Håkon Høgetveit

Today, I am co-organising my first hackathon in my country, and I will give a talk to the participants about Product Hunt as one of the ways to distribute a product.

Some participants may hear about the platform for the first time, and I would like to encourage them a little in building and launching products.

Our first Product Hunt launch didn t go well. We put something out there, pushed for votes, and hoped for the best. It didn t work.

For our relaunch, we took a completely different approach. Here s what changed:

• Engage, don t just post. We spent weeks commenting on other launches, supporting makers, and building trust. This time, people recognized us, not just the product.

• Conversations > upvotes. What made the difference were detailed comments and feedback. The algorithm rewards authentic engagement.

• Storytelling > specs. Instead of listing features, we shared why we built it and the problem it solved.

• Timing is everything. Launching at midnight PST gave us momentum when the U.S. audience woke up.

• Expectation reset. PH is less a sales channel, more a credibility engine. The real ROI shows up later, in awareness, trust, and partnerships.

What stood out the most: The community. The honest feedback, encouragement, and tough questions shaped our roadmap more than any internal discussion could.