The first Product Hunt launch experience

Hey everyone,

We recently launched our database performance management tool on Product Hunt for the first time and I want to share our experience and results. It might be valuable for those founders who are going to launch Product Hunt.

Here’s a summary of this launch:

1. Why did we decide to launch our product on Product Hunt?

• To build more trust with our current audience who visit the site for the first time.
• For long-term SEO benefits.
• To reach a new audience.

2. Why did we decide to launch on the weekend? Our hypotheses were:

• Lower competition on weekends should increase our chances of being featured (We’re not afraid of competitors, but the target audience for a Database Performance Management tool is different from that of sales GPT assistants, which is broader).

• The Product Hunt audience that intersects with our target audience is busy during the weekdays with their startups and might try new technologies on the weekend 🙂

3. What were the goals for the launch?

• 200 Upvotes.
• 1000 Visitors (in 1 week).
• 10% Conversion – 100 Signups (in 1 week).

4. How did we prepare?

• We created a video, images, and a clear description.
• Collected a list of friends and channels to share information about the launch.
• Prepared the product page on Product Hunt.
• Asked our families to give us 24 hours over the Saturday 🙏

5. How did we launch?

• Published posts on social media.
• Sent messages to friends.
• Sent emails to 4000 users.
• Sent messages to a few public database-related groups.
• Throughout the day, we responded to questions and feedback.

We faced some challenges:

• We didn’t prepare emails, messages for friends and users, and content for social media and it took a lot of invaluable time during launch day.
• Lesson learned: Messages should be prepared in advance to save time during the launch day.
• We didn’t know that after 00:00 Pacific time, Product Hunt could cut upvotes and change your position.
• Lesson learned: Keep pushing till the end.
• We received many upvotes after the launch day.
• Lesson learned: Users, friends, and the community need time to support you, so it’s important to inform them right after the start.

Results we achieved:

• 4th Product of the Day and featured in the Newsletter.
• 5th Developer tool of the week.
• Featured in the ProductHunt newsletter.
• Upvotes: 247.
• Visitors: 459 (in 5 days).
• Signups: 26 (5% conversion).