Whenever I browse product launches, I somehow subconsciously judge not only the product itself and its quality, but also the quality that is reflected in the effort the makers put into preparing it.
It may sound insignificant, but in my case, these things also make a significant difference:
Icon GIF at the launch it enlivens the overall impression and is dynamic
Quality graphics and video
First, a properly filled-out comment
Photos in the makers' profiles (it's less trustworthy for me when there's only the letter "J" or something similar)
Whether any of my contacts or acquaintances on the platform reacted to the launch
I graduated 4 years ago, and I had the opportunity to go on to a PhD, but I gave up on that option.
Instead, I chose the "real world".
Many public universities in my country offer free tuition, while in the US tuition is very high, and people take out student loans that take decades to pay off.
I'll say it bluntly that running a business is not as easy as it is presented on the Internet. You have to come up with a good and useful idea, and even then, you don't win.
You can only see the results after a long time. Not everyone can do it for a long time. To do it, you need to have a strong motive. For some people, it may be a family tradition, for some, money.
Today, I came across an article on TechCrunch: The great computer science exodus (and where students are going instead).
It shows that UC campuses saw a drop in computer science enrollment for the first time since the dot-com crash (6% in 2025, 3% in 2024), but students are shifting to AI-focused programs.
I'm Aaron and for the last few years I've been writing the Product Hunt newsletters. That includes: our daily, weekly, developer tools, and AI tools ones. Every morning I look through the homepage to try and find the coolest products to write about and I want to share with you all what I look in a launch so you can increase your chances of getting featured!
I've seen people go from 0 to thousands of followers in a few months, all because they zoned in on building a personal brand. Do you have any tips for makers that want to do the same?
I control every 1 hr of my day to maximize productivity. Wake up at 5:30, meditate, work, learn programming, work some more, write a novel, and run a family with 1 kid coming. You could say I'm hyper productive, but I know many of you have a lot more on your plate. As founders and makers, what do you do to make sure your sanity is kept in check?
