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Product Hunt launch checklist
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About 4 weeks before
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The account has to exist before the form will let you post, and the product has to be something Product Hunt will consider featuring.
Company and branded accounts cannot post, vote, or comment. A personal account uses your full name and a personal profile picture. If the name is the same as a website domain, Product Hunt treats it as a company account. The launch FAQ says company accounts are prohibited.
Sources checked October 2026: Personal account vs company account, How can I get access to post?, Product Hunt launch guide.
To launch, the account must be at least one week old. The documented way to post sooner is to subscribe to the Product Hunt newsletter, which the help center says gives immediate access. Use the waiting week to finish onboarding.
Sources checked October 2026: Personal account vs company account, How can I get access to post?.
The help-center launch guide says not to wait until launch day to use Product Hunt. Comment, upvote products you actually like, and follow makers. That is how you learn the community, and personal-account guidance says the same kind of participation builds credibility.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, Personal account vs company account.
The launch guide says to decide what a win looks like before you lock the date: honest feedback, a first wave of early adopters, or momentum around the product. It recommends goals focused on movement, and says clear goals make the day easier to judge afterward.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide.
Featuring is for live digital products. Waitlisted products are not featured unless immediate access is provided. Directories, lists, templates, boilerplates, podcasts, courses, reports, events, books, services, stores, deal sites, off-topic submissions, Kickstarter projects that are not ready to use, and hardware without a prominent digital component are listed as not featured. The guidelines also say they do not feature vaporware: the product should be ready for use or have a clear path to launch. The launch guide says to confirm it works in production.
Sources checked October 2026: Featuring guidelines, Launch Guide.
Product Hunt asks makers to wait at least two months between posts for the same product, the same company, or the same root domain. A post inside that window needs a relaunch request describing a significant update, such as a new mobile app or a redesign with new functionality. New UIs and pricing-plan changes are not significant. An approved relaunch does not guarantee featuring. If you are unsure, the help center says to email hello@producthunt.com before you build the post.
Sources checked October 2026: Can I relaunch my product?, Two weeks post-launch.
Makers are added by Product Hunt username. They need accounts before launch day so they are credited and can join the thread. You are asked during submission whether you are a maker.
Sources checked October 2026: Preparing for launch, How to post a product.
You can post your own product. The launch FAQ says there is no discernible advantage to a third-party hunter. The how-to-post article says posting it yourself gives you full control, and the launch guide says there is no need for a special hunter.
Sources checked October 2026: Product Hunt launch guide, How to post a product, Can I post my own product?, Launch Guide.
The week before
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The submission fields, the day you can actually staff, and the maker comment.
While posting you can Create Draft or Schedule Launch. Schedule Launch lets you pick a day within 30 days of the current day. A scheduled post is not indexed, and nobody can upvote it until the scheduled time. You can keep editing it from My Products. The preparing page says you can schedule up to 1 month ahead, and that the form auto-saves a draft so you do not need every field at once.
Sources checked October 2026: How to schedule a post, Preparing for launch, Launch Guide.
The launch guide says to pick a day when you can cover the first hours and your audience's peak, and to avoid travel, shipping something else, or a day your core audience is offline. The launch FAQ says the best day is the day you are most prepared. The preparing page says there is no day that gets you to the top of the leaderboard, that weekdays are when larger companies tend to launch, and that weekends can suit smaller teams and side projects. It also says products launched on the weekend get 15% more Visit button clicks than those on weekdays.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, Product Hunt launch guide, Preparing for launch.
The current help-center launch guide says every launch goes live at 12:01 AM Pacific on its scheduled date. The launch FAQ calls 12:01 am Pacific Time the time to use when you are planning ahead and have no other constraint. Older pages still say 12:01 AM PST: the how-to-post article says the site runs on 24-hour periods in PST, and the preparing page says the homepage runs on a 24-hour Pacific Standard Time cycle so a 12:01am PST post gets a full 24 hours. If a journalist, a team that is not awake, or another region changes the plan, the preparing page says to choose the time that matches that constraint. Launch now is an option if you are not scheduling.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, Product Hunt launch guide, How to post a product, Preparing for launch.
