“I don’t want this product to go viral”, said no startup founder ever. It takes a while for young startups to get users, even longer to build a community but getting people to try out your product is a process you can catalyse. Product Hunt is a popular platform among tech geeks and hundreds of new products are seen on Product Hunt every day. It is somewhat similar to Reddit and Digg but is specifically focussed on products. Interesting tech products really get highlighted there and most of them experience strong surge in app downloads and website traffic after getting on product hunt homepage. We see lot of innovative startups coming up in travel space and they can use Product Hunt very well. Having a strong tech product is of course a prerequisite but along with that, here are some other factors you need to keep in mind to hack your way up through Product Hunt.
1- Be interesting and fresh
You should bring something new to the table and have a product that is or could be useful to a large number of users. It should be unique and exciting so that you are able to grab more eyeballs and get people curious about it. Make sure you don’t go for deceiving taglines to oversell your product.
2- Be prepared
Even a great idea is no good without a product to show. Anything that hasn’t been launched rarely makes it to the top on Product Hunt. Make sure you have your product or at least a beta ready when you decide to share it on Product Hunt. Users would want to try out the product before they engage in a conversation with you or share it with someone.
3- Look for power users
Not all users you see on product hunt are equal. Somewhat similar to the way you build up reach over time on Quora, Product Hunt gives more power to some users that are very active and have been around for a long time on the platform. It is obvious that not everything can make it to the homepage but if one such user shares your product, it is more likely to end up on the homepage than otherwise. Spend some time to find such users who actively take interest in travel tech products and try to connect with them for help. Just don’t spam them.
4- Don’t jump, slide
If you just wake up one day and decide to dive into product hunt, chances are your product won’t end up anywhere. While you are preparing your product to show it to the world, start joining related conversations and building relationships on the platform. If it fits the context, you can share some information about your upcoming product. Also make sure that your product is shared at the right time. Avoid weekends as the usage appears to be on the higher side in the middle of the week.
5- Engage
As soon as you see your post on product hunt, jump into the comments. Introduce yourself and tell people about the challenge you are trying to address. Invite people to share their feedback and criticism. Every share will push your post towards north.
Do share if you have anything to add to the story.
