← Guides · Updated 28 Oct 2026

Product Hunt launch checklist for AI tools

A checklist, not a hack. Product Hunt's own guidelines forbid asking for upvotes and its ranking takes engagement quality into account, so the goal is to make a good first impression on real people.

2–4 weeks before

• Create your maker account early and use it (comment, upvote things you genuinely like). New, empty accounts look suspicious.
• Check whether a product page for your tool already exists; claim it instead of creating a duplicate.
• Decide your launch day. Weekdays are more competitive; weekends are quieter with fewer visitors. Pick a day you can be online for the full 24 hours (Pacific time).
• Collect emails of users and friends who would like to hear about the launch. Tell them it's live — don't tell them to upvote.

Assets

• Name and a tagline of up to 60 characters that says what it does.
• Gallery images (1270×760 recommended) showing the core workflow, plus an optional short video.
• A maker's first comment: who you are, why you built it, what's free, and what feedback you want.
• A launch-day offer for the Product Hunt community, if you have one, that's real and time-limited.

Launch day

• Launches start at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time. Be there.
• Reply to every comment thoughtfully. Fix small issues in real time and say so.
• Share the launch on your own channels (X, LinkedIn, newsletter, communities that allow it).

After

• Thank commenters and follow up on feature requests.
• Add the "Featured on Product Hunt" badge only if you were featured.
• Use the momentum: submit to the other launch sites and AI directories in the following weeks (see our prioritized list).