3 years on the Product Hunt platform and 3 learnings I would like to pass on to you
1097 days = 3 years.
That's exactly how long I've been on this platform, discovering products and new people.
1. Product Hunt is just one part of marketing, not the whole strategy
It’s good to have a launch strategy, but some people have built their entire business identity around Product Hunt.
Then reality hit hard when their product wasn’t featured – maybe because it simply wasn’t the most innovative anymore.
PH is a platform where you can get visibility (you might, but you also might not).
Some even gave up on their product entirely just because their launch didn’t go well.
This is not the right mindset for building a business.
2. Connect with interesting people
Every single day, I receive shallow messages like: “Upvote for me”, “Can you comment?”, “Upvote, upvote, upvote…”
I get it – the goal is to hit TOP 1.
But maybe if you connected with key people and built deeper relationships, gaining genuine attention from the community would be much easier.
3. Repeat launches
One of the best things about this platform is that you can launch again whenever you introduce a significant update to your product. You can continuously build awareness among new audiences. Take advantage of that when you can.
And what about you? :)
What has this platform taught you during your time here?
Replies
Very fresh! Learnt that I've been missing out on so many exciting and inspiring products! Can't believe I slept on PH for this long.
Though also learning that building hype around our own launch soon (in this tight space of time) is much harder work than I anticipated :sweat
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@hayden_lawson When are you preparing your launch (date)? :)
Hey, Nika! 3 years already! Around that time, I was watching the World Cup 2022 matches. :lol:
You’ve perfectly captured the essence of Product Hunt:
Marketing and Networking.
I completely agree. That’s exactly the right approach. You use it as a marketing tool. First, you launch often. That way, developers have to work with deadlines, knowing the product will be released to an audience. For marketers and founders, it’s also a great motivator to stay active. To create content, engage with their audience, and talk about their launch. This helps increase website traffic. And the launch itself is a bonus. it brings in new users and people who discover your product.
From a networking perspective, that’s where the real game is. You can connect with an incredible number of high-level people in the tech world and that’s truly unique. It’s an extremely effective way to grow your network in this space.
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@byalexai At least, we somehow connected. That's a win! :) Better than World Cup tournaments :D
@busmark_w_nika Absolutely. Great to connect with you. You're the best Product Hunt Ambassador online/offline.
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@byalexai aaaaw, thank you – Likewise Alex! :)
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@george_esther Have you tried to identify those who actively commented/upvoted for products that are in your niche? :)
Triforce Todos
I especially resonate with the point about building genuine connections, so many people focus on upvotes instead of relationships, but those connections often lead to lasting opportunities.
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@abod_rehman Usually, those people disappear after the 1st (unsuccessful) launch.
MultiDrive
The main challenge is underestimating the launch. Asking for upvotes is the most transparent approach when you don’t have much time to prepare, but ideally you’d build relationships beforehand. Of course, you need more than one month for that - just my feeling :)
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@tetiana_hryshmanovska I agree. The one bad thing that happens to me is that (I assume) some people offered themselves as a service and ask me to upvote for various launches. Their role is probably asking for upvotes from their connections and new people. At least, they are not bots :D
What a great reminder that it's totally fine to launch again with updates! I appreciate the advice as my team and I prepare for our very first launch!
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@rvalenzjetti When is the launch date? :)
@busmark_w_nika No set date yet, but we're thinking around January as we get all the pieces in place! (MVP, seeking out first testers/users, website/toolings, and coffee chats with anyone interested!)
Zawa
That is such a valuable, experience-driven reflection, Nika! Congratulations on three years on the platform. 🎉
I completely agree with your three core learnings—they perfectly capture the reality of building in public.
For the X-Design team, our recent 2.0 launch really hammered home the truth of points 1 and 3:
PH is just one part: Our entire 2.0 re-launch was built on the momentum and customer relationships we established off Product Hunt over the last year. If the product and the community weren't ready first, the launch wouldn't have resonated. The platform validates, but the community is built elsewhere.
Repeat Launches (Significance): Your third point is crucial. We focused X-Design 2.0 on the shift from a 'generator' to a full 'Brand System Agent' (with SVG export, consistency locks, etc.). This functional leap made the repeat launch genuinely meaningful to the community and gave them a compelling reason to support us again.
I find that the biggest mental shift is treating Product Hunt not as a lottery ticket, but as a high-leverage press conference—you need the story and the audience ready before you step on stage.
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@tony_hsieh2 Thank you, Tony, for your supportive words! Just out of curiosity: Which platform is your top for content and building community? :)
Zawa
@busmark_w_nika
For X-Design, we lean on that trio heavily, but each serves a unique purpose:
YouTube is our Showcase. It's the most effective way to visually prove the power of new features, which is crucial for repeat launches and building trust.
Reddit is our Reality Check. It's the best spot to gather honest, raw feedback and hear what problems our community is struggling with before we try to solve them.
Discord is our Inner Circle. It’s where we nurture those relationships with early adopters, run quick beta tests, and generate the loyalty that fuels a launch.
The synergy between those three is what turns followers into advocates.
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@tony_hsieh2 you seem that have a solid strategy with your channels. I always bet only something more public (unfortunately those my channels are not so durable as yours) :D
Repeat launches is a great point. I keep delaying my launch when I could try to ship what I have, and learn from my launch... then launch when there is significant changes. Noted.
Thanks for all the amazing context you share here. Love reading from you!
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@norteapp You are welcome, Jose. Looking forward to your next updated launches. :)
Calendarly
For us, Product Hunt was never something we heavily relied on, more like one of many tools to share what we’re building.
And honestly, our product probably isn’t the right fit for most of the audience here anyway, so we never expected to get featured or blow up.
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@dim_kat What's your goal with PH and your product on this platform? Visibility? Higher traffic?
Thanks for sharing these insights, Nika! 🙌
I completely agree — Product Hunt is just one part of a larger marketing strategy, and building genuine connections with people is way more valuable than chasing upvotes.
I’ve also found that repeating launches with meaningful updates really helps reach new audiences and keeps your product visible. These are lessons every maker should keep in mind.
Curious to hear — what’s one launch you felt taught you the most on PH?
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@liam_oliver10 Hello Liam, thank you so much for your POV. To be honest, when you launch your own product, you will learn the most because you have to make many rounds of preparation, strategies, etc. For me, it was minimalist phone launch :)