When you’re building a product and planning your launch, Product Hunt probably comes up as a must-do. It’s free. It has a built-in audience. You’ve seen “Product of the Day” badges on other startups. Seems like a no-brainer, right?
But here’s the reality: for most founders, Product Hunt doesn’t actually move the needle in a meaningful way.
Let’s break it down.
What Product Hunt Does Well
Let’s be fair – Product Hunt isn’t useless. If your product resonates with the PH crowd, you might get:
- A short-term spike in traffic
- Visibility among startup enthusiasts, marketers, and other founders
- A chance to show “proof” of launch with some social credibility (especially if you land a badge)
And yes, there are exceptions. Some products have gone viral or attracted their first few hundred users from PH. But they’re outliers – not the rule.
Why the Product Hunt Hype Often Doesn’t Translate
- It’s a numbers game
Many launches on PH are artificially boosted. People buy votes, coordinate upvote groups, or spam their entire network. If you don’t do the same, you’re at a disadvantage – regardless of how good your product is. It’s like vanity awards, where you pay to play. - You’re talking to the wrong audience
Most active users on Product Hunt are not potential customers. They’re other founders, makers, and tech-curious folks – not necessarily your target market. Unless you’re building for that exact group, it’s not a great match. - Vanity metrics ≠ real traction
You might get thousands of visits in 24 hours. But how many users stick around? How many convert? Most PH launches see a sharp spike followed by… silence. Because the attention isn’t grounded in real user interest – it’s performative. - It’s not a growth engine
Even if you land “Product of the Day,” that badge doesn’t bring ongoing value unless you’ve built something people truly need and are actively searching for. You still need organic search, real communities, and a real marketing strategy.
What Founders Are Saying (via Reddit)
These are real, unfiltered takes from startup founders who’ve launched on Product Hunt:
“Product hunt is a circlejerk of founders and scammers buying up votes for the badge.”
— u/Hot-Afternoon-4831, Reddit
“I launched my startup alchemyze.ai on PH last week, managed to do pretty well on the leaderboard but did not translate to any users.”
— u/water_malone4, Reddit
“If you’re just launching an MVP product hunt won’t really help… but let’s say your app has been validated and already has paying users… then you can just launch on product hunt… you will definitely have more retention in that case.”
— u/FickleSwordfish8689, Reddit
When Product Hunt Can Work
There are use cases where PH makes sense:
- You’re launching a tool for founders, marketers, or creators
- You’ve already validated the product and just want more exposure
- You treat it as a low-cost experiment – not your main strategy
- You’re using it to test messaging, landing pages, or retention funnels
In these cases, the attention spike can be valuable – not because it leads to growth, but because it gives you data to work with.
What to Focus on Instead
If you’re an early-stage founder, here’s what will help more than a badge:
- Talk to real users. Find them on Reddit, Discord, Slack groups, niche forums.
- Build an email list. Even 100 real subscribers beat 1,000 empty upvotes. It’s easy with the UlitmateWB built-in Mailing List app.
- Focus on retention and feedback, not launch theatrics.
- Improve your product. Iterate based on real-world use, not leaderboard status.
- Use your own website as the central hub – and tools like UltimateWB to make it fast, optimized, and professional.
Related: What’s the Best Website Builder for SEO?
Final Thoughts: Don’t Chase the Hype
Product Hunt can be a fun milestone. But it’s not a measure of success. Don’t let “Product of the Day” distract you from building a product people actually need – and want to keep using.
If you’re going to launch there, go for it. Just go in with the right expectations.
And if you’re looking to build your brand, website, and online presence the right way – with actual ownership and control – skip the leaderboard and start here instead:
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