Product Hunt launches are often seen as a pivotal moment for tech products, but they're far from a "launch it and they will come" scenario. As I found out, a successful launch requires strategy, preparation, and active management. This is the story of my launch day for Wisp CMS - the ups, the downs, and everything in between. As a solo founder, I want to share what it really feels like to navigate this intense 24-hour period.
Key Questions Addressed
Before diving into the details, let me address three questions that I know are on many minds:
Was it worth it? In short, yes. The launch brought in 65 signups, 2 paid customers, and over 300 site visitors. Beyond the numbers, the exposure and feedback were invaluable.
Is it a scam? Pay-to-win? No, it's not a scam, but it does require significant effort fighting against others with much more resources. We ended up at #6 product of the day with 420 upvotes and 171 comments. This was achieved through genuine engagement and hard work.
How much did I make? During the 24-hour launch period, Wisp CMS gained two paid customers, bringing in $171.5 from lifetime subscriptions through out indie hacker pass. While not a fortune, it's a promising start.
The Launch Timeline
Pre-launch Preparation
The day started with breakfast with Sina, founder of Learning Loop. It felt like business as usual, but beneath the surface, my mind was racing with launch preparations.
I spent the morning crafting outreach messages for various communities and individuals. It was during this time that I realized I was being "featured" on Product Hunt - an unexpected boost that added both excitement and pressure.
There was a moment of confusion when I saw the Product Hunt page saying "Launching in 1 day 2 minutes." I briefly thought I had mixed up the launch date, but quickly confirmed it was indeed the correct day.
As 3pm SGT approached, I made sure all my preparatory work was in order - email sequences ready, community posts drafted, and support network primed for action. The anticipation was building, and I knew that once the clock struck 3, it would be a whirlwind of activity.
First Hour (3pm SGT)
At 3pm sharp, the launch went live. The impact of being featured was immediately noticeable, with traffic spiking on Google Analytics. I quickly set my email sequences in motion, reaching out to my network and communities I'm part of.
I began activating customers for reviews, a crucial step in building early momentum. The first upvotes started trickling in, and I found myself constantly refreshing the page, watching the numbers climb.
Comments began to appear, and I made it a priority to respond promptly. And I got snarky remarks like: "it's trying too hard to be simple, sure it's easy to set up but feels like another tool for people who don't wanna put in effort, maybe try adding more advanced features for those who like more control". I replied, inviting the commenter to share specific features they were looking for. There are better battles to fight.
Amidst the excitement, I noticed an influx of messages from "ProductHunt Advisor/Marketer" types. I chose to ignore these, focusing instead on genuine engagement.
First 4 Hours
As the launch progressed, I started seeing the first backlinks coming in from syndicated sites. I kept a close eye on our relative ranking using Hunted Space which was discovered via Ahref's backlink dashboard.
The sign-ups were encouraging, with over 8 in just the first few hours. Traffic held steady at about 20-30 visitors per minute according to Google Analytics (actual numbers are higher due to ad blocker usage).
I manually activated a list of people who had mentioned they would support (on LinkedIn/X) or those I had recently engaged with. Responding to comments remained a top priority - I made sure to reply to as many as possible to build engagement and encourage others to interact.
During this period, we were averaging between the 4th and 6th position on the Product Hunt daily rankings.
Up to End of Day in Asia
As the day wore on, I found myself running out of people from my initial support list. I continued responding to comments, now sorting by recent to catch any new ones quickly.
Real life intervened - I had to fetch my daughter from school and leave for dinner. Even during these moments, I was still engaged in launch operations, checking in right before and after dinner.
My wife stepped in to help, putting our two kids to bed while I continued to manage the launch. With her assistance, we began contacting everyone who was launching in the next 30 days.
It was during this period that we saw our first paid customer come in - a moment of validation amidst the chaos. For about two hours, we focused intensively on a single LinkedIn/X account, sending out DMs.
That is until my LinkedIn account got restricted because they thought I'm using bots... no I wasn't!
As I exhausted all leads from ProductHunt's coming soon page, I noticed we had climbed to the 3rd position. I went to bed with a mix of exhaustion and anxiety, hoping our rank wouldn't slip overnight.
Morning in Asia waking to the end of US/EU hours
I woke up to find that our rank had slipped to #6. The night had been busy in the US and EU time zones, and I immediately set to work responding to comments and DMs that had accumulated overnight.
Many of the DMs were from people saying they were "sure" to support, but I wasn't certain if they had actually checked out the product or interacted with our page. I found myself explaining to several individuals how they could best support the launch.
In a desperate attempt to regain ground, I began manually activating people who weren't originally planned for outreach. As I worked, I noticed a constant gap of 30 votes between us and the #5 and #4 positions. It seemed like an uphill battle at this point.
Launch end (3pm next day)
As the launch period came to a close, I found myself feeling a little disappointed that we didn't make it into the top #5. There's a nice badge and a feature on the launch history page for those positions that we just missed out on.
Out of curiosity, I checked out other launch days and noticed that we could have easily been in the top #3 on a different day. This realization made me second-guess our choice of launch date.
I tried to tell myself that it was okay, that I had tried my best. There were positives to focus on: we had made sales, generated traffic, and likely gained some SEO juice from the exposure.
In the aftermath of the launch, I realized I had missed a scheduled call and showed up 20 minutes late after seeing a buried message on LinkedIn. It was a reminder that the intense focus on the launch had caused me to lose track of other commitments.
After that, it was back to business as usual. The launch was over, but the real work of growing the product was just beginning.
Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned
Product Hunt is not a "launch and they will come" platform. Success requires careful preparation and strategy.
Getting featured is crucial. Ensure your profile is set up properly to increase your chances of being featured.
Start preparations at least two weeks in advance. Build your support network and prepare your audience.
Manage your emotions and expectations. As a solo founder, it's easy to get discouraged, but I try to tell myself that success comes in different forms.
Plan your personal schedule carefully. Ensure you don't neglect basic needs like meals and family commitments during the intense launch period.
Leverage your support network. Enlist help from family, friends, and supporters who can amplify your reach.
Focus on learning and enjoying the process. Each launch is a valuable learning experience that prepares you for future success.
Preparation is key. I'll be sharing a detailed blog post on launch operations, including templates I used, and another on pre-launch prep work.
Having a blog section on your site is important for conversions. Consider using Wisp CMS (what I've launched) to easily add a blog to your project.
Don't hesitate to reach out for help. If you're planning a launch, feel free to contact me for advice and support.
Conclusion
Launching on Product Hunt was an intense but rewarding experience. While we didn't make the top 5, we achieved significant milestones and learned valuable lessons. For those planning their own launches, watch out for my upcoming blog posts detailing launch operations and preparation strategies - you can subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss it. And if you're looking to enhance your product with a blog, check out Wisp CMS - it might be just what you need to boost your conversions and engage your audience.