The name field is the product's name. No description, and no emoji unless the emoji is part of the name. The preparing page allows “Meow On-Demand App” and does not allow “Kitty sounds you'll love” or “The best cat app”.
Sources checked October 2026: How to post a product, Preparing for launch.
The help-center launch guide and the preparing page both cap the tagline at 60 characters. It should say what the product does in plain language, without gimmicks. The preparing page says this is typically what gets the click from the homepage. Its example of a line that is not allowed is “The most ameozing app in the app store”.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, Preparing for launch.
The help-center launch guide and the how-to-post article say the description max is 260 characters. The preparing-for-launch page still says 500 characters. Both are Product Hunt pages. Write a plain explanation of what the product does, then use the number the form shows while you submit.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, How to post a product, Preparing for launch.
The primary link should be the page where the product can be used or downloaded. Shortened links such as bit.ly, and tracking links such as Google UTMs, are not accepted. The how-to-post article says to avoid a press or blog link as the primary URL. App store and other extra links can be added separately. A YouTube video, if you add one, also needs the full URL.
Sources checked October 2026: Preparing for launch, How to post a product.
The thumbnail is required. Use a square image; the recommended size is 240×240. GIF or not, it needs to be under 3MB. GIFs animate on hover, not on their own, so the first frame has to work as the still image. Strobing, quick cuts, and unreadable text are not recommended and may be edited by Product Hunt. The preparing page says less than a third of Product of the Day products used an animated GIF thumbnail, and that a GIF is not tied to success.
Sources checked October 2026: How to post a product, Preparing for launch.
The gallery needs 2 or more images before it is viewable. The recommended size is 1270×760. You can upload several at once and drag to reorder them. GIFs are allowed in the gallery. The launch guide says the images should show the product in use.
Sources checked October 2026: How to post a product, Preparing for launch, Launch Guide.
Only YouTube links are supported for video. The video cannot be private, and a shortened link will not load. Upload it before launch day. The preparing page says about 53% of products that reached Product of the Day since 2021 include a video, and that a simple demo is enough if you do not have a produced video. An interactive demo from Arcade, Storylane, ScreenSpace, Hexus, Supademo, or Layerpath can be added to the gallery with its Product Hunt link. The preparing page says those tools are free for Product Hunt launches.
Sources checked October 2026: How to post a product, Preparing for launch, Launch Guide.
The launch guide says up to three topics. The preparing page says up to three launch tags, enough that the product can show up on tag pages, and three shoutouts per launch for the tools that helped you build it.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, Preparing for launch.
The pricing choices are free, paid, and paid with a free trial or plan. Pick the one that matches the product. A promo is optional. If you add one, the offer, the promo code, and the expiration date are all required. You can also mark a product that is still in beta or not fully released.
Sources checked October 2026: How to post a product, Preparing for launch.
The first comment appears under the gallery, and you can include it in the submission instead of waiting until the product is live. The preparing page says 70% of products that achieved Product of the Day, Week, or Month had a first comment by the maker. Use it for who it is for, the story, key features, and a request for feedback. Ask for feedback, not upvotes. Other co-makers can comment only after the product is live. The launch guide calls this the Maker comment.
Sources checked October 2026: Preparing for launch, Launch Guide, How to post a product.
Launch day
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The day opens at a published time. Sharing the link is allowed. Asking for upvotes is not.
A scheduled launch goes live at 12:01 AM Pacific on that date. The launch guide says to show up, reply quickly and honestly, and split the day with teammates if you have them so someone can answer comments. Stay reachable for the first hours and for your audience's peak.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, How to post a product.
You can share a direct link to the post. The launch FAQ says the rule is that you cannot ask people directly to upvote; ask them to visit and comment. Do not mass-message people by email, DM, or anywhere else to ask for an upvote. Do not offer a discount, freebie, or other reward in exchange for an upvote. Do not organize a group to upvote. The launch guide says asking outright for upvotes, or running anything that requires them, breaks the rules and can get the launch disqualified.
Sources checked October 2026: Product Hunt launch guide, How do I share my post?, Launch Guide.
