Product Hunt vs. The Rest: Where Else Should You Launch?

Product Hunt (PH) is the Super Bowl of startup launches. But if you don't make it to the "Top 5" of the day, you get almost zero traffic. It is a high-risk, high-reward game.

Smart founders don't bet everything on one day. They use "flighting"—launching on secondary platforms before or after the big PH day.

Here are the best alternatives to consider.

1. TapJoin (The "Always On" Launch)

Unlike PH, where you disappear after 24 hours, TapJoin works like a search engine. Your product stays discoverable by category forever.

• Best for: Long-tail traffic and SEO backlinks.

2. BetaList (The "Pre-Launch")

You can't launch on PH if you aren't live. But you can launch on BetaList with just a landing page.

• Best for: Building an email waitlist of early adopters (100-300 subs is common).

3. AppSumo (The "Revenue" Launch)

Product Hunt gets you eyeballs. AppSumo gets you cash. If you are willing to offer a lifetime deal, AppSumo can generate $10k-$50k in a week.

• Best for: Validating willingess-to-pay.

4. Hacker News (The "Viral" Launch)

If your product is technical (e.g., a developer tool, open source), Show HN can drive 10x more traffic than Product Hunt.

• Warning: The community is critical. Have thick skin.

5. Microlaunch (The "Fair" Launch)

A newer platform that gives every product a fair shot, regardless of how many Twitter followers the founder has.

• Best for: Solo founders and indie hackers.

The Perfect Launch Timeline

Don't choose "vs". Choose "And".

1. Month -1: Submit to BetaList. Build waitlist.
2. Day 0: Launch on Product Hunt.
3. Day 1: Submit to TapJoin and Microlaunch to sustain momentum.
4. Month +1: Run a deal on AppSumo.

Diversify your traffic sources so you aren't dependent on one algorithm.