MODULE 5: LAUNCH STRATEGY (PRODUCT HUNT + VIRAL CONTENT)

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MODULE 5: LAUNCH STRATEGY (PRODUCT HUNT + VIRAL CONTENT)

Our Product Hunt launch drove 708 upvotes and landed the #2 spot for launch day. Our launch tweet got 3.2M views.

Here's the hour-by-hour execution plan—and why the badge doesn't matter as much as you think.

How to Rank Top 5 on Product Hunt

Product Hunt is an excuse.

An excuse to:

• Email everyone you know
• Post on every social channel
• Reach out to every contact
• Activate your entire network
• Create urgency and momentum
• Force yourself to ship

Dhruv said it best: "The main benefit is it's an excuse to tell everyone in your life what you're working on. And good things come from that."

• Twitter (3.2M views on launch tweet)
• Email list activation
• Network effects (everyone sharing)
• Press attention (TechCrunch noticed)
• Momentum (team energy, focus, urgency)

Product Hunt was the catalyst. Not the cause.

The Brutal Math of Rankings

How PH rankings work:

You rank based on:

• Upvotes (weighted by voter quality)
• Comments (engagement signals)
• Timing (first 2 hours matter most)
• Velocity (how fast you get votes)

The competitive landscape:

On any given day:

• 50-100 products launch
• Top 5 products get 90% of the attention
• Top 1 product gets featured in newsletter
• Everything else gets buried

What it takes to rank Top 5:

Typically need:

• 300-500+ upvotes
• 50-100+ comments
• Strong launch in first 2 hours
• Sustained momentum through the day

Where those upvotes come from:

• 30% Your team + immediate network
• 30% Your email list/social following
• 20% PH community (organic discovery)
• 20% Cross-promotion and supporters

The hard truth:

If you have:

• No email list
• No social following
• No network
• No preparation

You won't rank Top 5.

But you don't need a huge audience. You need preparation + activation.

The 2-Week Prep

Week -2:

Monday: Set the date

• Choose launch date (Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday)
• Block it on team calendar
• Set personal alarm for 11:55 PM PST the night before

Tuesday: Build your support squad list

Create a spreadsheet with:

• Name
• Email
• Relationship (team, advisor, investor, friend, customer)
• Platform (Twitter, LinkedIn, email)
• Notes (how they can help)

Target: 50-100 people who will support you.

Wednesday: Draft the email sequence

You'll send 3 emails:

1. T-7 days: "Heads up, we're launching"
2. T-1 day: "Tomorrow's the day"
3. T-0 (launch morning): "We're live!"

Draft all three now.

Thursday: Prepare social posts

Draft posts for:

• Twitter (thread + single tweet)
• LinkedIn (personal + company)
• Facebook (if relevant)
• Discord/Slack communities

Write them now. Schedule for launch day.

Friday: Create your Product Hunt page

Go to Product Hunt → "Post a product"

What you need:

• Product name
• Tagline (60 characters - make it punchy)
• Gallery (images/video - first impression matters)
• Description (what it does, why it matters)
• Topics (tags - choose relevant ones)
• Maker comments (first comment explaining the product)

Tagline examples:

Bad: "The best app builder with AI"

Better: "Build production mobile & web apps without coding"

Best: "Turn ideas into App Store-ready apps in days"

Save as draft. Don't publish yet.

Week -1:

Monday: Coordinate with team

Team meeting agenda:

• Confirm roles (who does what on launch day)
• Review hour-by-hour plan
• Test Product Hunt accounts
• Assign comment responding
• Social media coordination

Tuesday: Prepare investor/advisor outreach

If you have investors or advisors, give them special notice:

Hey [name],

We're launching [Product] on Product Hunt this [day].

Would love if you could:

• Upvote and comment when we go live
• Share with your network (if you're excited about it)

I'll send you the link on launch day.

We really appreciate your support.

Send this 5 days before launch.

Wednesday: Prepare customer activation

Reach out to your best customers:

Hey [name],

Quick ask: we're launching on Product Hunt this [day].

Since you've been using [Product] and [getting results], would you be willing to:

• Share your experience in a PH comment?
• Upvote to help us get visibility?

I'll send the link when we're live.

Thanks for being an awesome customer!

