Product Hunt Readiness Score

Tuesday through Thursday launches consistently outperform other days. Launch at 12:01 AM PST (when the Product Hunt day resets) to maximize the hours your product has to accumulate votes. Avoid launching during major holidays, competing launches from big companies, or during the last week of December.

The threshold varies by day and competition. Generally, 200+ upvotes in the first few hours will push you toward the top 5. The #1 Product of the Day typically gets 500-1,500+ upvotes. Focus on quality engagement (comments, genuine upvotes) over raw vote counts.

You can ask your network to check out your launch and upvote if they genuinely like it. However, Product Hunt detects and discounts suspicious voting patterns (bulk votes from new accounts, votes within minutes of each other). Focus on building a real following before launch day.

Hunters were very important historically (top hunters had large followings and credibility). Today, it's less critical since makers can launch themselves. However, a well-known hunter with a relevant following can still provide a meaningful boost, especially in the first hour.

The week before: finalize your gallery (screenshots, demo video), write your tagline and description, set up your maker profile, notify your email list of the upcoming launch date, schedule social posts, prep your support team for incoming questions, and engage in the PH community to build familiarity.

Product Hunt sends a weekly newsletter to millions of subscribers. Being #1 Product of the Day or Week almost guarantees a newsletter feature. High-quality visual assets, an engaging story, and strong comment engagement increase your chances of editorial selection.