Your Launch Isn’t Broken. Your Story Is.
Most people think they have a launch problem.
Truth is, they have a positioning problem.
You could build something groundbreaking, even get upvotes, but if the story doesn’t click.. nobody cares.
I've seen beautiful products vanish in silence. Not because they were bad. But because they were confusing, forgettable, or worse: invisible.
Here’s what I’ve learned after watching dozens of launches succeed (and many more flop):
The hard truth :
Product Hunt doesn’t reward effort. It rewards clarity.
It’s not about features. It’s about feeling.
Does your thumbnail make someone curious?
Does your tagline promise transformation?
Does your comment make someone say “I want this”?
Positioning isn't optional
Ask yourself:
What is this really solving?
Who is the real hero of this product?
What moment in their life makes them look for this?
Then build everything around that story... not just your landing page, but your:
Headline
First comment
Launch tweet
Email to supporters
Even your CTA
People don’t buy tools. They buy results.
My 3-part story formula
Here’s the structure I use for every launch now:
The Pain : A relatable moment (e.g. “you built something cool but no one shows up”)
The Shift : What you realized or how the status quo is broken
The Promise : What your product unlocks (in simple, concrete terms)
This is how you go from “neat tool” to “holy sht I need this.”*
The best launches FEEL like a movement
If your product is just a tool, it’ll sink.
But if it’s a tool for rebels who are tired of X, or for makers who finally want to Y, you create belonging. You create identity.
That’s what wins.
If you’re about to launch
Spend less time tweaking buttons, more time sharpening your message.
Product Hunt doesn’t make you go viral. It just shows the world what you already are.
So make damn sure that story hits.
If this resonated, keep building. I’ll be cheering you on from the front page.
And hey, you might just see me launching again soon 😉
Replies
Really grateful for this, @alexsssaint . I’m gearing up for a launch right now, and this thread couldn’t have landed at a better time. I’ve been deep in features and polish-but your line “People don’t buy tools. They buy results.” pulled me right out of that rabbit hole. Going to rework the message using Pain → Shift → Promise next. Feels like the clarity I was missing.
Thanks for the reset.
Literally just saved this post and sent it to my team. We'll be launching soon and will definitely refer back to this when the time is right. Thanks a lot for sharing it.
PS. Will definitely be there for you launch!
This hits hard. I’ve definitely learned (sometimes the hard way) that a strong product isn’t enough—how you frame it makes all the difference. That 3-part story formula is gold, especially the part about creating a movement, not just selling features.
Thanks for sharing this—super insightful!
Also, if anyone’s into clean, flavorful eating, we’re building something similar in the food space here: Cava food USA
Absolutely agree! At its core, a great product effectively and efficiently solves problems, while great marketing clearly communicates to users *how* the product solves those problems.
A clear message about clarity. Hat tip to you.
Will put it in my "save for future use" pile as I'm preparing for a soft launch here :D