What was the most surprising finding after you launched on Product Hunt?
People spend a lot of time preparing for a product launch, but after every campaign, they usually look back and think, "We could have done this better."
Not because they didn't prepare, but because there were things they simply didn't know beforehand.
Common examples are:
– You should have picked a different launch day.
– You didn't get the launch timing right (for example, launching halfway through the day instead of right at the start of a new day).
– And many more.
For me personally, it was relying too much on my follower count. It didn't guarantee visibility, and in hindsight, I would have invested more time in personally reaching out to LinkedIn and Twitter friends to ask for support.
What was the most surprising lesson or realisation from your own launch?
Replies
I haven't launched a product here yet, but I'm in the process of getting it set up.
I'm hoping to learn a bit before I pull the trigger :)
@quinc let’s gooooo. Don’t think it too much lol tho
@abdeljabbar It's scheduled to launch at June 14th, 2026 12:01 AM PDTscheduled to launch at June 14th, 2026 12:01 AM PDT
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@abdeljabbar @quinc Ping me then pls :)
@quinc Don't think too much. Please launch.
Launch and then iterate. As long you meet the minimum requirements, you should be able to launch. You launch iterate and then learn.
@ajinsunny It's scheduled to launch at June 14th, 2026 12:01 AM PDTscheduled to launch at June 14th, 2026 12:01 AM PDT
@quinc Awesome
@quinc @ajinsunny I get the “launch and iterate” mindset, and I agree that overthinking can easily slow things down.
At the same time, I’m wondering where people draw the line on Product Hunt specifically. Since the launch day is such a one-shot, first-impression moment, do you think it’s better to prepare the positioning, visuals, first comment, and core messaging properly before going live?
I’m currently in that exact situation, so I’d be really interested in how others think about this: ship as soon as the basics are ready, or take a little more time to make the launch page feel strong from day one?
Propane
@quinc @ajinsunny @chris_fluentime we’re in full prep mode. Going big ;-)
@ajinsunny Oh, I launched and thought the same, but I'm honestly struggling here on PH.
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minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@quinc wishing my best during the launch day! :)
Propane
@quinc same :-) gl when you get there! We’ll launch on PH next week - wish me luck 😅
Not launched yet - did all the prerequisites, but then the pre-launch learning curve has been insane, we have moved our launch date up and backwards, and after two weeks, we finally figured out we need to take marketing off site and pull in followers from other channels on launch day.
In reality, it's all going to be a surprise. We have hopes but no expectations, we'll do as suggested, be around for the whole day and see what happens - if anything it will be interesting, and like anything we will learn what works and doesn't for future launches.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@mark_trowbridge was there any inspiring launch that shifted your launch in a better way? E.g. you inspired by them in something?
@mark_trowbridge I feel you on the pre-launch learning curve - I'm in the same boat, though I don't launch until September. And yes, I've seen quite a few people doing that kind of marketing - connecting on LinkedIn and bringing in supporters from there. I think it's brilliant and I'll be doing the same. You've got a solid following on LI - I'm sure you could get a lot of support with a personalized DM.
@anna_ludwinowski - when you know, you know!!! I guess as many have said already don't overthink it and just launch!
Propane
@mark_trowbridge looking forward to it!
Actually, I have this question that I couldn’t find an answer for, why do people spend so much time and make a big deal of the launch but at the end you only get a few thousand users where you can get the same results with less effort with other strategies but I guess traffic is not the goal here right ? But more of a credibility thing ? That’s why I think I should not think it too much and just launch. I’m planning to launch Vilix in a week, it’s a memory layer for AI agents and tools, one memory for multiple tools whether on phone or laptop, including Claude, ChatGBT Cursor, OpenClaw, Hermes, Codex, Lovable, and any MCP native, memory is permanent(conversations, personal rules, projects, and their rules, tasks, and agent skills) more details are on the website Vilix.ai
But the thing that is holding me and still thinking too much is I’m trying to be perfect in less time, I’m thinking I should make a great product demo animation and founder video and other bunch of stuff but I saw some product that got ranked number 1 and haven’t done all of what I’m trying to do. I guess I will just go for it lol
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@abdeljabbar as @ajinsunny said – don't overthink, just launch! :D
@abdeljabbar A Founder video does seem like a good idea - gives a peek into the human behind the product. It doesn't have to be fancy so if you can do it easily, seems like a good addition. Good luck on your launch!
interesting point about follower counts. I have seens products with smaller audiences perform really well because they had a highly engaged community rather than a large one.