Target: 10-20 customers willing to comment.

Thursday: Line up social supporters

DM people with audiences in your niche:

Hey [name],

Launching [Product] on Product Hunt [day].

[One sentence what it is]

If you think it's relevant for your audience, would you be open to sharing it?

Totally understand if not!

Will send you the link on launch day.

Be selective. Only reach out to people who might genuinely be interested.

Friday: Final prep

• Review Product Hunt page (typos? broken links?)
• Test gallery (images load? video plays?)
• Prepare launch day playlist (you'll be up for 24+ hours)
• Draft comment response templates
• Schedule social posts for morning of launch
• Set multiple alarms for 11:55 PM PST

Weekend: Rest

Don't work on launch stuff. You need energy for launch day.

Launch Day: Hour-by-Hour Execution

Hour 0: 12:01 AM - 1:00 AM PST (The Critical Window)

11:55 PM PST: Team assembles (Zoom call or Slack)

12:00 AM PST: Countdown

12:01 AM PST: LAUNCH

• Hit "Post" button on Product Hunt
• Immediately upvote your own product (from all team accounts)
• Post first maker comment (prepared in advance)

12:02 AM PST: Activate immediate network

• Send launch email to support squad (50-100 people)
• Post on Twitter (launch tweet)
• Post on LinkedIn (personal + company)
• DM your 10 closest supporters (text or WhatsApp)
• Post in Discord/Slack communities (where appropriate)

12:05 AM PST: Monitor and respond

• Refresh Product Hunt page every 2 minutes
• Respond to every comment within 5 minutes
• Thank everyone who upvotes (in comments)
• Keep energy high in team chat

12:15 AM PST: First wave check

Check metrics:

• Upvotes: Target 50+ in first 15 minutes
• Comments: Target 5-10 in first 15 minutes
• Ranking: Should be in Top 10

If you're not hitting these targets:

• Send more DMs
• Post in more communities
• Activate Plan B

12:30 AM PST: Second wave

• Reply to everyone who commented on Twitter
• Share to Facebook groups
• Email your customer list (if not done yet)
• Post in any communities you haven't hit yet

1:00 AM PST: First hour checkpoint

Target metrics:

• 100-150 upvotes
• 15-25 comments
• Trending in Top 5

Hour 1-2: Sustaining Momentum

The danger zone: Hour 2 is when momentum can stall. Your immediate network is tapped out.

Now you need organic discovery.

1:00-1:30 AM: Engage with other launches

• Upvote other products launching today
• Leave genuine comments on 5-10 other products
• Build goodwill (they might upvote you back)

1:30-2:00 AM: Second-tier outreach

• DM people who haven't responded yet
• Email anyone you missed
• Post in communities you were hesitant about

2:00-2:30 AM: Content amplification

• Quote tweet supporters
• Screenshot positive comments
• Create "we're live!" content
• Post behind-the-scenes to Instagram/Stories

2:30-3:00 AM: Review and adjust

Check:

• Comment quality (are questions being answered?)
• Upvote velocity (slowing down? Speed it up)
• Ranking (Top 5? Top 10? Further?)

Target by hour 2:

• 200-250 upvotes
• 30-40 comments
• Trending in Top 3-5

Hour 3-12: The Long Haul

3:00 AM - 6:00 AM: East Coast wakes up

• Monitor comments continuously
• Respond within 10 minutes
• Keep Twitter engagement high
• Some team members can sleep in shifts

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM: Europe online

• European audience starts seeing it
• Keep energy in responses
• Don't let comment response time slip

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: West Coast wakes up

• This is when most PH users are active
• Peak comment time
• Press starts paying attention (if you're Top 5)

The shift strategy:

If you have a team:

• Shift 1: 12 AM - 6 AM (night crew)
• Shift 2: 6 AM - 12 PM (morning crew)
• Shift 3: 12 PM - 6 PM (afternoon crew)

Someone should always be monitoring.

