Before you lock in a date, decide what you want out of the launch. Your goals shape everything else: who you invite, what you put on your page, and how you'll judge the day when it's over.
Decide what a win looks like
Product of the Day is a great goal, but it's far from the only one. Plenty of launches that don't finish first still hit exactly what they came for.
Common goals include:
Your first wave of users or early adopters
Honest feedback on the product or your positioning
Signups, leads, or sales
Traffic to your website
Reviews and social proof you can use later
Conversations with investors, partners, or future teammates
Momentum and visibility for the product
Pick one or two, and make them measurable. "200 signups from Product Hunt" or "30 pieces of feedback" is much easier to evaluate than "a good launch."
We recommend goals focused on movement. Product Hunt is a great place to build momentum and get your first wave of users.
Pick your day
The best day to launch is the day you're most prepared for. There's no magic weekday that guarantees a top spot. What you control is your prep and how present you are.
Pick a day when:
You can be around for the key stretches, like the first few hours and your audience's peak time.
Your team can split the day, so someone is always answering comments.
Your audience is online. Avoid holidays in your core market.
Nothing else is competing for your attention. Don't launch while you're traveling or shipping something else.
Weekdays usually bring more traffic and more competition. Weekends are quieter on both fronts, which can suit smaller teams and side projects.
Know the timing
Every launch goes live at 12:01 AM Pacific Time on its scheduled date and runs for that full day, until midnight Pacific. Plan your team's shifts around that window, especially if you're in Europe or Asia.
A few rules for scheduling:
You can schedule a launch from tomorrow up to 30 days ahead.
You can save your launch as a draft at any time and come back to it.
Each person can hunt up to 2 launches per day.
Scheduling early gives you time to tell your community the date and get everything ready. See this article for how to prepare.
If someone already hunted your product
Sometimes an excited user posts your product before you're ready. You have two options:
Ride the wave. If the launch is getting traction, lean in and engage. You can always relaunch later with a major update. (See our relaunch guide)
Contact us right away. Email us at hello@producthunt.com, and we'll help you sort it out.
Next up
With a date and a goal in hand, it's time to build your product page.