When is the right time to launch on Product Hunt?
Because building products has become much more accessible thanks to AI, the bar has had to rise a bit, or at least the expectations have become stricter.
I built my own tool – SafeLimit, but personally, I wouldn’t launch it on Product Hunt yet because it’s still very basic and doesn’t even have a website. 😀
Personally, I wouldn’t use Product Hunt only to validate an idea or a problem anymore.
I would feel ready to launch once I reached these points:
– the product works with its core features (it doesn't break)
– it has been properly tested by developers, UX/UI testers, and a few potential users (with bugs fixed)
– it has its own landing page explaining the product
– it already has a version with payments integrated
– it follows Product Hunt’s launch and community guidelines (novelty, uniqueness, etc.)
– it has a small but engaged user base that can support the launch with comments or reviews (social proof)
When would you personally feel ready to launch on Product Hunt?
What would be your minimum requirements?
Replies
Launching BillFast today has reinforced the “ready enough vs. finished” distinction for me: the core flow (create an invoice, preview it, download a client-ready PDF) is narrow and usable, while feedback is now surfacing the edges—currencies, taxes, templates, and payment instructions. For a small product, that feels like a better launch threshold than waiting for every accounting feature. Curious what other makers treat as a must-have before launch? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
@new_user___26020267b63ea4605738cbb I would recommend to add more images into the launch :)
We launch next Monday, our fifth launch here as Yotako, so this list is fresh. My minimum this time: a stranger can go the whole way alone, from the landing page to paying to the first result; payments are on from day one, because a launch without a way to pay only tells you people are curious; and we can answer every comment by hand that day.
What I would not wait for is every feature. A few things in our product still wait on reviews by the big platforms, and we say so on the site.
@garciafrey How much in advance are you working on the launch? :) What is the ideal timeframe? :)
@busmark_w_nika Thanks, Nika! For this one, about two months. The first went into making sure a stranger can go from the landing page to a working, paid business without our help. The second went into the launch itself: the film, the page, the emails, and conversations like this one. We also moved the date once, by two weeks, because the product was not ready enough. I am glad we did.
The ideal timeframe, as I see it after four launches: schedule the page about a month ahead, which Product Hunt allows now, so people can follow it before the day. We made ours public less than a week ahead, and next time I would start earlier. And do not pick the date until payments work.
The film, 46 seconds: https://youtu.be/bYNgtTl3I_E
What do you think?
@garciafrey Good that you are letting us know and warming up the audience. Feel free to reach out during the launch day! :)
@busmark_w_nika Thanks a lot ! We'll do !
I'm deciding this right now. The product has been live in the stores for a while, with payments and a site, so by your list it's ready. What isn't ready is me: my account is a few days old and nobody here knows it. So I've put the launch a couple of weeks out and I'm spending the time in the forums first. I'd add that to the checklist: the product can be ready long before the maker is.
@gbasovv do you know the date of the launch as well? :)
@busmark_w_nika not set in stone, but I'm aiming for the last week of October, most likely Tuesday the 27th. That gives me two more weeks here and time to finish the gallery. Does the day of the week still matter much in your experience, or is that mostly a myth now?
@gbasovv I would say that consumer and free time, indie products are more during the weekend since the competition is not that strong compared to week days. Tho in week days, there is more traffic.
@busmark_w_nika that makes sense, a quieter weekend gives a small product more room to be seen. Melodo is a consumer app, people make songs for birthdays and friends, so the weekend crowd is probably closer to our users anyway. I'll weigh a Saturday against the Tuesday. Did you notice whether weekend upvotes turn into more actual signups, or mostly just a better rank?