If you're solo:

• Stay up for first 3-4 hours (critical)
• Nap for 2-3 hours
• Wake up for West Coast prime time (9 AM - 1 PM PST)
• Push through until end of day

Target by noon:

• 350-400 upvotes
• 60-80 comments
• Solidly in Top 5

Hour 12-24: Closing Strong

12:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Peak hours

• Most active period of the day
• Don't let up on responses
• Keep social amplification going

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Final push

• DM anyone who hasn't engaged yet
• Post "last chance to support" content
• Rally the team for final sprint

6:00 PM - 11:59 PM: Finish line

• Keep responding to comments
• Thank everyone who supported
• Prepare for next day

11:59 PM: Day ends

Product Hunt day ends at midnight PST.

Final metrics to track:

• Total upvotes
• Total comments
• Final ranking
• Traffic to your site
• Signups

The comment strategy

Why every comment matters:

Each comment is:

• Engagement signal (helps ranking)
• Potential customer
• Public conversation (others read it)
• SEO value (PH ranks in Google)

The rule: Respond to every single comment. Within 30 minutes maximum.

Response templates:

Simple congratulations:

Comment: "Congrats on the launch! 🎉"

Response:

"Thank you! 🙏 Appreciate the support!"

Question about product:

Comment: "How is this different from [competitor]?"

Response:

Great question! The main difference is [specific differentiation].

[Competitor] is awesome for [their use case], but we're focused on [your use case].

Specifically:

• [Feature 1 difference]
• [Feature 2 difference]
• [Feature 3 difference]

Happy to answer more questions if you have them!

Skepticism or concern:

Comment: "Seems like AI-generated code would be insecure..."

Response:

That's a totally fair concern—we thought about this a lot.

Here's how we address it: [Specific way you handle security]

We also [additional measures].

Security is something we take seriously, and we're always improving. If you have specific concerns, I'd love to hear them!

The founder presence strategy:

Who should respond: Ideally, the founder(s).

Why:

• Personal connection
• Shows you care
• Builds brand
• People remember

The tone:

• Grateful (people are taking time to engage)
• Helpful (answer questions thoroughly)
• Humble (don't oversell)
• Authentic (be yourself)

Going viral: The formula

You can't force virality. But you can stack the odds.

Our launch tweet got 3.2M views. Here's the formula for making your campaigns go viral—and why customer stories beat feature announcements every time.

The anatomy of a viral post

What makes content go viral:

1. It's surprising

• Goes against expectations
• "A medical student (not a developer)..."
• "Built it in 2 weeks (not months)..."
• "Making $85/month (not struggling)..."

2. It's specific

• Concrete numbers ($85/month, 2 weeks, CPR training)
• Not vague ("made money", "built an app")
• Specificity = credibility

3. It's aspirational

• The outcome is desirable
• But seems achievable
• Not "made $1M" (too unrealistic)
• But "$85/month" (I could do that)

4. It has a clear "before and after"

• Before: Medical student who can't code
• After: App in App Store making money
• The transformation is stark

5. It challenges conventional wisdom

• "You need developers to build apps" → No you don't
• "App development takes months" → Not anymore
• "Only technical people can do this" → Wrong

6. It has emotional stakes

• Not just facts
• The person's background matters
• Their struggle matters
• Their win matters

7. It's easy to share

• Simple to understand
• Clear takeaway
• One sentence summary: "Med student built app, makes $85/mo"

Opening hook (first line):

• Surprising statistic
• Controversial statement
• Before/after comparison
• Question that triggers curiosity

Examples:

• "We hit $2M ARR in 2 weeks. Here's what actually drove growth:"
• "A real estate agent with zero coding experience just made $100 from her first app."
• "Most people think you need developers to build apps. They're wrong."

The story (middle):

• Specific details
• Concrete numbers
• Transformation narrative
• Name the person (makes it real)

The lesson (optional):

• What this means
• Why it matters
• What's changing

The call-to-action (end):

• What to do next
• Link if relevant
• Invite engagement

Tweet timing:

• Post during US business hours (9 AM - 3 PM EST)
• Avoid weekends
• Avoid holidays

Engagement tactics (first 2 hours):

• Reply to every comment
• Quote tweet anyone who shares it
• DM people who engage
• Pin it to your profile
• Share in relevant communities

What makes it viral:

• First 100 likes in first hour → algorithm boost
• Engagement rate > follower count
• Ratio of retweets to likes (retweets = spread)
• Comments = controversy = algorithm loves it

LinkedIn is different from Twitter:

• Longer-form content works
• Professional tone (but still authentic)
• Career/business focus
• Less meme-y, more narrative

High-performing LinkedIn post structure:

Personal hook (first 2 lines):

• Must work as standalone (people see this before "see more")
• Surprising, specific, or emotional

Examples:

• "I almost didn't hire [name of person]. Best decision I never made."
• "We shut down a $2M ARR business. Here's why it saved the company."

