How do I install the Product Hunt skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/product-hunt in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Product Hunt safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Product Hunt?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Product Hunt free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Product Hunt?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Product Hunt by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Product Hunt
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Author: modbender

File contents

Quick Reference

Topic	File	Key Trap
Launch execution	`launch.md`	Wrong launch time (not 12:01 AM PT)
Hunting products	`hunting.md`	Hunting without maker coordination
Competitive research	`research.md`	Treating upvotes as validation
Engagement rules	`engagement.md`	Vote manipulation detection

Critical Launch Traps

Timing:

Launch window: 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM Pacific Time — not your timezone
Best days: Tuesday-Thursday. Mondays = catch-up mode, Fridays = weekend mode
First 4-6 hours determine ranking trajectory — front-load your promotion

Assets (exact specs matter):

Gallery images: 1270x760px — first image is EVERYTHING
GIF/video dramatically outperforms static images (<30 seconds)
Logo: 240x240px
Tagline: 60 chars max, no buzzwords ("revolutionary", "AI-powered" = instant skip)

Maker Comment:

Personal story, not corporate pitch — PH community is indie-friendly
Why you built it, what problem you personally faced
Update throughout the day with new info

First Paragraph Gets Truncated:

Hook must be in first sentence — longer descriptions cut off in feed

Hunter Reputation System

Building Credibility:

Quality over volume — 5 great hunts > 20 mediocre ones
Each flop damages future hunt performance
Top hunters have followers who get notified — real distribution advantage
Hunt without maker coordination = product has bugs on launch day

Hunter Mechanics:

Anyone can post, but established hunters have amplification
Getting "Featured" is editor's pick — massive visibility boost
Collections extend long-tail traffic beyond launch day

Engagement Anti-Patterns

What Gets Detected & Penalized:

Multiple upvotes from same IP/device → shadowbanned votes
Burst of upvotes from new accounts → astroturfing pattern
Upvote circles (same 50 people always vote each other)
External vote exchange groups (PH actively monitors Slack/Discord)
Asking for upvotes in comment threads → public callout

What Looks Spammy:

Copy-paste comments across products
Generic "Congrats!" with no substance
Mass DMs to makers
Defensive/hostile responses to criticism

Competitive Intelligence Limits

Model Blind Spots — Don't Trust:

Upvotes ≠ users ≠ paying customers (zero correlation)
80%+ of "Product of the Day" winners are dead within 2 years
PH audience = indie hackers, designers, early adopters — NOT enterprise
High upvotes + low comments often = gamed launch

Useful Signals:

Comment sentiment reveals real user feedback
"I wish it had..." patterns = your opportunities
Maker response time indicates team readiness
Velocity curve > total upvotes (200 in 2h > 500 in 24h)

Scope

Covers: launching products, hunting/curating, competitive research, community engagement. Does NOT cover: building the actual product, growth outside PH, paid acquisition.

---name: product-huntdescription: Launch, hunt, and research products on Product Hunt with timing, assets, engagement, and anti-manipulation practices.--- ## Quick Reference | Topic | File | Key Trap | |-------|------|----------| | Launch execution | `launch.md` | Wrong launch time (not 12:01 AM PT) | | Hunting products | `hunting.md` | Hunting without maker coordination | | Competitive research | `research.md` | Treating upvotes as validation | | Engagement rules | `engagement.md` | Vote manipulation detection | ## Critical Launch Traps **Timing:** - Launch window: **12:01 AM to 11:59 PM Pacific Time** — not your timezone - Best days: Tuesday-Thursday. Mondays = catch-up mode, Fridays = weekend mode - First 4-6 hours determine ranking trajectory — front-load your promotion **Assets (exact specs matter):** - Gallery images: 1270x760px — first image is EVERYTHING - GIF/video dramatically outperforms static images (<30 seconds) - Logo: 240x240px - Tagline: 60 chars max, no buzzwords ("revolutionary", "AI-powered" = instant skip) **Maker Comment:** - Personal story, not corporate pitch — PH community is indie-friendly - Why you built it, what problem you personally faced - Update throughout the day with new info **First Paragraph Gets Truncated:** - Hook must be in first sentence — longer descriptions cut off in feed ## Hunter Reputation System **Building Credibility:** - Quality over volume — 5 great hunts > 20 mediocre ones - Each flop damages future hunt performance - Top hunters have followers who get notified — real distribution advantage - Hunt without maker coordination = product has bugs on launch day **Hunter Mechanics:** - Anyone can post, but established hunters have amplification - Getting "Featured" is editor's pick — massive visibility boost - Collections extend long-tail traffic beyond launch day ## Engagement Anti-Patterns **What Gets Detected & Penalized:** - Multiple upvotes from same IP/device → shadowbanned votes - Burst of upvotes from new accounts → astroturfing pattern - Upvote circles (same 50 people always vote each other) - External vote exchange groups (PH actively monitors Slack/Discord) - Asking for upvotes in comment threads → public callout **What Looks Spammy:** - Copy-paste comments across products - Generic "Congrats!" with no substance - Mass DMs to makers - Defensive/hostile responses to criticism ## Competitive Intelligence Limits **Model Blind Spots — Don't Trust:** - Upvotes ≠ users ≠ paying customers (zero correlation) - 80%+ of "Product of the Day" winners are dead within 2 years - PH audience = indie hackers, designers, early adopters — NOT enterprise - High upvotes + low comments often = gamed launch **Useful Signals:** - Comment sentiment reveals real user feedback - "I wish it had..." patterns = your opportunities - Maker response time indicates team readiness - Velocity curve > total upvotes (200 in 2h > 500 in 24h) ## Scope Covers: launching products, hunting/curating, competitive research, community engagement. Does NOT cover: building the actual product, growth outside PH, paid acquisition.

Frequently asked questions

Product Hunt