tang-vu/.agents/skills/post-producthunt

Product Hunt Posting Skill

Platform Overview

Product Hunt is the go-to platform for launching tech products and discovering new tools. 10M+ monthly visitors, mostly tech-savvy early adopters, founders, VCs, and journalists. A successful launch can drive thousands of signups in a single day.

Platform Constraints

• Product Launch: One launch per product (can re-launch with major updates)
• Discussions: Text posts in community discussion forum
• Media: Product screenshots, demo videos, logo (required for launches)
• Upvotes: Community-driven ranking system
• Comments: Q&A style on product pages

Posting Method: MANUAL PASTE

Product Hunt uses Cloudflare bot detection which blocks browser automation. The agent generates content and saves it to posts/drafts/producthunt_post.md. You paste it manually.

Post Types

1. Product Launch (Major Event)

Pre-launch Checklist:

• [ ] Hunter/maker account verified
• [ ] Product name, tagline (60 chars max), description
• [ ] 4-6 high-quality screenshots or demo GIF
• [ ] Maker comment prepared (first comment explaining your story)
• [ ] Launch day: Tuesday-Thursday (best engagement)

Tagline Formula:

{What it does} for {who it's for}

Examples:

• "AI writing assistant for developers"
• "Open-source analytics for side projects"

Description Format:

{Problem}: {1-2 sentences about the pain point}

{Solution}: {What your product does differently}

{Key features}:
- Feature 1: {benefit}
- Feature 2: {benefit}
- Feature 3: {benefit}

{Tech stack or unique approach}

{Current status}: {beta, launched, X users, etc.}

We'd love your feedback!

Maker Comment Template:

Hey Product Hunt!

I'm {name}, the maker of {product}.

I built this because {personal story about the problem}.

{What makes this different from alternatives}

Here's what's next on our roadmap:
- {Feature 1}
- {Feature 2}

I'm here all day to answer questions. What would you like to know?

2. Discussion Post

Navigate to: https://www.producthunt.com/discussions/new

Discussion Format:

Title: {Question or topic for discussion}

Body:
{Context: why this matters}

{Your perspective or experience}

{Specific question for the community}

Content Strategy

• Launch day matters: Tuesday-Thursday get the most engagement
• Timing: Launch at 12:01 AM PST for maximum visibility window
• Maker engagement: Reply to every comment personally
• Cross-promote: Share your PH launch on X, LinkedIn, and email
• Social proof: Ask friends/users to leave genuine comments (not just upvotes)

Algorithm / Discovery Tips

• Upvotes from PH community members carry more weight
• Comments and discussions boost ranking
• Products with demo videos rank higher
• Consistent engagement throughout the day helps maintain position
• Avoid asking for upvotes (against ToS and penalized)

Best Practices

• Prepare all assets 1-2 weeks before launch
• Have your maker comment ready before launch goes live
• Reply to every comment within 15-30 minutes
• Share genuine appreciation for engagement
• Post a discussion 1-2 weeks before launch to build awareness

What to Avoid

• Asking people to "upvote" (creates inauthentic engagement)
• Launching on weekends (lower traffic)
• Copy-pasting generic responses to comments
• Neglecting the product page after launch day
• Launching without screenshots or demo

Related Skills

• content-writing — Tagline and description templates
• image-generation — Product Hunt screenshot specs (1270x760)