I'm seeing more products launch on Product Hunt that require payment to actually use any features. No free trial, no freemium tier, just a download that leads straight to a paywall.

Part of me thinks this makes sense. If your product has real value, why give it away? People on Product Hunt understand they're looking at premium tools. Plus offering free access can attract users who will never pay anyway.

But I also see the argument for temporary free access during launch. Product Hunt users want to actually try what they're upvoting. How can they give meaningful feedback or become advocates if they hit a paywall immediately?

I've been using AI tools for everything lately; writing, coding, design, research. On paper, they should be massive productivity boosters. Instead of spending hours on tasks, I can get decent results in minutes.

But I'm starting to notice a weird pattern. I spend way too much time tweaking prompts, trying different AI tools for the same task, and comparing outputs. Sometimes I'll spend 30 minutes getting the "perfect" AI generated result when I could've just done it myself in 20 minutes.

I read about a few cases that sounded like something out of a horror story.

For example:

• An AI chatbot pushed a teen to k*ll himself

• AI Model Refuses To Listen to Humans After Being Told to Shut Down

• Psychiatrist Poses as Teen  Finds AI Therapy Bots Encouraging Violence, Suicide, and Fake Intimacy

The marketing landscape feels completely different than it was even two years ago. Social media algorithms are harder to crack, paid ads are getting more expensive, and everyone's fighting for attention in the same spaces.

Some people swear by TikTok and short-form content. LinkedIn seems to work for B2B but feels oversaturated. Twitter is either dead or thriving depending on who you ask.

Not all of us begin from the same starting line. A lot of what we learn happens along the way, and often, it's the trivial thing that could have made a big difference earlier on.

Today, I want to ask a question that might help someone shift their perspective.

I'm planning my Product Hunt launch and getting conflicting advice. Some people say to do a soft launch first to test the waters, get initial feedback, and learn the platform. Others say you only get one shot at the spotlight, so you should wait until everything is perfect and go all-in.

The soft launch camp argues you can iterate based on feedback and launch again later with a better strategy. The all-in camp says featured products get 90% of the attention, and if you don't get featured on your main launch, you've basically wasted your shot.

Let s be honest most AI video tools are still too complicated or just don t live up to the hype. Why is it still so tough for creators and marketers to make quick, simple edits? Most tools are built for pros, and AI videos often feel a bit off. We kept hearing: Why can t I just make a fast explainer or a talking avatar without a studio?

That s what we want to change:

• Instantly create videos from text prompts

• Bring blogs, courses, and social posts to life with talking avatars

• Experiment and storyboard easily not just edit

I usually get a few messages from makers during the week asking if I could hunt them.

Short answer: I don't currently hunt (but maybe in the future)