Launch guide · Updated playbook
How to launch your startup and get real traction
A practical, founder-first playbook for launching on IndieHunt and stacking distribution across launch platforms and directories — without guessing what to do before Monday, during launch week, or after the votes stop.
- Pre-launch checklist
- 7-day launch week plan
- SEO + AEO tactics
Who this guide is for
Indie founders, solo builders, and small teams shipping AI tools, devtools, or SaaS who want more than a single Product Hunt post. If you need a repeatable process — assets, timing, distribution, backlinks, and AI-era discovery — this is your operating manual.
First-time launchers
You have a live product but no launch plan. Follow the checklist in order.
Repeat founders
You want a second channel beyond PH with weekly competition and SEO upside.
SEO-minded teams
You care about dofollow links, launch stories, and long-tail directory traffic.
Pre-launch checklist
Work through these phases before your IndieHunt week starts. Skipping asset prep is the most common reason strong products underperform on launch day.
- One-line pitch: who it's for, what problem it solves, why now
- Landing page with clear CTA, pricing (if any), and social proof
- Logo, 2–4 screenshots, and optional demo video or Loom
- Analytics on signup/activation so you can measure launch traffic
- Draft launch copy for IndieHunt + 2–3 alternate headlines for other platforms
- Prepare email to your list and 3–5 community posts (not spammy)
- Add IndieHunt badge to your site if choosing a Free launch
- Pick launch week on IndieHunt (Mondays 8:00 AM UTC) and confirm plan
- Reply to every comment and question on your IndieHunt listing
- Share your launch link on X, LinkedIn, and relevant communities
- Ask 5–10 trusted users to try the product and leave honest feedback
- Monitor traffic sources in analytics — double down on what converts
Choose your IndieHunt launch plan
All plans get the same homepage competition week. The difference is backlinks, badge rules, slot limits, and Premium distribution. Compare full pricing →
| Plan | Price | Badge | Backlink | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Badge required on your site | Nofollow by default; dofollow if you finish top 3 | You can add the badge and want to compete for dofollow |
| Premium | $29 one-time | No badge required | Guaranteed dofollow from day one | SEO, Launch Kit graphics, and social distribution matter most this week |
Your launch week on IndieHunt
Competitions run Monday 8:00 AM UTC through the following week. Treat it like a sprint: distribution plus engagement, not publish-and-pray.
Announce everywhere at once: newsletter, social, Slack/Discord groups you belong to. Pin your IndieHunt URL. Thank early voters publicly.
Post a build-in-public thread: what you shipped, why, and one lesson learned. Engage on competitor launches — thoughtful comments, not link dumps.
Share a customer story, metric, or demo GIF. Submit to 3–5 extra directories from our 100+ list if you have bandwidth.
Summarize the week (traffic, signups, votes). Save top comments as testimonials. Plan follow-up content or a Premium relaunch if you missed top 3.
10-step launch sequence
Follow these in order for your first launch, or use them as a QA list if you have launched before.
Write a single sentence: "[Product] helps [audience] do [outcome] without [pain]." Every listing, tweet, and directory submission should echo this. Vague "AI tool for productivity" copy underperforms specific "AI meeting notes for async remote teams."
Reviewers skim in seconds. Lead with a crisp hero screenshot, 2–3 feature shots, and a 60-second demo if possible. Export PNGs at 2× resolution; broken or blurry images kill trust.
Free (badge + nofollow by default, can win dofollow) or Premium ($29, guaranteed dofollow + at least 1 X, 1 LinkedIn, 1 Bluesky, and at least 1 Pinterest post). Premium skips the weekly free-slot queue. Compare on our pricing page before you submit.
Complete the submit form with accurate categories and tags. Free launches need the IndieHunt badge verified on your site. After approval, your project goes live Monday 8:00 AM UTC for a full competition week.
Don't stop at one homepage. Cross-list on Aura++, EarlyHunt, MakerHunt, SideHunt, and Uno for extra discovery and backlinks — each audience differs slightly.
Product Hunt, BetaList, and niche AI directories compound traffic over months. Use our curated list to batch submissions without researching from scratch.
One announcement is not enough. Email your list, post build-in-public updates mid-week, and show up in communities where your ICP already hangs out — with value first, link second.
Reply to comments, thank voters, fix bugs quickly, and screenshot wins (traffic spikes, testimonials, top-3 badge). Social proof from launch week feeds your site and next campaign.
IndieHunt launch stories and directory links keep working after day seven. Top-3 winners on Free can earn dofollow upgrades. Premium launches start with dofollow immediately.
Structure your product page with clear FAQs, use "Ask AI" prompts about your product, and keep descriptions factual so ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini can cite you accurately.
Stack IndieHunt with complementary platforms
These six surfaces cover weekly launches, maker audiences, early-stage discovery, and evergreen SEO. Submit to all that fit your stage — not only one.
IndieHunt
Weekly launch competitions for AI tools and indie SaaS. Homepage exposure, community votes, launch stories, and backlinks.
Focus: AI & indie SaaS · Best for: Founders shipping AI tools, devtools, and SaaS
Aura++
Launch platform for products seeking brand visibility and audience growth beyond a single directory.
Focus: General products · Best for: Broader product launches
EarlyHunt
Early-stage discovery for MVPs and products still finding product-market fit.
Focus: MVPs & betas · Best for: Pre-PMF and beta launches
MakerHunt
Maker-focused launches for shipped tools, side projects, and small SaaS.
Focus: Makers & builders · Best for: Indie makers and devtools
SideHunt
Lightweight discovery for side projects, experiments, and weekend builds.
Focus: Side projects · Best for: Experiments not ready for a big launch
Uno Directory
Evergreen directory listing for long-term SEO and category-based discovery.
Focus: Directory / SEO · Best for: Post-launch SEO compounding
Go wider: 90+ more launch directories
After your core stack, batch-submit to Product Hunt alternatives, AI directories, and startup listings. Our curated list is searchable by category — no spreadsheet hunting required.
Browse 100+ places to launchAnswer Engine Optimization (AEO)
More discovery happens inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini — not only Google. Layer AEO on top of your launch SEO so AI assistants can cite your product accurately.
Add FAQ-style sections on your site: who it's for, pricing, integrations, and how it compares to alternatives. AI assistants pull from structured Q&A.
Use the same product name, URL, and one-line description on IndieHunt, directories, and your homepage — conflicting copy confuses models.
Your IndieHunt project page and /launches story become citable URLs. More quality pages mentioning your product improves AI retrieval.
On every IndieHunt project page, founders can use Ask AI about this project to open pre-filled prompts in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Mistral — a simple way to test how models describe your product.
For deeper AEO tooling, Rank++ helps monitor and improve AI search visibility.
What to measure during launch week
If you cannot measure it, you cannot tell whether the launch worked or which channel to double down on next.
- Unique visitors to landing page (by source: IndieHunt, social, directories)
- Signups or activations during launch week vs. baseline
- IndieHunt upvotes and ranking position day-by-day
- Backlinks gained (dofollow vs. nofollow) and referring domains
- Support tickets or feedback themes — fix top 1–2 issues fast
Ready to run your launch week?
Submit on IndieHunt, then expand across the network and directory list.