Productivity

product-hunt-launch

inferen-sh/skills · updated Apr 8, 2026

$npx skills add https://github.com/inferen-sh/skills --skill product-hunt-launch
summary

Optimize Product Hunt launches with research, gallery strategy, and timing guidance.

  • Covers listing specifications (tagline limits, gallery dimensions, topic selection) and gallery image positioning strategy with five-image framework from hero shot to social proof
  • Provides tagline formulas and examples to communicate product value in 60 characters without buzzwords
  • Includes launch day playbook with specific timing (12:01 AM PT), maker comment structure, and engagement timeline from p
skill.md

Product Hunt Launch

Optimize your Product Hunt launch with research and visuals via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (infsh). Install instructions

infsh login

# Generate gallery hero image
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "clean product showcase, modern SaaS dashboard interface on laptop screen, floating UI elements around it, soft gradient background from blue to purple, professional marketing hero shot, minimal clean design",
  "width": 1248,
  "height": 832
}'

# Research competitor launches
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "Product Hunt top launches this week SaaS tools"
}'

Listing Specifications

Element Spec Notes
Product name Keep it short, memorable
Tagline 60 character limit No period at end
Description First 260 chars show in preview Full description can be longer
Gallery images Up to 8 images 1270 x 760 px recommended
Topics Max 3 Pick the most specific ones
Makers Tag all team members They can engage in comments
Link Product URL Where upvoters go

Gallery Images

The First Image Is Everything

The first gallery image shows in the feed, email digest, and social shares. It IS your first impression.

Position Content Goal
1 (Hero) Product in action, core value visible Stop the scroll, communicate what it does
2 Key feature demonstration Show the "aha moment"
3 Before/after or problem/solution Show the transformation
4 Social proof or metrics Build credibility
5 Technical differentiator or integrations For evaluators

Dimensions

  • Recommended: 1270 x 760 px (16:9 ish)
  • Minimum: 600px wide
  • Supports GIF for animated demos

Generating Gallery Images

# Image 1: Hero product shot
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "modern SaaS product showcase, clean dashboard interface floating above gradient background, UI showing analytics charts and metrics, professional product marketing style, soft shadows, blue and white color scheme, wide format",
  "width": 1248,
  "height": 832
}'

# Image 2: Feature demo
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "product feature showcase, split screen showing drag-and-drop interface on left and generated output on right, clean UI design, modern SaaS aesthetic, subtle grid background, professional marketing",
  "width": 1248,
  "height": 832
}'

# Image 3: Before/after
infsh app run infsh/stitch-images --input '{
  "images": ["before-state.png", "after-state.png"],
  "direction": "horizontal"
}'

# Image 4: Social proof / metrics
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "clean infographic style image showing upward growth metrics, large numbers and charts on dark background, professional data visualization, startup metrics dashboard style, modern minimal design",
  "width": 1248,
  "height": 832
}'

Tagline

60 characters. No period. Must communicate what the product does AND why someone should care.

Formulas That Work

Formula Example
[Action] for [audience] "AI writing assistant for developers"
[Result] without [pain] "Beautiful docs without the design skills"
[Tool] that [benefit] "Analytics that explain themselves"
[Adjective] [category] "Instant customer feedback surveys"
The [category] for [niche] "The Figma for data visualization"

Examples

❌ "The best project management tool ever created" (superlative, 52 chars)
❌ "We help you manage projects better." (vague, has period, 37 chars)
❌ "AI-powered machine learning project management SaaS" (buzzword soup)

✅ "Ship docs in minutes, not days" (31 chars)
✅ "AI turns your data into stories" (32 chars)
✅ "The open-source Calendly alternative" (37 chars)

Timing

When to Launch

Factor Recommendation
Day Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (highest traffic)
Time 12:01 AM PT (Pacific Time) — start of the PH day
Avoid Weekends, holidays, major Apple/Google events
Duration PH day = midnight PT to midnight PT

Why 12:01 AM PT

  • Maximum time in the running for daily top spot
  • Accumulate upvotes throughout the full day
  • Morning email digest (US time) includes your product
  • Allows engagement across all US time zones

Maker Comment

Post within 5 minutes of going live. This is your pitch.

