Where to Actually Launch Your Thing (Not Just Product Hunt)

You finished building. Now what? Everyone tells you "launch on Product Hunt!" but like, that's one day. Then your traffic dies. You're left wondering if your thing just isn't good or if you launched in the wrong place. Turns out it's usually the second one.

The real answer? There's no single answer. Product Hunt works for some things. Reddit works better for others. Your email list, if you have one, might actually be your best bet. Here's where to actually launch and why each one matters, plus what you'll actually get out of it.

Why it works: Yeah, it's obvious. But people forget that obvious exists for a reason. If you nail launch day, you can get thousands of eyeballs in like 12 hours. The platform has enough credibility that getting featured actually means something to potential customers. You'll get your first batch of paying users if it's good.

Realistic expectations: You'll see a spike. A big one if you do it right. Could be 100 users, could be 1,000. But most of that traffic is one-day traffic. The people who come back? Way smaller number. Don't expect this to solve your user acquisition problem forever.

What fits: SaaS tools, apps, anything polished enough that strangers will try it. Works best if your thing solves an obvious problem that other makers understand immediately.

Common mistake: Launching before you're ready. People rush to hit a specific date and ship something half-baked. Product Hunt users can smell that. Also, people think they just post and leave. You need to show up and actually respond to comments for like 24 hours straight. It's exhausting but it matters.

Why it works: The crowd here is way more technical and way less looking for hype. They'll actually use your thing and give you real feedback. If a Show HN post does well, these are people who might actually become long-term users or evangelists. Plus if you make the front page, you get respect points in the indie hacker world.

Realistic expectations: Smaller traffic than Product Hunt but higher quality. You might get 500 visits instead of 5,000. But the conversation is usually better. People ask real questions. You'll probably find bugs you didn't know about.

What fits: Developer tools, infrastructure stuff, anything technical. Things that HN users actually need. If you're selling beauty filters or a wedding planner, this isn't your crowd.

Common mistake: Being defensive when people critique you. HN is honest, sometimes brutally. Take it. That feedback is gold. Also don't spam the comments with your own posts, people notice.

Why it works: You're not launching to Reddit. You're launching to a specific subreddit where your actual users hang out. r/webdev isn't full of random people. It's full of developers. r/buildinpublic is full of indie builders. These communities are smaller than the big platforms but way more engaged. They use stuff. They share it. They tell their friends.

Realistic expectations: Way less traffic than Product Hunt but way more staying power. You might get 200 consistent users instead of 5,000 one-day users. Better conversion too because these people actually need what you built.

What fits: Literally anything if you find the right community. That's the whole point. Developer tools go to r/webdev. Productivity stuff goes to r/productivity. Business tools go to r/entrepreneur. It's all niche but that's the strength.

Common mistake: Spamming the same post to 10 subreddits. Reddit users hate that and mods will remove it anyway. Pick the actual community that fits. Also don't act like you're selling. Talk about what you built and why. Let people ask questions.

Why it works: You're not "launching" once here. You're building momentum over time. Tweet about your idea before you ship. Tweet while you're building. Tweet after you launch. People follow the journey and by the time you actually release something, you already have an audience. Plus Twitter is where indie hackers live. You find your people.

Realistic expectations: This is more marathon than sprint. But if you do it right, you build an actual following. Could be 1,000 followers who care about what you do. That's way more valuable than one day of Product Hunt traffic.

What fits: Everything, honestly. But it works best if you're willing to be real about the process. People love the messy middle. They love seeing you go from idea to shipped.

Common mistake: Tweeting only to promote. Nobody cares. Share learnings. Complain about problems. Celebrate small wins. Be human. That's the whole point.

Why it works: These are your people. Other indie hackers get it. They get the grind, the bootstrapping, the "I built this alone" thing. They'll use your tool, leave thoughtful comments, and actually care if you succeed. The community here is small but genuinely supportive.

Realistic expectations: Again, smaller numbers but high engagement. Maybe 100 to 300 users from a solid post. But they're quality. They're also likely to invest or share or become collaborators.

What fits: Anything indie-oriented. Tools for makers, productivity stuff, dev tools, side projects. Basically anything an indie hacker would build or want to use.

Common mistake: Treating it like a launch platform instead of a community. You get out what you put in. Hang out. Comment on other people's posts. Show up. Then launch and people actually care because they know you.

Why it works: These are tight-knit groups. Maybe 5,000 to 50,000 people in one Discord dedicated to design, or dev, or whatever. They're engaged. They talk constantly. If you post your thing and it solves a real problem, people will use it and tell the channel immediately.

Realistic expectations: Smaller traffic than Reddit but way faster and more immediate feedback. You might get 50 to 200 users but they come with real opinions in the first 30 minutes.

What fits: Anything that solves a problem for that specific community. A design tool in a design Discord. A dev tool in a dev Discord. Timing matters here, post when the community is active (usually mornings or evenings US time).

Common mistake: Posting a link and nothing else. Give context. Say what you built, why, and maybe ask a question to get the conversation started.