How My Product Got Featured on PH 4 days after posting

Many novice indie hackers (like me) are looking for a secret Product Hunt launch formula. People talk about some secret PH algorithms that reduce frontpage feature chances. For example, if your product is upvoted by users who signed up on PH a few minutes ago. Or users who upvoted the product without even visiting its website.

Besides, people usually tell that you need to post at a specific time and other tips. These are quite useful, and I don't underestimate their value.

But what if the chance of featuring on the PH main page doesn't depend on this that much?

I posted my first app 12 hours earlier than the traditional launch time (0:00 PST). No social media posts, no promotion. And it got featured the next day.

I posted my latest product 13 hours earlier than the traditional launch time (0:00 PST). Again, no social media posts, no promotion. I didn't even tell my friends about it (except closest). And it got featured four days after posting.

At the same time, the upvotes number remained unchanged for three days - 5 upvotes.

I posted my product on October 21 in the evening (my local time) and saw it on PH's front page on October 25 in the morning! (my local time). My joy knew no bounds. It was a weekend off and I got quite a bit of traffic (~500 unique visitors). Nevertheless, I was very pleased.

How does it work? Why did this happen? I'm still trying to figure it out.

Now it seems to me that it depends on the handpick and audience feedback. PH employees may like your product and it will end up on the front page. It doesn't matter how much time passes from the moment of posting. It doesn't matter that much how many upvotes your product gets initially.

It seems to me that there is no "secret" secret. Make products that people will like.

If you've ever launched a product on Product Hunt, share a short story in the comments! Have you ever had the same experience as me?