Structure

Hey Product Hunt! 👋

[1 sentence: what it is]

[2-3 sentences: why you built it / the problem you noticed]

[1-2 sentences: how it works / key differentiator]

[1 sentence: what's next / what you're looking for]

Would love to hear your thoughts — happy to answer any questions!

Example

Hey Product Hunt!

DataFlow turns raw SQL queries into visual dashboards in seconds.

As a data engineer, I was frustrated spending more time formatting
reports than actually analyzing data. Every BI tool I tried required
a PhD in their configuration. So I built DataFlow — paste your SQL,
get a dashboard.

It auto-detects chart types, handles large datasets, and exports
to PDF/PNG with one click.

We're offering 50% off the first year for PH users. Would love
your feedback — what reporting pain points do you have?

Launch Day Playbook

Before Launch (1-2 weeks)

  • Gallery images finalized (5 recommended)
  • Tagline tested with 5+ people (do they understand what it does?)
  • Maker comment drafted and proofread
  • Landing page with PH badge ready
  • Early supporter list ready (people who want to check it out)
  • Social media announcement posts drafted

Launch Day Timeline

Time (PT) Action
12:01 AM Product goes live, post maker comment immediately
12:15 AM Share on personal social media
6:00 AM First engagement check — reply to all comments
9:00 AM Share in relevant communities (naturally, not spammy)
12:00 PM Mid-day check — reply to all new comments
3:00 PM Share any early traction or interesting feedback
6:00 PM Evening engagement — reply to remaining comments
11:59 PM Day ends — results are final

Engagement Rules

  • Reply to every comment — makers who engage get more visibility
  • Ask questions back — creates conversation threads
  • Be genuine — don't use canned responses
  • Never ask for upvotes — against PH terms of service
  • Share the link naturally — "Check it out at [url]" not "Please upvote"

Research for Preparation

# Study similar product launches
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "Product Hunt top launches analytics tools best practices"
}'

# Competitive landscape
infsh app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "Product Hunt analytics dashboard tools launched 2024 2025"
}'

# Community sentiment
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "Product Hunt launch tips what works 2024 maker advice"
}'

Post-Launch

When Action
Day 1-3 Reply to all remaining comments, thank supporters
Week 1 Publish a "lessons learned" blog post / Twitter thread
Week 2 Follow up with interested users from comments
Month 1 Check if you're eligible for "Product of the Week/Month"

Common Mistakes

Mistake Problem Fix
Launching on Friday/weekend Low traffic, wasted launch Tue-Thu only
Launching at noon Half the day already gone 12:01 AM PT
No maker comment Looks abandoned Post within 5 minutes
Asking for upvotes Against TOS, can get flagged Share naturally, let product speak
Generic gallery images Doesn't show the product Show real UI, real features
Not replying to comments Low engagement signal Reply to every single comment
Too many topics Dilutes discoverability Max 3, pick the most specific
Tagline with buzzwords Nobody knows what you do Clear, specific, benefit-focused

Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-image-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@web-search
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering

Browse all apps: infsh app list

general reviews

Ratings

4.510 reviews
  • Shikha Mishra· Oct 10, 2024

    product-hunt-launch is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Piyush G· Sep 9, 2024

    Keeps context tight: product-hunt-launch is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Chaitanya Patil· Aug 8, 2024

    Registry listing for product-hunt-launch matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • Sakshi Patil· Jul 7, 2024

    product-hunt-launch reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Ganesh Mohane· Jun 6, 2024

    I recommend product-hunt-launch for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Oshnikdeep· May 5, 2024

    Useful defaults in product-hunt-launch — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Dhruvi Jain· Apr 4, 2024

    product-hunt-launch has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • Rahul Santra· Mar 3, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: product-hunt-launch is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • Pratham Ware· Feb 2, 2024

    We added product-hunt-launch from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • Yash Thakker· Jan 1, 2024

    product-hunt-launch fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.