Was the Product Hunt launch worth it?

That's the question I want to answer by analyzing numbers (for my URL to Image API) and my emotions—both are important.

Goals

I had simple goals for the launch with minimal expectations:

• get 50+ upvotes;
• attention (marketing);
• a dofollow link to boost my SEO game;
• to fight my fear of launching;
• get more feedback to improve the product.

Numbers after the launch

Let's look at the raw numbers:

• top 4 product of the day and 4 hours of sleep
• 450+ upvotes
• 200+ comments
• 40,000+ the launch tweet impressions
• 300+ new Twitter followers
• 1800+ unique visits
• 80+ sign-ups
• chatting with 5+ new users about the potential integration
• 1 proposal for acquisition
• 1 upgrade to a yearly plan ($140)

The real impact will be seen after a while since it is an API product, and it takes time to integrate it and start paying. In addition, Product Hunt shares a dofollow link, and I believe it will profoundly impact my SEO.

It is a colossal win for me on all sides.

A word of love to my best competitor

A crazy thing happened during the launch. One of my best competitors Urlbox supported me:

It is a tremendous honor for me. I know they are the best because I compared every competitor that I could, and they are indeed the best.

I would love to see that more.

No preparation?

I wanted to be prepared for the Product Hunt launch, so I created a plan with things I wanted to do before setting the launch date.

But as time passed, I started adding more features to the list, and I couldn't feel that the product was polished enough for launch. So, at some point, I realized—enough was enough and decided to launch:

I didn't have time to read guides or prepare great visuals and texts. I went by intuition. But, of course, my intuition was trained by many stories I read on Twitter, listened to on podcasts, and discussed with my friends.

That launch day

When the launch started, I sent my friends a few DMs and messages.

The first hour

Since I didn't prepare for the launch, I also didn't send mass DM to my followers and product users. I am still in doubt if I should do it. But I will try it for my next products.

In the first hour of the launch, so many people supported many that I was more than happy. It was around 80+ upvotes.

Going for a walk

Most of the day, I was replying to everybody and asking friends to support me. But the funny thing happened when I walked for an hour and paused any activities—the growth stopped.

Once I returned, I continued to reply, share updates, and ensure everything went smoothly. I went to sleep around 02:00-03:00 in my local time and woke up at 06:30-07:00. To continue the launch activities—be prepared.

Lessons learned

0. Humans over everything

People matter the most. They are your friends, your supporters, and your customers. And people expect the same from you.

Don't be an asshole. Help people and support them. They might support you back, but they are not obliged.

1. Preparation for the launch matters

I believe the results would be much better if I prepared a list of friends who can support me and automated sending them messages on the launch day. But hey, my results are more than enough, and I am super happy.

2. Adapt UI for mobile.

I received many messages in my DMs that the site doesn't look properly on mobile. And some of these people could be my potential customers.

I am new to the world of UI/HTML/CSS/front, but I will do my best to make sure the site looks perfect for mobile too. It is 2023.

Afterthought

Yes, the Product Hunt launch was worth it. It was a truly emotional ride. It turns out that I much needed this push. I work daily on my product, and nothing significant happens, so motivation occasionally fades. And this launch inspired me to continue.

Doing it without preparation was so exciting that I think that’s the way one should always launch.

I want to do strategic planning and continue improving my current product and building new products.

Thank you

It is not the product. It is not me. This win is attributed to you all who supported me. Without you, I am nobody from nowhere who built a no-name product.

Thank you, my friends. I won’t stop repeating, but it was true before, and it stays true after the launch—you can count on me.

Don’t hesitate to message me on Twitter and ask for support or help.

Now, I can go and read that Product Hunt launch guide.