ProductHunt seems to have more black magic than most social link sites. How do I get commenting access? How can I submit products? Why do the products I submit never hit the site? (or do they? Should I get notified?). How does the rating work? What products get included in the daily email? When is the cut-off?
What happens if your product was submitted early and it wasn't quite ready? ;-)
It certainly sounds like a manual might be required!
@ideasasylum thanks! Yes, the idea was to provide readers with three things:
1. Lessons from Product Hunt’s history (how you can create better products).
2. How to effectively use Product Hunt as a user.
3. How to launch your own product on the platform successfully.
@ideasasylum yeah; you're right that there's quite a lot that's blackboxed 1) you get commenting access by someone else inviting you. 2) you can submit products by getting an extra layer of access, by a producthunt employee inviting you I guess; 3) "Why do the products I submit never hit the site?" - because you don't have access to post products.
@nathanbarry thought I'd announce it here first!
The first version of the Product Hunt Handbook is SHIPPED!
It includes:
- the full PDF ebook (37 pages)
- full video interview with Ryan Hoover (streamable + downloadable)
- written transcript of the video interview
Coming soon:
- another case study (based on @adriangrant's request below)
- a separate bundle that will include The Hacker News Handbook
Well this is meta... ;)
I'm working on it as we speak. The idea was to build a project in 7 days as part of my Build & Launch experiment: http://buildandlaunch.net/ep6-th...
O_o Wish me luck. Hoping I can launch it tonight!
@acoyfellow Yes, "products" like Product Hunt Handbook are "marketed" to the top of the list while makers that build products more deserving of attention are relegated to the bottom because they do not realize they're competing with affiliate marketers that are leveraging PH to turn a quick buck.
That will be a very useful book!
(and not just because the sample chapter features Non-app Calendar 😉 )
Part of @mijustin new podcast / challenge: Build & Launch.
Looks awesome @mijustin! Will the handbook provide any insight into the vetting process? Hunters I have talked to seem to be a bit disenchanted, with the lack of hunts that actually get posted. I think a better understanding of what makes for a great hunt would reduce the quantity of hunts and increase the quality! cc: @rrhoover
@rjun07a I've had several things I've hunted posted (mostly by @_jacksmith who either channels me or is spying on my surfing history). I can't imagine the volume of suggestions they get at PH headquarters, but I think that'd be a great data set to see.
# of products submitted per day
# of products posted
# of days between submission and posting on average
I'd almost want to see a product hunt product hunt. What things were submitted for consideration and who/how products got chosen. @rrhoover , how do you as a team decide? I know some people have direct posting access, how do the rest come out?
@rjun07a@mijustin@rrhoover@dpolaske "None of my hunts have made it on the site" - I think that it's just unclear positioning. My understanding is that NONE of the stuff you're submitting will get on the site, it just goes into a black hole, as you're not approved to submit products.
@GoLocalApps RE your stuff "# of days between submission and posting on average" the answer is that you don't have permission to post products. If you did, they'd get added instantly; at least this is my understanding. If I'm submitting all the same posts as you, then lets hope you don't get approved, else I'll have nothing left to post! :P
@_jacksmith I think you might be mistaken, anyone can submit, but their submission will be moderated--no one's post is automatically dismissed (though certain *sites* are blocked)
My rule of thumb (non-scientific) is that if it's not up in 36 hours, consider it dead in the water.
Such a great idea. And being at the top of Product Hunt right now is awesome proof that you know what you're doing and that you're qualified to write this!
@mijustin do you plan on sharing how many book downloads being ranked first on Product Hunt brought you? I know it's a touchy topic, but I imagine I'm not the only person curious as to the impact being ranked #1 on PH :)
@AdrianGrant yes! If I have time before I launch tonight, I plan on including a "real-time" case study. If not, it will definitely be in a future update.
Even if you're not shipping a product soon and don't have an immediate need for @mijustin's handbook, the podcast is *excellent* and totally worth a listen.
I had some sleep challenges last night (probably should hunt some products to help with that) but was able to do a high level read when this book was released. I am very pleased with the content of the book very useful in terms of understanding how Product Hunt was built and also practical on using the site. An excellent book to read.
@mijustin It's super actionable and to the point. Loving it so far! Got it at the PH pre-order deal price :) Looking forward to the updates, especially the case study.
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