate the more impressions you will get.
By launching on Product Hunt, you automatically create a landing page for your product called a Product Hub. This page gives you the ability to collect reviews and round up all your launches in a single location. Check out some popular Hubs to bet a better idea - Notion, Figma, and Slack.
Reviews improve the health of your Product Hub and help it rank higher through SEO and appear on the Product Hunt website as a top product on our alternatives and topic pages. Basically, the more you invest in driving reviews to your page, the harder Product Hunt can continue to work for you and increase leads to your website.
The best way to get reviews is to ask for them. We have a few tools to help you do this. Go to your Product Hub, click "More", click "Embeds" to copy codes and URLs to share on your website and socials. Remember, asking for reviews in a moment of delight can be very effective.
Strategy 2: Encourage product trials by posting a deal on Marketplace
Reaching more people is one piece of the puzzle. The Product Hunt Marketplace is a treasure trove of opportunities to engage with potential customers. Offer an exclusive deal or discount to entice users to try your product. This not only puts your product front on another popular page, but also encourages trial usage, generating valuable feedback and potential advocates for your brand.
Strategy 3: Target specific audiences
Position yourself as an industry expert by sponsoring a relevant newsletter. We have a variety of newsletters reaching 750,000+ of our highly-engaged community members each week. Through sponsoring our flagship daily digest, AI, productivity, or maker newsletters, your team can build credibility by curating valuable content, insights, and tips related to your niche. This opportunity helps you reach a specific audience and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.
Strategy 4: Turn supporters into hardcore fans through community events
We’re all about bringing people together. Whether you have an existing community of supporters or you are still working on that piece, partnering with us to host a community event creates an opportunity for meaningful conversations, sharing insights, and product demos with your target audience. We work together to figure out content that will be valuable to the Product Hunt community and help you promote, and then we hand over the mic. Not only is this a chance to build connections, but also leaves you with great content (written and video) to help you work toward reaching your business goals.
If sponsoring a community event is a bit out of reach, there are some free ways to continue engaging with your community after your launch. Product Hunt users love engaging in discussions and learning directly from makers. Regularly posting thoughtful discussions helps you connect with people that have shared interests and allow you to build a following. A lot of makers see success by hosting an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) thread to address questions, share behind-the-scenes stories, and provide insights about their products.