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Product Hunt launch checklist and date planner
Pick your launch date and get a dated checklist. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
Your launch plan
Choose the day you plan to launch and the places you will launch on.
Four weeks before
- Pick your launch day and tell your team. Product Hunt lets you schedule a launch up to one month ahead.
- Complete your maker profile: photo, name and a short bio.
- Write the one thing you want people to remember. It feeds the tagline, the video and every post.
- Decide if Show HN fits. It is for something people can try, ideally without a signup or email. A landing page or newsletter does not qualify.
Three weeks before
- Write the name (just the name, no description or emojis), the tagline (60 characters at most) and the description (500 characters at most).
- Choose up to 3 launch tags, and gather your links, X handle and any pricing or promo details.
- Submit to BetaList if you are pre-launch. Free listings can wait a long time, so submit early and check their current terms.
- Plan a Peerlist launch for the same week. Peerlist supports weekly project launches.
Two weeks before
- Write the video script and storyboard. The free script builder makes a first draft.
- Record the real product screens the film needs: clean demo data, notifications off, a fixed window size.
- Draft your Indie Hackers post: what you built, why, and what you learned. Share real numbers only.
Ten days before
- Make the thumbnail: square, 240 by 240 recommended, under 3 MB. A GIF is allowed.
- Make at least 2 gallery images. The recommended size is 1270 by 760.
- Finish the film. Make 16:9 for the website and YouTube, 9:16 for Reels and Stories, and 1:1 or 4:5 for feeds. Which ratios you need.
One week before
- Upload the video to YouTube. Product Hunt supports only YouTube links, the full address (not a shortened link), and the video cannot be private.
- Write your first comment: what it does, who it is for, the story behind it, pricing or offer, and a request for feedback. Product Hunt says 70% of products that reached Product of the Day, Week or Month had one from the maker.
- Tell the people who already follow you: your list, followers and community. Ask them to try it and give honest feedback.
- Do not ask friends to upvote or comment on Hacker News. Its Show HN rules ask people not to.
- Schedule the launch. Product Hunt recommends 12:01 am Pacific for a full 24 hours on the homepage.
- Test everything a visitor will touch: the signup flow, the pricing page, links with UTM tags and your support inbox.
- Watch the film on a phone with the sound off. The captions should carry it.
The day before
- Prepare your posts for X, LinkedIn and email. Add the film directly where the platform allows.
- Decide who answers comments, and when. Plan to reply to every one.
Launch day
- Check the listing is live and post your first comment straight away.
- Post on your own channels with the film and the link.
- Post your Show HN: a title that starts with "Show HN", a link people can try, and a comment from you explaining what it is. Stay around to answer.
- Publish your Indie Hackers post.
- Reply to every comment with something useful, not just thanks.
After the launch
- Thank the people who helped, and share what happened. Use real numbers only.
- Cut the film into shorter clips and reuse them over the next few weeks.
- Message the people who signed up and ask one question about what they were hoping for.
- Review which source brought signups, using your tagged links. Keep what worked.
Specs and rules here come from Product Hunt's and Hacker News's own pages and can change. Check them before launch day.
Plan a Product Hunt launch about four weeks ahead: write the text and make the images by three weeks out, finish the video a week before, schedule the launch three days before, and reply to every comment on the day.
Pick your launch date and this page turns the steps into a dated list. Tick things off as you go. Your progress stays in this browser and nothing is sent to us.
The checklist covers Product Hunt first, since most founders start there. You can add Show HN, Indie Hackers, BetaList or Peerlist, and switch off the video steps if you are not making a film. Everything is also written out below the tool, so you can read the whole timeline without entering a date.
The timeline, and why it is built this way
Most failed launches share one problem: the work of building took weeks and the work of launching took a day. The plan above spreads the launch over about a month, so each asset has time to be finished and checked.
The order matters. The text comes first because every other asset repeats it. The thumbnail and gallery come next. The video goes up a week early because it has to be published on YouTube, set to public, and checked in the listing. The launch is scheduled three days ahead, so there is time to fix what the test turns up.
Product Hunt specs at a glance
These come from Product Hunt's own launch guide. They can change, so check the listing form before you rely on them.
| Item | What Product Hunt says |
|---|---|
| Name | Only the product's name, no description or emojis |
| Tagline | 60 characters at most |
| Description | 500 characters at most |
| Thumbnail | Square, 240 by 240 recommended, under 3 MB, GIFs allowed |
| Gallery | At least 2 images, 1270 by 760 recommended |
| Video | Optional, YouTube links only, full URL, not private |
| Tags | Up to 3 launch tags |
| Scheduling | Up to one month ahead; 12:01 am Pacific recommended |
What the other places are for
- Show HN is for something people can try. Hacker News's rules say blog posts, signup pages, newsletters and landing pages do not qualify, and ask you not to request upvotes.
- Indie Hackers is a community where founders post about what they built and what they learned. A post that tells the story works better than an advert.
- BetaList lists products before they launch, so it suits the weeks ahead of your date. Check how long a free listing takes.
- Peerlist supports weekly project launches and can run in the same week as Product Hunt.
Where the video fits
A launch video is optional on Product Hunt, but it is the one asset you cannot finish in an afternoon. That is why the video steps start two weeks out. Write the script first, then record real screens, then edit. For a deeper walk-through, read how to make a Product Hunt launch video, and see what a storyboard is before you plan the scenes.
If you would rather not make it yourself, send us a brief. We send a one-page storyboard first, then a private preview, and you pay only once you are happy with it.
How to use it
- Choose your launch date. Pick the day you plan to launch on Product Hunt. Every step is then dated backwards from it.
- Select the places you will launch. Add Show HN, Indie Hackers, BetaList or Peerlist if you are using them, and switch the video steps on or off.
- Work down the list. Tick each step as you finish it. Anything past its date and not ticked turns red.
- Save it where you will see it. Copy it as text, print it, or download a calendar file with one all-day entry per step.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I plan a Product Hunt launch?
About four weeks. Product Hunt lets you schedule a launch up to one month ahead, and a month gives you time to write the text, make the images and finish a video without rushing the last few days.
What time should I launch on Product Hunt?
Product Hunt recommends 12:01 am Pacific Time for makers who are planning ahead, because the product then gets a full 24 hours on the homepage. Schedule it a few days early.
Do I need a video for Product Hunt?
No, a video is optional. If you add one, Product Hunt supports only YouTube links, the full address is required and the video cannot be private. Upload it a week before launch so you can test it in the listing.
Is my progress saved, and does this send my data anywhere?
Your date and ticks are saved only in this browser, using local storage. Nothing is sent to our servers. If you clear your browser data or switch device, the list starts again, so copy it as text if you need to keep it.
Can I use this for a launch that is not on Product Hunt?
Yes. The asset and testing steps work for any launch. Add the other places you will use, such as Show HN or Indie Hackers, and ignore the Product Hunt specs if they do not apply.
Sources
Want it made for you? Launch Day, $449
The main film for launch day, plus the short cuts, images and posts that go out with it. Built for Product Hunt, X and LinkedIn. You see a storyboard and a private preview first, and pay only once you are happy.
See what's in Launch Day or get a free storyboard →