reaperinvest Product Hunt Launch
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan and execute a Product Hunt launch for a new product or major update
- Write the listing copy, tagline, and maker comments
- Coordinate a launch day strategy for maximum visibility
- Design a post-launch follow-up plan to convert traffic
DO NOT use this skill for general product launches, app store optimization, or ongoing marketing campaigns. This is specifically for Product Hunt launches.
Core Principle
A PRODUCT HUNT LAUNCH IS A 24-HOUR SPRINT — SUCCESS COMES FROM PREPARATION IN THE WEEKS BEFORE, NOT HUSTLE ON THE DAY.
Phase 1: Brief
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Product name and URL | "What is the product and where can people try it?" | No default — must be provided |
| One-line description | "Describe what your product does in one sentence." | No default — must be provided |
| Target audience | "Who is this product for?" | No default — must be provided |
| Launch goal | "What does success look like? Top 5, press coverage, signups?" | Top 5 Product of the Day |
| Launch date | "When do you plan to launch?" | No default — must be at least 2 weeks out |
| Existing audience | "Do you have an email list, social following, or community?" | Small following (under 1,000) |
| Hunter | "Do you have someone to hunt your product, or will you self-submit?" | Self-submit |
GATE: Confirm the brief before building the launch plan.
Phase 2: Pre-Launch Plan (2 Weeks Before)
Week -2: Foundation
- Create or optimize Product Hunt maker profile
- Build a "coming soon" landing page with email capture
- Draft all listing assets (see Phase 3)
- Identify and reach out to a potential hunter (if not self-submitting)
- Start teasing on social media (behind-the-scenes content)
Week -1: Warm-Up
- Engage daily on Product Hunt (upvote, comment on other launches)
- DM 20-30 Product Hunt community members who might be interested
- Prepare email to your list announcing the launch date
- Write 5+ maker comments in advance
- Brief your team/friends on how to support (not upvote-begging)
- Schedule social media posts for launch day
Launch Day Prep
- Set alarm for 12:01 AM PT (Product Hunt resets at midnight Pacific)
- Have all assets uploaded and ready to publish
- Email and social posts queued
- Clear your calendar — you will be responding to comments all day
GATE: Confirm pre-launch plan is actionable before writing listing copy.
Phase 3: Write the Listing
Listing Components
Tagline (60 characters max):
- Benefit-driven, clear, no jargon
- Formula: "[Action verb] + [outcome] + [differentiator]"
- Example: "Turn customer feedback into product decisions automatically"
Description (260 characters):
- Expand on the tagline with specifics
- Include who it is for and one key feature
- End with what makes it different
First Comment (Maker Comment):
- Tell the story behind the product in 3-4 paragraphs
- Why you built it (personal pain point)
- What it does (in plain language)
- What makes it different
- What you are looking for (feedback, users, specific use case testing)
Gallery Images (5-8 images):
- Hero image with tagline and product screenshot
- Problem statement visual
- Key feature 1 with screenshot
- Key feature 2 with screenshot
- Key feature 3 with screenshot
- Social proof or early results
- Pricing or offer
- CTA image
Pre-Written Comments
Draft 5 responses for anticipated questions:
- "How is this different from [competitor]?"
- "What is the pricing?"
- "Does it integrate with [popular tool]?"
- "What is on the roadmap?"
- "Can I use this for [specific use case]?"
Phase 4: Launch Day and Follow-Up
Launch Day Playbook
Hour 0-1 (12 AM PT): Publish listing, post first maker comment, send email blast Hour 1-4: Monitor and respond to every comment within 30 minutes Hour 4-8: Share on social media, engage with supporters who repost Hour 8-12: Second social push, respond to all new comments Hour 12-24: Continue engagement, thank supporters, track rankings
Post-Launch (Days 2-7)
- Thank everyone who commented or upvoted (personal DMs for top engagers)
- Write a "lessons learned" post on social media
- Follow up with every lead who signed up during launch
- Update the product listing if you earned a badge
- Pitch press outlets using Product Hunt results as social proof
Quality Checklist
## Product Hunt Launch Checklist
- [ ] Tagline is under 60 characters and benefit-driven
- [ ] Description is under 260 characters with clear audience and differentiator
- [ ] First maker comment tells the origin story
- [ ] 5-8 gallery images prepared with consistent branding
- [ ] 5 pre-written comment responses drafted
- [ ] Email blast and social posts scheduled for launch hour
- [ ] Calendar cleared for launch day engagement
- [ ] Post-launch follow-up plan documented
- [ ] Landing page is live and optimized for Product Hunt traffic
- [ ] Special launch offer (if any) is clearly stated
Example
Product: InvoiceBot — AI invoice generator for freelancers
Tagline: "Generate professional invoices in 30 seconds with AI"
First comment excerpt: "Hey Product Hunt! I am [Name], the maker of InvoiceBot. I built this because I spent 2 hours every month creating invoices for my freelance clients. That is 24 hours a year on paperwork. InvoiceBot generates a complete, professional invoice from a single sentence like 'Invoice Acme Corp $2,500 for website redesign, due in 30 days.' It pulls in your saved business details, calculates tax, and sends a PDF — all in under 30 seconds."
Anti-Patterns
- Launch without preparation — posting and hoping is not a strategy. Two weeks of prep is minimum.
- Upvote begging — asking people to "go upvote my product" violates community norms and triggers spam filters.
- Ignoring comments — every unanswered comment is a missed conversion. Respond to everything.
- Bad timing — avoid launching on days with major tech events or when top products dominate the feed.
- No post-launch plan — Product Hunt traffic spikes and dies. Have a funnel ready to capture and convert.
Recovery
- Low upvotes on launch day: Focus on comment quality. Thoughtful comments often matter more than upvote count for engagement.
- Negative feedback in comments: Respond graciously. Acknowledge valid criticism and share your roadmap. The community respects transparency.
- Product not ready for traffic: Launch a waitlist page instead. Use Product Hunt for validation and email collection.
- Missed top 5: Any visibility is valuable. Use the Product Hunt listing as a permanent social proof asset.