How to get featured on Product Hunt: playbook + examples
last updated: Sep 6, 2025
TL;DR
- feature criteria
- clear listing (260-char, 2+ images, optional video, interactive demo)
- 3 waves (12:01 a.m. PT, morning PT, afternoon PT)
- reply fast with maker comment + demo CTA
- 2-week follow-up.
Plan staffing with the Product Hunt launch strategy. Write a copy with my founder demo script. Pair with PR for startups.
How to:
- Schedule for 12:01 a.m. PT. Queue your first maker comment and assets.
- Run three outreach waves. Ask for visits and comments, not votes.
- Reply fast. Offer a demo CTA and collect emails for follow-up.
Glossary
- Featured. Products PH shows on the homepage by default.
- All tab. Full list of launches. Not the default view.
- Maker comment. First team comment under the gallery.
- Ship page. Pre-launch page to collect interest.
- 12:01 a.m. PT. Daily reset time for the leaderboard.
- Demo CTA. “See live demo” or “Book a demo”.
- Hunter. Person who submits a product.
- Self-hunted. Maker submits their own product.
How to get featured on Product Hunt: step-by-step
- Meet feature-worthiness. Read the Featuring Guidelines. Ship something useful or novel with high craft. Avoid waitlist-only or thin “info” launches. Let people try it today.
- Prepare your listing. Name only. Tight tagline. 260-character description. 2+ gallery images. Optional video. Interactive demo. Keep GIFs readable. Prefer a clean PH URL. Put UTMs on your site CTAs (demo/pricing).
- Write your maker comment. Draft before launch. Say who it’s for, the problem, key features, your story, pricing or PH offer, and the feedback you want. Add one image or a short video. Keep a helpful tone.
- Build your Ship page. Collect emails. Tease the launch. Share updates. Embed the Ship widget on your site and socials. Invite design partners.
- Set timing 12:01 a.m. PT. Schedule your post for a full day. Align with press or team availability if needed.
- Warm the funnel. The week before, confirm champions, partners, customers, and friends. Draft three messages: T-0, 7 a.m. PT, 2 p.m. PT. Never ask for votes. Ask for a visit and a comment. For a deeper plan, use the Product Hunt launch strategy.
- Run launch day. Be online all day. Reply to every comment within minutes. Post quick product updates if something is unclear. Keep your demo CTA above the fold. If you need copy, use my founder demo script.
- Add social proof. Add a PH-only offer. Pin short threads on X and LinkedIn. Show early comments on your site.
- Follow up. For two weeks, message everyone who visited, commented, or signed up. Book demos. Ship one visible change and say so publicly. Pair with PR for startups to extend reach.
Benchmarks
What this means
- Staff the day. If you need 450 quality visits per wave, plan 3 waves for 1,350 visits.
- Draft the maker comment early. It matters.
- Weekend trades competition for traffic.
Sample math.
If you get 1,000 “Visit” clicks and your landing page converts 8% to sign-up, that is 80 sign-ups. If 25% of sign-ups book a demo, that is 20 demos. If 20% of demos close, you win 4 new customers.
If you get 1,000 “Visit” clicks and your landing page converts 8% to sign-up, that is 80 sign-ups. If 25% of sign-ups book a demo, that is 20 demos. If 20% of demos close, you win 4 new customers.
In 90 seconds, find the bottleneck stopping your first 10 customers. Take the free quiz and get a personalized action plan.
Hunter vs self-hunted launch
- Speed. Self-hunted is faster and easier to coordinate.
- Advantage. No ranking benefit from a hunter. Focus on quality and engagement.
- Use a hunter only if they are a domain leader who will engage on launch day.
More nuance in my Product Hunt launch strategy guide.
Templates
Maker comment template
Hi PH! I’m <name>, one of the makers of <Product>. We built it for <target user> who struggle with <problem>.
What you can do today:
What’s different: <short point of view>. Pricing: <free/paid/free plan>. PH-only offer: <deal>.
I’d love feedback on <2 specific questions>. If you want a quick walkthrough, here’s a live demo CTA on our site.
Thank you for checking us out. We’ll be here all day.
Outreach DMs
Post-click message
“Found us via Product Hunt? Welcome. Here’s a 3-minute demo. Prefer live? Book a 15-minute call.”
PH prep one-pager (copy/paste)
Hi PH! I’m <name>, one of the makers of <Product>. We built it for <target user> who struggle with <problem>.
What you can do today:
- <Feature 1 in 5–7 words>
- <Feature 2 in 5–7 words>
- <Feature 3 in 5–7 words>
What’s different: <short point of view>. Pricing: <free/paid/free plan>. PH-only offer: <deal>.
I’d love feedback on <2 specific questions>. If you want a quick walkthrough, here’s a live demo CTA on our site.
Thank you for checking us out. We’ll be here all day.
Outreach DMs
- T-0, 12:01 a.m. PT. “Going live on PH. If you have 30 seconds, I’d love your feedback on the page. Visit and comment if something is unclear. Link: <PH link>.”
- 7 a.m. PT. “Morning wave. If you had a look, thank you. If not, can you share one comment about clarity or use-case? It helps a lot.”
- 2 p.m. PT. “Last push today. We’re close to top-3. A short comment about your use-case or a question moves the needle more than a silent visit.”
Post-click message
“Found us via Product Hunt? Welcome. Here’s a 3-minute demo. Prefer live? Book a 15-minute call.”
PH prep one-pager (copy/paste)
- Goal. top-3. KPIs. 500 weekday upvotes or 330 weekend; 1,000 visits; 80 sign-ups; 20 demos.
- Assets. name, tagline, 260-char description, 2+ images, optional video, interactive demo, maker comment.
- People. comment responder, social poster, ops owner, analytics.
- Waves. 12:01 a.m. PT, 7 a.m. PT, 2 p.m. PT.
- Offer. PH-only promo, ends in 7 days.
- Links. Ship page, landing, demo, pricing, support.
- Follow-up. day 1, day 3, day 7, day 14.
Risks
- Buying upvotes or spammy traffic. You risk removal and bans. Ask for visits and comments only.
- Thin or unclear listing. If people can’t tell what it does, you lose momentum.
- Waitlist-only. If nobody can try it, you may not be featured.
- Slow responses. Unanswered threads stall velocity.
- No follow-up. You waste traffic and feedback.
FAQ
- You:Do I need a hunter?Guide:No. Self-hunt. There’s no advantage to third-party hunters.
- You:Can I ask people to upvote?Guide:No. Ask them to visit and comment. Upvote asking breaks rules.
- You:What’s the best time to launch?Guide:12:01 a.m. PT by default. Align to press or timezone when needed.
- You:How many images and video should I add?Guide:At least two images. Video is optional and common among winners.
- You:What if I’m not featured?Guide:Improve clarity. Provide immediate access. Relaunch when you have a major update.
- You:Can I relaunch the same product?Guide:Yes, with substantive changes. Space launches and say what changed.
- You:How do I avoid spam flags?Guide:Use personal accounts. Don’t buy traffic. Avoid duplicate comments. Don’t post as a company.
- You:What counts as success beyond votes?Guide:Qualified traffic, sign-ups, demos, and learning.
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