Top 5 battle-tested Product Hunt launch hacks that actually work (and what you should skip entirely). No fluff, just facts.
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I've launched two products three times and am prepping for a fourth run. Sharing our team's experiences with others prepping for Product Hunt launches have become somewhat of a routine for us. Launching on Product Hunt is in no doubt a necessity (and somewhat of a dream) for many startups. But I'm here to tell it to you raw and real. But before we start, here are some questions you should ask yourself and that I will be addressing:
Just a bit of a backstory...
Should you launch on Product Hunt?
Short answer: absolutely.
Long answer: yes, but don't burn yourself out over it.
Product Hunt used to be an exciting place. Silicon Valley big names would hunt products, people would discover new tools, and feedback flowed freely. Many products launched on Product Hunt and grew to millions of users overnight.
Back when I was a software engineer, I used to check Product Hunt multiple times a week—testing new products, giving feedback. Not going to lie, I also once dreamed of achieving overnight success with a single Product Hunt launch.
But times have changed. Product Hunt now consists of a few early adopters, a flood of "launchers” but mostly bots manipulating rankings. The influx of bots have gotten worse with the introduction of ChatGPT', and it's not looking like it will improve anytime soon.
The reality? Honest effort—like refining your product, building a fan base, and crafting sharp messaging—is no longer enough to guarantee Top Product status. Here's why I believe putting in major effort isn’t worth it anymore.
In 2024, OpenAI's Sora had a massive launch with wild engagements on X, securing the attention of hundreds of thousands.
Yet, it only ranked third on Product Hunt with a mere 524 votes.
Doesn't that sound a little suspicious? The techie community on twitter (whom at least 20% would have product hunt accounts) were going off about it, but the reaction wasn't quite the same on Product Hunt.
A case study like Sora can help you validate how legitemate Product Hunt's engagement levels are. All you need to do is cross-check it with reactions on X, LinkedIn, or Slack. No reactions? Then the rankings are probably artificial.
These days, hitting #1 isn't about genuine effort—it's become more about strategy and manipulation.
Product Hunt's traffic is half of what it was in 2018-2019.
On the other hand, the number of upvotes required to become a Top Product has actually increased. As you can see in the table below, the sample size is small, so there is a large variation, but the number of upvotes required to achieve Top 3 has definitely increased.
If traffic decreased by 50%, but the number of upvotes required increased by 50%, then the ratio of upvotes required per visitor has approximately tripled.
But my bet here is that the bot game is winning.
Once you launch, expect messages offering to "help" with upvotes FLOODING into your inbox.
For the launch of my second product, we had thousands of beta signups, over 200 users who spent at least 30 minutes in private onboarding or interviews, and hundreds of enthusiastic supporters already engaged in our Slack community.
Thanks to this, we comfortably held second place for the first 21 hours. But in the final three hours, two products that had been trailing in third and fourth began gaining upvotes at an unusual speed. Around the same time, 3-4 people reached out—just like in the screenshot above—offering to sell us upvotes. Some even claimed they were already supporting the top-ranked products and said they could secure us the #1 spot for the right price.
These brokers often insist their upvotes are "organic," but after a little probing, they’ll admit they’re using bots. That’s the reality—you’re competing against teams that have access to hundreds of bots.
During that launch, I didn’t take the bait. Rankings didn’t feel significant, and I was committed to an "honest" effort. But if you've prepared for or experienced a Product Hunt launch, you’ve probably encountered one or two brokers.
The pricing is surprisingly reasonable. It's significantly cheaper than dedicating a full-time employee for 1-2 weeks. And though I didn’t dig too deep, the impression I got was that the price was definitely negotiable—almost like haggling in a Southeast Asian night market.
Even if "honest effort" isn't enough, launching is still worth it for one reason: traffic and SEO. And most importantly, there’s no real alternative to Product Hunt.
Our team's experience? The traffic we got was consistently way less than we hoped. Some launches saw traffic plummet immediately after, while others had a steadier stream.
Even if "honest effort" isn't enough, launching is still worth it for one reason: traffic and SEO. And most importantly, there’s no real alternative.
Our team's experience? The traffic we got was consistently way less than we hoped.
Some launches saw traffic plummet immediately after, while others had a steadier stream. (It's all about retention in the end.)
But here's my take: it's not worth over-investing effort. If, like me, you're a bit skeptical about competitors playing fair, you'll probably agree.
That said, aiming for Top #5 is still doable. And as long as you rank within the top 5 product, you’ll be on the first page and get decent exposure.
Bottom line: It's a gamble, but it's a gamble worth taking.
Given the realities, focus on strategies that directly influence your ranking.
If you're after traffic, hire a specialist. For around $1,000, you can probably lock down 500-700 upvotes. Think of the concept like you would with paid ads, but more efficient and more concentrated.
This one is something I picked up as I experienced the process of launching. You can rank within the top number of products on the coming soon page. Here's how:
P.S. Our team always helps when asked so feel free to hit me up at jay@shadow.do for support.
Launching on Product Hunt is still worth it, but don’t romanticize the process. Be strategic, be pragmatic, and don’t be afraid to play the game the way it’s played.
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