# Product hunt launch Human Guide

## What This Is For
Product Hunt launch optimization with specific specs, timing, and gallery strategy. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for growth marketing: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Product hunt launch agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for product hunt launch.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Product hunt launch guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- Recommended: **1270 x 760 px** (16:9 ish)
- Supports GIF for animated demos
- Prompt: "product feature showcase, split screen showing drag-and-drop interface on left and generated output on right, clean UI design, modern SaaS aesthetic, subtle grid background, professional marketing"
- Create a side-by-side comparison showing the problem state and solution state
- Use design tools like Figma or image editing software
- Prompt: "clean infographic style image showing upward growth metrics, large numbers and charts on dark background, professional data visualization, startup metrics dashboard style, modern minimal design"
- Maximum time in the running for daily top spot
- Accumulate upvotes throughout the full day
- Morning email digest (US time) includes your product
- Allows engagement across all US time zones
- [ ] Gallery images finalized (5 recommended)
- [ ] Tagline tested with 5+ people (do they understand what it does?)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Workspace Context, Operating Contract, Listing Specifications, Gallery Images, The First Image Is Everything, Dimensions, Generating Gallery Images, Tagline, Formulas That Work, Examples.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- 60 characters. No period. Must communicate what the product does AND why someone should care.
- | Avoid | Weekends, holidays, major Apple/Google events |
- reports than actually analyzing data. Every BI tool I tried required
- **Be genuine** — don't use canned responses
- **Never ask for upvotes** — against PH terms of service

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Product hunt launch human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the manojbajaj95/claude-gtm-plugin skill entry for `product-hunt-launch`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Product Hunt Launch

## Workspace Context

Read bootstrap context before asking questions: `strategy/brand.md` for brand, audience, offer, channels, tools, constraints, and metrics; `about/me.md` for personal voice; `content/ideas.md` and `content/calendar.md` for content planning. Use legacy product-marketing context files only as fallback. Save generated drafts to `content/<platform>/drafts/YYYY-MM-DD_short-topic-slug.md`, and route durable learnings back to `strategy/brand.md`, `about/me.md`, or `content/ideas.md`.

## Operating Contract

This skill is self-contained for its frontmatter scope: use its local instructions, references, scripts, and assets as the playbook; ask only for missing task-specific inputs; hand off to adjacent skills instead of expanding scope; and return an actionable artifact, decision, plan, draft, or diagnostic.


Optimize your Product Hunt launch with research and visuals.

## Listing Specifications

| Element | Spec | Notes |
|---------|------|-------|
| Product name | — | Keep it short, memorable |
| Tagline | **60 character limit** | No period at end |
| Description | First **260 chars** show in preview | Full description can be longer |
| Gallery images | Up to **8 images** | 1270 x 760 px recommended |
| Topics | **Max 3** | Pick the most specific ones |
| Makers | Tag all team members | They can engage in comments |
| Link | Product URL | Where upvoters go |

## Gallery Images

### The First Image Is Everything

The first gallery image shows in the feed, email digest, and social shares. It IS your first impression.

| Position | Content | Goal |
|----------|---------|------|
| **1 (Hero)** | Product in action, core value visible | Stop the scroll, communicate what it does |
| **2** | Key feature demonstration | Show the "aha moment" |
| **3** | Before/after or problem/solution | Show the transformation |
| **4** | Social proof or metrics | Build credibility |
| **5** | Technical differentiator or integrations | For evaluators |

### Dimensions

- Recommended: **1270 x 760 px** (16:9 ish)
- Minimum: 600px wide
- Supports GIF for animated demos

### Generating Gallery Images

Use your preferred image generation tool to create gallery images matching these specs:

**Image 1: Hero product shot**
- Prompt: "modern SaaS product showcase, clean dashboard interface floating above gradient background, UI showing analytics charts and metrics, professional product marketing style, soft shadows, blue and white color scheme, wide format"
- Dimensions: 1248 x 832 px

**Image 2: Feature demo**
- Prompt: "product feature showcase, split screen showing drag-and-drop interface on left and generated output on right, clean UI design, modern SaaS aesthetic, subtle grid background, professional marketing"
- Dimensions: 1248 x 832 px

**Image 3: Before/after**
- Create a side-by-side comparison showing the problem state and solution state
- Use design tools like Figma or image editing software

**Image 4: Social proof / metrics**
- Prompt: "clean infographic style image showing upward growth metrics, large numbers and charts on dark background, professional data visualization, startup metrics dashboard style, modern minimal design"
- Dimensions: 1248 x 832 px

**Recommended tools:** Midjourney, DALL-E, Figma, Adobe Express, or your preferred design/image generation platform.

## Tagline

60 characters. No period. Must communicate what the product does AND why someone should care.

### Formulas That Work

| Formula | Example |
|---------|---------|
| [Action] for [audience] | "AI writing assistant for developers" |
| [Result] without [pain] | "Beautiful docs without the design skills" |
| [Tool] that [benefit] | "Analytics that explain themselves" |
| [Adjective] [category] | "Instant customer feedback surveys" |
| The [category] for [niche] | "The Figma for data visualization" |