When we launched our free Knowledgbase Platform on Product Hunt, it was our second try with the PH platform. This second time around was completely different. We learned a lot between our first and second Product Hunt launches, and we want to share our lessons learned with you so you also have a shot at launching a Top Product.

Read on to learn what we discovered by launching a SaaS product on Product Hunt for the second time. And feel free to check out our Trello board and checklist templates to create your own successful Product Hunt launch.

But first…

What did we get from ending up in the top 5 products of the day on Product Hunt?

Your Product Hunt launch might look a little different, but when we launched our Knowledgebase Platform, here were some of the results:

  • We got at least 200 signups exclusively from Product Hunt traffic.
  • We earned $500 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) in the first 30 minutes of the launch.
  • We received over 600 more visits per day on the landing page for three days.
  • Two huge VC's contacted us because of the attention we received from the launch.

Becoming a top 5 product isn't the only way to achieve some of these results, but it definitely helped us see those results more quickly than we might have without a successful PH launch.

5 steps we took to end up in Product Hunt's top 5 products of the day

Launching a new product is always exciting, but creating a successful launch on PH was on a completely different level. Especially considering the comparatively less successful launch of our live chat solution on Product Hunt a year ago, we knew we'd done something great with this second launch.

Let's take a look at the steps we took to get there.

1. We took the time to understand the audience we were targeting with our product launch.

When I was checking out the Product Hunt community, I noticed there were cats everywhere. The whole community loves cats.

Luckily, we also love cats at Customerly—even though Gianni (one of our great devs) is allergic to cats and Matteo (our CTO) is a dog person.

Plus, cats are famous for their power in marketing. If you don’t believe me, just read this: Why Cats Might Be the Key to Your Marketing Strategy

So I decided to create a funny story behind our product built around a cat's issue to tell a story that showcased our product as a solution. In the story, a cat (named Katy Purry) had a huge problem with catching the mysterious lights from a laser pointer. When she found a solution, she decided to share it with the cat world using our Knowledgebase Platform.

It was funny, and it worked amazingly. The article actually ended up going viral.

By taking the time to understand what our audience liked (in this case, funny stories about cats) and connecting it to our product, we were able to create an attention-grabbing article that showed how useful our new Knowledgebase Platform could be.

2. We offered a great free product.

People love free things, and they love products that work well. With our second product launch, we delivered an amazing, easy-to-use and easy-to-implement free knowledge base software.

After that, converting the traffic was simple. For our customers, there was no hassle and no money, just value. It was a win for them and for us.

3. We worked really hard on our product presentation.

With so many attention-grabbing distractions on the internet, your company has just a few seconds to convince would-be customers to click on information related to your product.

Here are a few things you can do to be sure you also have a great product presentation:

  • Create an eye-catching GIF icon.
  • Use an easy-to-read, descriptive title.
  • Use your tagline to describe problem you're solving.
  • Use clear GIFs or videos for product images.
  • Mention the problem you're solving (and the audience you're solving it for) in the product description.
  • Use the very first comment to tell a story about your launch

4. We cultivated a growing social media and fan community.

During the last three months, we've created an amazing community of fans on Facebook. The Customerly Founders Club Group has grown quickly by allowing people to see behind the scenes of Customerly. They've helped us in so many ways, and we're so thankful for them.

When we launched the Product Hunt campaign, we kindly asked our community for their sincere comments on the page—not upvotes, just comments. And it worked. A lot of them commented sincerely, and a lot of them also liked the new product and upvoted it.

We used our social media and online community platforms to announce and build excitement for the new product launch. When we finally released our Knowledgebase Platform, the reaction from our supportive community—who'd been waiting for the launch for months—was explosive 💥.

When considering a Product Hunt launch, be sure to:

  • Build a loyal community.
  • Ask for feedback, not upvotes.
  • Contact your close friends with personal messages.
  • Ask your friends to share the product with their friends and colleagues.
  • Send an email campaign to all your loyal customers nicely asking for their feedback.
  • Change your Facebook group and page covers to announce the launch.
  • Publish posts on your timeline asking for a sincere feedback.
  • Encourage your team to share the posts.

5. We had a clear offer.

The knowledge base product we launched on Product Hunt is free, but we were also able to draw attention to our paid products by offering a 50% off discount code for our other customer service products.

That was a game changer because it immediately encouraged more people to sign up for a paid plan.

So even if you're launching a free product, I suggest you create a coupon code specifically for the Product Hunt community.

5. We set a specific, achievable goal.

Before launching our knowledge base software on Product Hunt, our team set a SMART goal. If you're not familiar with SMART goals, here's a breakdown of the acronym:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Timely

When we decided to launch on Product Hunt, our goal was simple but clear: get 100 signups for the PH site.

Setting a goal is important because it gives you clear directives to focus on. By setting this goal, our team knew what we were aiming for, and we were able to take actions that led to achieving our goal.

Luckily for us, we went beyond achieving our SMART goal and surpassed our own expectations, getting at least 200 signups from the PH platform.

Find a hunter

To launch your product you need a hunter that approves you.

If you need any help, feel free to contact me and I will be your Product Hunt hunter 🙂

Are you ready to launch your product on Product Hunt?

As you can see, a successful Product Hunt launch involves knowing and growing an audience, as well as some strategic planning. If you follow the steps Customerly took to launch our Knowledgebase Platform, you could be well on your way to becoming a Top Product on the PH site.

Check out our site to sign up for a free Product Hunt checklist!