The step-by-step system we used to hit #1 Product of the Day and #4 Product of the Week. Two founders. No agency. No budget.

Built by Khashayar and Ayda , co-founders of Starnus.

Phase 1: Pre-Launch (3-4 weeks before)

Build your PH presence

Done Task
⬜ Create Product Hunt account and complete your maker profile
⬜ Comment on 2-3 launches per day for 2-3 weeks (real feedback, not "great product!")
⬜ Support 20-30 founders who recently launched (try their products, leave real comments, DM congrats)

Find and connect with founders in PH communities

There are dozens of LinkedIn and Telegram groups where founders preparing for PH launches hang out. You need to be in these groups weeks before your launch, not on launch day.

Do it manually: Search LinkedIn for "Product Hunt launch," "Product Hunt community," "startup launch support." Join 10-15 groups. Introduce yourself. Engage in conversations daily for 2-3 weeks.

Or use Starnus: Connect your LinkedIn and ask Starnus to find founders who are active in Product Hunt communities and startup launch groups. It will identify relevant people and help you start conversations at scale without copy-pasting the same intro 200 times.

Done Task
⬜ Join 10-15 LinkedIn groups related to PH launches and startups
⬜ Join 5-10 Telegram/Slack/Discord founder communities
⬜ Introduce yourself in each group (not a pitch, just who you are and what you're building)
⬜ Engage in conversations daily for 2-3 weeks before launch

Build an audience before you need one

Done Task
⬜ Post on LinkedIn 3-5x per week (behind-the-scenes, what you're building, lessons)
⬜ Post on X 3-5x per week
⬜ Mention your upcoming PH launch naturally in posts

Logistics

Done Task
⬜ Pick launch day (Tue/Wed/Thu perform best)
⬜ Find a Hunter or decide to self-hunt (reach out 2-3 weeks early)
⬜ Set up a Slack/Discord community before launch (don't skip this, it was our biggest mistake)

Phase 2: Content Prep (1 week before)

Product Hunt assets

Done Task
⬜ Write PH tagline (short, clear, no buzzwords)
⬜ Write PH description
⬜ Write maker comment (tell your real founder story, not a feature list)
⬜ Design PH gallery images or record a short demo video (video gets more engagement)
⬜ Embed PH badge on your website

Pre-write all launch day content

Everything you post on launch day should be written now. You will not have time to write anything on launch day.