The story (body):

• Narrative arc
• Specific details
• Vulnerable moments
• Lessons learned

The takeaway (end):

• What you learned
• What others can learn
• Not preachy, just reflective

Formatting:

• Short paragraphs (2-3 lines max)
• Line breaks for readability
• No bullet points (usually)
• Write like you talk

Engagement:

• Ask a question at the end
• Respond to every comment
• Share from personal profile (not company page)

Best time to post:

• Tuesday-Thursday
• 9 AM - 11 AM (your timezone)
• Avoid Monday (catching up) and Friday (checking out)

Creating "screenshot moments"

What's a screenshot moment:

Content people want to screenshot and share elsewhere.

Characteristics:

• Fits in one image
• Clear text (readable)
• Surprising or insightful
• Self-contained (doesn't need context)

Examples:

1. Customer revenue numbers

2. Before/after comparisons

3. Giveaways

4. Customer testimonials

5. Milestone announcements

How to create them:

• Clean design (not cluttered)
• High contrast (readable on mobile)
• Large text (visible in thumbnail)
• One clear message
• Your branding (logo/colors)

Where to share them:

• Twitter (works great)
• LinkedIn (works great)
• Instagram Stories
• Discord servers
• Reddit (in image posts)
• Email newsletters

The controversial take strategy

Why controversy drives engagement:

The algorithm rewards engagement. Controversy creates engagement.

When you post something controversial:

• People who agree: Like and share
• People who disagree: Comment (often at length)
• Result: Lots of engagement → algorithm boosts it

How to be controversial without being wrong:

1. Challenge conventional wisdom

Conventional wisdom: "You need developers to build apps" Your take: "Non-technical people are building production apps right now. The bottleneck is gone."

Not wrong. Just contrarian.

2. Make predictions that feel early

"In 3 years, most software will be built by domain experts, not developers."

Maybe true, maybe not. But interesting enough to debate.

3. Reframe common advice

Common advice: "Learn to code so you can build your ideas" Your reframe: "Learn to describe problems well. AI will code for you."

Same goal, different path.

4. Call out obvious problems nobody talks about

"Most AI coding tools produce garbage. Why is nobody talking about the security issues?"

True. Uncomfortable. Gets attention.

5. Be specific, not vague

Vague: "AI is changing software" Specific: "By 2027, there will be more apps built by non-developers than developers"

Specific predictions are more controversial.

What NOT to do:

• Don't be controversial just for attention
• Don't punch down (criticize people without power)
• Don't be mean or personal
• Don't lie or exaggerate numbers
• Don't bash competitors unfairly

The test: If you're uncomfortable posting it because people might disagree → good, post it If you're uncomfortable posting it because it's mean or false → don't post it

The thread strategy

Twitter threads consistently outperform single tweets.

Why:

• Algorithm treats each tweet as engagement opportunity
• People read through entire thread (time on platform)
• More room for nuance and storytelling
• Can go viral at any point in thread

Thread structure:

Tweet 1: The hook

• Most important tweet
• Must make people want to read more
• Use numbers, surprises, questions

Example:

"We went from 0 to 700k users in 8 weeks with $0 ad spend.

Here's the exact playbook: ↓"

Tweets 2-10: The content

• One point per tweet
• Specific and tactical
• Include examples or data
• Build on previous tweet

Last tweet: The CTA

• What to do next
• Link to product/content
• Ask for engagement

Example:

"If you want to build your first profitable app, try Anything: [link]

And if this was helpful, share this thread:"

Thread best practices:

1. Number your tweets

• "1/ Here's the hook"
• "2/ First point"
• Helps people know where they are

2. Use line breaks

• Short paragraphs
• Lots of white space
• Easy to read on mobile

3. Bold or capitalize key points

• THIS PART IS IMPORTANT
• Or use bold (if platform supports)

4. Include one image or chart

• In middle of thread
• Breaks up text
• Gets more engagement

5. Don't make it too long

• 5-10 tweets = sweet spot
• 15+ tweets = people drop off

Timing:

• Post thread in the morning (9-11 AM your timezone)
• Engagement peaks in first 2 hours
• Reply to every comment

Promotion:

• Pin it to your profile
• Share as a Twitter Moment (or equivalent)
• Post link in relevant communities
• Email it to your list

The metrics you should care about

Don't optimize for vanity metrics.

