When you start prepping a launch on Product Hunt, you may read here and there great stories, how-tos, and step-by-step guides. This is another, different story.
I had the opportunity to work with the Documenso team on their launch. We reached #1 Product of the Day although we didn't apply most of the pro tips you may read on the Internet.
Some lessons learned:
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You don't need a 4-week plan;
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You don't need to launch on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday;
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You don't need to cold outreach people.
how not to launch on Product Hunt (and reach #1 Product of the Day)
you don't need a 4-week plan
We started working on the topic 1 week before the launch. 1 week. We created a Coming Soon page and hosted an AMA session.
you don't need to launch on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
Reportedly, Product Hunt has the highest traffic/visibility on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We launched Documenso on a Sunday.
you don't need to cold outreach people
We didn't send any direct messages or email newsletters. We did post and repost extensively on Twitter / X on launch day though:
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10 posts,
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18 reposts.
wrapping up
When launching Documenso on Product Hunt, we didn't check the lists you may find here and there. We didn't plan 4 weeks in advance. We didn't launch on a weekday or send direct messages.
The results?
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747 upvotes,
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127 comments,
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#1 Product of the Day,
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#9 Product of the Week,
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700+ GitHub stars,
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2.5K DUV.
You may wonder what my #1 lesson learned launching on Product Hunt is. Here's the secret:
Enjoy your launch day.