As a tech-based entrepreneur, if you’ve not yet heard about Product Hunt, then odds are you’re missing out. Especially if you are a newer business, Product Hunt can be a terrific way to generate some buzz around your products and offerings. So what can you expect from Product Hunt and gaining some exposure on the platform…it can help you usher in some key partnerships and opportunities, enable you to attract more visitors to your site, not to mention, it might even allow you to gain more coverage on sites such as TechCrunch for example. That said, getting featured on Product Hunt is not necessarily an easy thing to do. Yes, you can submit your ideas, but whether or not they opt to showcase that idea remains to be seen. Below is a guide to all things Product Hunt and how you may be able to use it to your advantage.
So What Exactly Is Product Hunt?
Again, for those who may not have heard of the platform, we thought we’d offer a brief overview. Essentially, Product Hunt strives to bring together all of the latest games, apps, devices, and other such tech-related things that they think those in the industry need to know about. Offering a comprehensive newsletter to this end, they do try and highlight the tech world’s “next big thing.” If in fact, you can get featured on the site, you can expect a ton of new visitors—some get as many as 100 new visitors per hour following their Product Hunt feature. And hand in hand with the increase in visitors, there stands to be a decent revenue bump. Those featured on Product Hunt also find that they can connect with partners who complement their perspective. And then, of course, there is the potential to be featured on sites such as TechCrunch for example.
Now, that said, keep in mind the competition is fierce. Getting featured on the platform is far from a given. Hundreds, if not thousands of new tech products are submitted every day. It thus becomes easy to get lost amid a sea of competitors.
How It All Works?
This is probably a pretty good place to start…a rundown on how Product Hunt works. Primarily, they are interested in featuring new products—or also, tech that has undergone some sort of major overhaul making it newly relevant. So Facebook or Instagram, probably won’t be on Product Hunt. The platform itself was built/launched by tech experts and enthusiasts—so you need to understand the platform and get comfortable with it prior to submitting your productconcept.
Not all products are eligible to be featured on the platform. Their FAQ section carefully outlines the types of products they will consider. If yours does get accepted, while that is great, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are guaranteed success. You have to work hard to make any product launch a success.
Also, when you are accepted and you do post your product to Product Hunt, it goes to the newest product section. To get to the front page, you have to impress users and you have to accrue those upvotes.
The Key to Getting Featured: 5 Critical Steps
1. Research Thoroughly
You have to do your homework on this one, especially if you’ve not heard of Product Hunt before. Look at products similar to yours on the platform. Understand the audience and gauge their reactions to various ideas. This launch is your big moment, leave no stone unturned. Also, know your product. That may seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t understand every single nuance and detail of their product. You also want to start trying to build a buzz before your Product Hunt launch.
2. Set the Tone Before Your Launch
For any Product Hunt launch to be truly successful, you need to have a pretty large online following/consortium. If your audience is currently somewhat modest, don’t be dissuaded. Start building a following. Convey an exciting message that will attract more users. To make Product Hunt work for you, you have to be able to manage your audience in such a way that you gain that needed traction.
3. Be a True Member of the Community
Like any other platform, the community is key. And so being an active member of that community can certainly work to your advantage. Even months before you intend to launch, start reaching out to influencers, connecting with those in similar niches. Product Hunt is quite a tight community; you want to become a part of that. You can upvote others’ products. Go a step further and leave relevant comments. If you have questions, ask—many will be very happy to reply.
4. Make Sure to Properly Time Your Launch
Any sort of media is all about the timing involved. Let’s say you have a dynamic new product and yet when you’re eying launching that product, suddenly there is a bevy of products that look a lot like yours. You may want to postpone until the field is somewhat less crowded. Also, think about something as basic as time and day of the week. Weekends are generally slower as far as Product Hunt. Weekdays tend to be more popular—and also, there seems to be a little less competition during the weekdays.
5. Learn Any (and Every/) Lesson You Can
So maybe you are not accepted with your first submission. Think about why…What could you have done better? How could you have made it more appealing? What might have turned your audience off? There was a reason you weren’t accepted. So take some time to look at all of the details and figure out where and how you can do it better next time.
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