Vanity metrics:

• Total views (impressive but meaningless)
• Likes (nice but doesn't drive business)
• Follower count (irrelevant if they don't convert)

Metrics that matter:

1. Engagement rate

• (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Impressions
• 2-5% = good
• 5-10% = great
• 10%+ = viral

2. Click-through rate

• Clicks on link / Impressions
• 1-3% = good for cold audience
• 5-10% = great for warm audience

3. Share rate

• Shares / Likes
• 20% = highly shareable
• <10% = not spreading

4. Conversion rate

• Signups from that post / Clicks
• Track with UTM parameters
• 5-15% = typical
• 20%+ = highly targeted

5. Cost per acquisition

• Time spent / Customers acquired
• Compare organic social vs paid ads
• Organic should be 10-100x better for early stage

How to track:

• UTM parameters in all links (utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=launch)
• Google Analytics or similar
• Spreadsheet tracking posts vs signups
• Weekly review what worked

What you should focus on

Most companies' content:

• "We just launched Feature X!"
• "Check out our blog post"
• "Join our webinar"

Engagement: Low. Feels like ads.

Our content:

• Real customer making $34k
• Medical student in App Store
• Real estate agent's first $100
• "Software is changing hands"

Engagement: High. Feels like stories.

The difference:

1. We lead with customer outcomes, not product features

• Not "We added payments"
• But "A salon owner is now making $X because we added payments"

2. We use specific numbers

• Not "growing fast"
• But "$2M ARR in 2 weeks"
• Not "lots of users"
• But "700k users"

3. We name real people

• Not "a user"
• But "Marcus, who works in finance in Japan"
• Names make it real

4. We show the "before" state

• Not just "look at this success"
• But "this person couldn't code, now they're in the App Store"
• The transformation matters

5. We're not afraid to be controversial

• "Vibe coding will just be coding" → People debate it
• "Most AI tools produce garbage" → People agree or disagree
• Controversy drives engagement

6. We show vulnerability

• "We almost launched too early"
• "We shut down a $2M business"
• Not just wins, also struggles

7. We give away the playbook

• This guide is an example
• We share exact tactics
• Builds trust and authority

The content calendar

Don't post randomly. Have a system.

Weekly content mix:

Monday:

• Customer story (start the week with inspiration)
• Format: Twitter thread or LinkedIn post
• Feature one customer's journey

Tuesday:

• Tactical tip (actionable advice)
• Format: Short tweet or quick video
• "How to [solve specific problem]"

Wednesday:

• Milestone or update (company news)
• Format: Tweet with image/chart
• Growth numbers, new features, press mentions

Thursday:

• Controversial take (drive debate)
• Format: Single tweet or short thread
• Challenge conventional wisdom

Friday:

• Community engagement (Q&A, feedback)
• Format: Reply to people, host discussion
• "What are you building this weekend?"

Monthly content:

• Deep-dive blog post (long-form)
• Video case study (if you do video)
• Press outreach (pitch journalists)
• Partnership content (co-marketing)

The system:

• Draft all content Sunday evening
• Schedule Mon-Fri posts
• Spend 30 min daily engaging (replies, comments)
• Spend 30 min daily monitoring (what's working?)
• Weekly review Friday (what to double down on?)

Tools:

• Buffer or Hypefury for scheduling
• Notion or Airtable for content calendar
• Google Analytics for tracking
• Spreadsheet for performance analysis

What's Next?

✅ Launched successfully? → Module 6: Scale to $50K+ (Paid Ads + Systems) →

📌 Other modules in this series:

• Module 1: Validate Your Idea →
• Module 2: How to Build It →
• Module 3: Pricing Strategy →
• Module 4: First 100 Customers →
• Bonus Module: 50 Vibe-Coding Prompts ->
• Bonus Module: ASO Optimization Guide ->

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