We are lining up for a launch soon. We got the testimonial video. Looking to make a submission real soon.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@ajinsunny Wow, when the launch is planned?
@busmark_w_nika I am planning this week. Since this is my first time I am not sure if there is a date scheduling process for this. I am trying to finish through the launch checklist right now. Currently working on the demo/walk through video for Zensus. I have the launch video.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@ajinsunny Yes, you can schedule your launch :)
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@mohamed_ait_ahmed that's what I am talking about! :)
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@mohamed_ait_ahmed Thankfully, you can use this experience for the next better launch! :D
SlimSnap
The most useful thing that happened wasn't on the leaderboard. It was a comment.
Someone pointed out I'd been asking the wrong question the whole time. I was fixated on which AI tool people paste their screenshots into. He flipped it: what actually matters is where people take the most screenshots in the first place, and those aren't the same place. You might build in one app and review designs in a totally different one.
That one reframe has changed what I'm building next more than all the votes combined.
I went in expecting the big surprise to be a number. It was a sentence from someone I'd never met.
Did anyone else have a single comment redirect their roadmap, or was it mostly the metrics for you?
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@bickov So does it mean we should add screenshots in comments or?
@bickov Great example of how we often focus on the wrong metrics! And why leaving thoughful comments is so valuable.
@bickov For me it was both, but the data surprised me more than any single comment.
I tagged every link I shared so I could see where signups actually came from. Final rank and real waitlist signups barely moved together. Most of my genuine signups came from a handful of off platform shares and direct conversations, not from the ranking itself.
Your point held on the comment side though. The ones that converted were where I asked the commenter a question back, not where I explained the product. The reframe came from a conversation, not a metric, same as yours.
Takeaway for anyone still preparing: tag your links before launch day. Otherwise you are optimising a number that may have nothing to do with whether anyone actually signed up.
Propane
@bickov interesting- thanks for sharing
Maybe a silly question, but what is the benefit of launching here?
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@quinc Massive exposure to visitors of the website, new testers, possible VCs and so much more :) TL;DR: Distribution :)
@busmark_w_nika Do you only get this kind of exposure if your product is in top 10 or so for the day?
Haven't launched yet, going live June 16. Still building an audience from scratch so threads like this are genuinely useful.
The personal outreach point makes sense. Without an existing following, direct asks to people who actually know you seems like the only real lever. Will report back after the 16th.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@mpanpalli Maybe it will be worth a separate post :)
@busmark_w_nika Definitely planning on it. Win or learn, either way there will be something worth writing about.
This post is enlightening in more ways than one... It highlights everyone's uncertainty about the best way to launch their product, the importance of timing for the launch, which seems to be of paramount importance, but above all, it underscores the sheer number of people, myself included, who have developed a product hoping for its success.
As a result, I feel like a mountaineer at the foot of Everest. How many of us will manage to stand out from the crowd?
@franckolv_dev I hear you! I have spent a lot of time trying to work out even where to start, and to be honest I am none the wiser. So I am at the point of chilled, what will be will be.
I think I have done all the essentials correctly, we have selected a Tuesday (most competitive day apparently), me and my colleagues will be around for the launch from 12.01am and if it bums so be it, I still know its an awesome product and bumps in the road happen.
@mark_trowbridge Thanks Mark for your feedback. In a way, I think you have the right approach. The main thing is the feeling of having done your best, of having given it your all, and normally, if the product is good, it should be fine. But it's always frustrating to fear missing something that would prevent the product from receiving the expected reception. We also have to be honest with ourselves; we're all convinced our products are good, otherwise we wouldn't offer them. But alas, there are many products and few winners. You're right, launch and... wait and see!