The launch guide lists a discount just for Product Hunt visitors as one way to promote the launch, in the same section that forbids requiring an upvote. The share article forbids rewards in exchange for upvotes. A promo code on the post is a form field. An offer that people receive only if they upvote is the thing the share article tells you to avoid.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, How do I share my post?, Preparing for launch.
A hunter's followers do not receive an email about the post. Product Hunt says that used to happen and has not for several years. A maker's followers receive an email if the post ends up on the homepage. The share article describes that case as the post being featured on the homepage.
Sources checked October 2026: How to post a product, How do I share my post?.
Not every submission is featured on the homepage. Featured launches are judged on useful, novel, high craft, and creative, and they do not need to score high in every one of those. Engagement is not the sole factor. The team reviews the submission and the links in it; extra outreach rarely changes the decision and does not guarantee featuring. If two launches from the same company are scheduled on the same day, one may be moved. The launch guide says a launch is eligible for that day's leaderboard, where it competes for the day's rank.
Sources checked October 2026: Featuring guidelines, Launch Guide.
Invite feedback and walk through how and why you built it. Share the launch on the social and community channels that matter to you, and in communities where you are already active. The ranking system considers more than upvotes: the share article names forum engagement, launch feedback, and genuine interest.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, How do I share my post?.
The week after
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The leaderboard day ends. The product page, the replies, and any review ask do not.
The launch guide says the work does not stop when the clock runs out. Keep replying for a few days, share the results, hold them up against the goals you set, reach back out to people who showed interest, and turn the best feedback into changes.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide.
After launch day, the product keeps a permanent home on Product Hunt through the Product Page. The leaderboard eligibility the launch guide describes is for the launch day.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide.
The two-weeks-post-launch page says to embed a Leave a Review badge and that a friendly email to existing users is a reasonable ask. Product Hunt emails you when a review arrives, and Slack notifications are offered. Responding to reviews is part of the same job as collecting them.
Sources checked October 2026: Two weeks post-launch.
Makers receive an email with embed links after the launch. The page lists a featured badge, a product-page embed, award badges if you earned Product of the Day or another recognition, and the Leave a Review badge. It says to watch that email for Product of the Week or Month.
Sources checked October 2026: Two weeks post-launch, Launch Guide.
You can launch again when you ship a major feature or update. The same two-month gap applies to the product, the company, and the root domain unless a significant-update request is approved, and approval still does not guarantee featuring. The launch guide says to announce other updates in the Forums. It uses Loom as an example of launching again over time, without a single count you need to copy.
Sources checked October 2026: Launch Guide, Can I relaunch my product?, Two weeks post-launch.
How to use this list
Work from the top. The first phase is the account and the product. The second is the form Product Hunt actually asks you to fill in. Launch day is the open and the comments. The last phase is what their launch guide says to do after the clock runs out.
A tick is stored in this browser only. It is not sent to producthunt-alternatives.com. Copy as Markdown if you want the same list in a note, with the boxes you have already checked. Print uses the browser print dialog. Clear checks removes the saved ticks on this device.
Where a line states a rule, the source is a Product Hunt page, marked checked October 2026. Two official pages still disagree, so those items say both numbers. The description cap is 260 characters on the help-center launch guide and the how-to-post article, and 500 characters on the preparing-for-launch page. The current launch guide says 12:01 AM Pacific; older pages say 12:01 AM PST. Use the number in the form, and the clock in the current guide. This page does not add a statistic Product Hunt did not publish.
This site is not Product Hunt. The checklist does not schedule a launch, predict a rank, or tell you that a Tuesday is better than another day. Product Hunt's own FAQ says the best day is the day you are most prepared.
Want to launch beyond Product Hunt?
- Launch time converter — 12:01 a.m. Pacific in your time zone, for the next seven days.
- Launch platform picker — three questions, then a shortlist from the published reviews.
- Compare launch platforms — two to four boards side by side, including ones that are not Product Hunt.
- Launch-day comment guide — the shift itself: the first hours, the afternoon, and what not to automate.
- Launch asset kit — the files and copy other boards ask for, written once.
- All alternatives — the catalog of launch platforms scored on this site.