Hey Product Hunt đź‘‹ I'm Owen. (Looking for launch advice)
Long-time lurker, first-time poster, and honestly, being here feels a bit like coming home.
I've been building and designing things since I was 15. Taught myself to code, fell in love with graphic design, and somewhere in there ended up running an online forum with 30,000 members. I was never a deep engineer - mostly front-end, HTML, CSS, a little PHP - but the itch to make things never left.
Then in 2017, I spent years in sales and kept seeing the same thing: great people doing work customers loved, and all that proof just vanishing. A text here, a screenshot there, a review on a platform that owns it. Each piece too small to matter on its own.
I knew exactly what needed to exist. I just couldn't build something that ambitious on my own back then so I carried the idea for nine years until I finally could.
That became RaveRep, one link to pull your scattered reputation into something you own and actually build on. I'm launching it here soon, and the lifelong-builder kid in me is thrilled to finally be in a room full of makers.
So for those who've launched before: what's the one thing you wish you'd known before your first launch? All ears. 🙏
Replies
Wow, that's an inspiring journey! Building a reputation hub like RaveRep sounds huge...congrats on getting to launch. One thing I wish I'd known before my first launch was how critical early outreach is; reach out personally to a handful of community members and ask for honest feedback—it builds momentum. Also, have a clear, simple tagline that instantly tells users the value. If you're up for it, I'm launching on PH soon... would appreciate a follow (See PRODUCT HUNT LAUNCH Link in my profile). I'm building The Sponge, an AI‑powered flashcard app that turns any webpage into study material.
@rianbrob Thanks Rian! How would you suggest finding and going about reaching out for feedback? I think this is an amazing idea but I am just wondering the best way to approach it.
@rianbrob @owen_trapp The best way is to launch a working version, which doesn't have to be perfect, does not need big things or big complications, just launch it you will figure it out as you go by, don't wait for it to be perfect. I have literally made a dozen products, wanted them to be perfect, and ended up taking a lot of time.
@rianbrob @sammy_nathan That is my biggest issue. Trying to be a perfectionist but realizing I just need to put something out there that I can start with and learn instead of trying to be perfect to get going which it will never be.
@rianbrob @owen_trapp Exactly, we tend to overthink too much.