Product hunt launch

Product Hunt Launch

A Product Hunt launch done right is still the best single-day distribution moment for a vibe-coded app. Done wrong, it's a wasted day. This skill builds the full playbook: tagline, description, gallery, maker comment, voting strategy, and day-of timeline.

Context

Read product-context.md if present. Otherwise ask for:

1. Product URL
2. Target launch date (or "not set yet")
3. Current community size (Twitter followers, Discord members, email list, etc.)

Process

1. Timing strategy

Best days to launch (ranked): Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

• Monday: high competition, community slow to engage
• Friday–Sunday: lower traffic, weekend slump

Best time to submit: 12:01 AM Pacific Time on launch day (you get the full 24-hour window).

How far in advance to prep: at minimum, 1 week before launch day.

2. Tagline (the most important copy you'll write for PH)

Rules for a PH tagline:

• Under 60 characters
• No jargon, no buzzwords ("revolutionary," "AI-powered," "seamless")
• Says what it does, not what it is
• Works without seeing the product name
• Passes the "tell a friend" test: can you say it out loud without sounding weird?

Generate 5 tagline options in this format:

#	Tagline	Style	Char count
1		Pain-led
2		Outcome-led
3		Comparison ("X without Y")
4		Audience-first
5		Provocative / counter-intuitive

Recommend one and explain why.

3. Product description

PH description: 200–260 words, markdown-supported.

Structure:

**[Opening line — lead with the pain, not a greeting]**

[2-3 sentences on the problem. Use "you" language.]

**[Product name]** [does the thing in one line].

[How it works in 3 bullet points. Each one is a step or a key feature.]
• 
•
•

[Social proof if you have it: "X founders have used it to…" / "Built after seeing…"]

[CTA: "Try it free at [URL]"]

4. Gallery (5 images / 1 video)

Order and content for the PH media gallery:

1. Hero image — product name + tagline on a clean background (matches OG image style)
2. Problem frame — the pain state, in 1 line + a screenshot showing the "before"
3. Product in action — a GIF or screenshot of the core feature working
4. Result / "after" — what the user sees when the product delivers
5. Pricing or CTA — free trial terms or pricing, with the URL

Video (optional but high-impact): 30–60 second demo. See /launch-video skill.

5. Maker comment (first comment = the highest-read thing on your launch)

Write a maker comment that follows this structure:

Hey PH 👋

[One sentence on who you are and why you built this.]

[2-3 sentences on the core problem and your "aha" moment.]

[What makes this different from X / Y.]

[What you're giving PH hunters specifically: free trial / extended access / code "PH24"]

I'm here all day — ask me anything. Would love your feedback on [specific thing you want feedback on].

— [Your name]

6. Day-of timeline

12:01 AM PT — Submit the product (do not wait until morning)
12:15 AM PT — Post maker comment
12:30 AM PT — Personal message / tweet: "Just launched on PH, would mean a lot if you upvoted"
08:00 AM PT — Post in relevant communities (Discord, Slack, Reddit) with the PH link
09:00 AM PT — Check and respond to every comment on PH. Respond within 1 hour all day.
12:00 PM PT — Midday status update tweet: screenshot of rank, thank early supporters
03:00 PM PT — Second community post wave
06:00 PM PT — Final push: email your list (if any) with 6 hours left
11:00 PM PT — Final response sweep. Thank top commenters individually.

7. Pre-launch checklist (run 48 hours before)

• Product page is live and passes /pre-launch-checklist
• PH listing preview looks correct (no broken images, tagline fits)
• All 5 gallery images are ready (1080×1080 or 1270×760)
• Maker comment is drafted and ready to paste
• Personal outreach list: 20–50 people who will genuinely support your launch (warm contacts only, not cold asks)
• Launch tweet is drafted and scheduled for 12:15 AM PT
• If you have an email list: launch-day email is ready to send at 8 AM PT
• Slack / Discord / Reddit posts are drafted
• Your calendar is blocked for the entire day

Gotchas

• Never buy upvotes or join upvote-exchange pods. PH's fraud detection penalizes or delists launches for this — it can kill the launch mid-day. Warm personal outreach only.
• Create the PH "upcoming" (teaser) page as soon as the date is set. It gives you a shareable link for the waitlist/countdown emails before launch, and people can subscribe to be notified at launch.
• Calibrate expectations to audience size. With <1k followers and a small list, a healthy outcome is 100–250 upvotes and a strong sub-category ranking — not #1 Product of the Day, which typically requires a much larger pre-existing audience. Say this to the user so launch day isn't read as a failure.
• Early velocity matters most. Upvotes and substantive comments in the first 1–2 hours drive ranking more than totals — front-load the warmest asks to right after 12:01 AM PT, not the morning.

Output

Deliver in order:

1. Timing recommendation — best launch date given current date and context
2. 5 tagline options with recommendation
3. Product description — ready to paste into PH
4. Gallery brief — what to put in each of the 5 image slots
5. Maker comment — ready to paste
6. Day-of timeline — hour-by-hour
7. Pre-launch checklist status — pass/fail based on current product state

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