And listening to feedback on launch day is even more beneficial. Both because it\u2019ll be your first feedback from the public, and because the Product Hunt community is insanely smart, and will have great suggestions for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Tweet “Media monitoring is one of the best and easiest ways to get product feedback.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launching on Product Hunt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWe recently announced Battle of the Brands<\/a> with a Product Hunt launch<\/a>. It was my first time doing anything like that, and I learned a lot really quickly. Partly through research and feedback, and partly through learning from my own mistakes. I should really share that knowledge around, shouldn\u2019t I? <\/p>\n\n\n\nKeeping it to myself feels selfish!
I\u2019m not going to tell you how to launch on Product Hunt – there are much more experienced people to do that (I\u2019m looking at you, Kiki Schirr). But I do<\/em> know a bit about media monitoring and social listening. I mean, look at where I work. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo today, I\u2019m focusing on that aspect of launching on Product Hunt:<\/strong> how you can use a media monitoring tool like Mention to get real-time feedback on your product, get press coverage, and join in on conversations happening around your hunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy you need to be monitoring<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not listening online, you\u2019re missing out lots of ways to grow your business. Here are just a few ways businesses can use monitoring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Market research:<\/strong> Monitor your industry\u2019s buzzwords to see what consumers are talking about and what your competitors are doing about that. This will help you determine current and future trends, to make sure your company aligns with that. It can also help you identify angles for marketing your product.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Competitive analysis:<\/strong> Listen for what people are saying about your competitors. Finding out what their customers are unhappy with, especially, is a huge opportunity for insight as well as new sales.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Product feedback:<\/strong> People will talk about your product. Not all of it will be good. Fortunately, when you know what people are unhappy with, you can work towards a solution for them. But you wouldn\u2019t have that info without monitoring.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Customer support: <\/strong>When people voice unhappiness with your product, not only can you collect that info for feedback, you can respond to and help them in real-time. And remember, happy customers, make powerful advocates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Community engagement: <\/strong>No company wants a passive community. Monitoring can identify members of your community to start conversations with.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
So, ready to get started? Awesome! But you can\u2019t wait until the morning of launch day to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prep work: Set up some alerts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nStart setting up your monitoring dashboard a few days prior to launch. That way, everything will be set and ready to go on the big day. Additionally, monitoring your broader industry or community ahead of time helps with any outreach you do. You can identify your target contacts in advance so that you already have a list of people to contact as soon as the hunt is live.
\n[Tweet “Set up monitoring before your @ProductHunt launch to be ready to go on the big day.”]
\nSo, what do you monitor?<\/strong> If you aren\u2019t already looking at who\u2019s talking about your company name, definitely set up an alert for that, and keep it forever and ever. It\u2019s a biggie.
\nOther suggestions for keywords to monitor include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- The name of the product being hunted<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Product name + \u201cProduct Hunt\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Product name + \u201cProductHunt.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Company name + \u201cProduct Hunt\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Maker\u2019s name + \u201cProduct Hunt\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Your hunt\u2019s URL (or part of it, if it\u2019s longer than 40 characters)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Product page URL (or part of it, again)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The product or campaign\u2019s branded hashtag, if you\u2019re using one<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Related keywords and descriptors (to find users who might be interested in your product)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"mention-product-hunt-launch-alert\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe best thing about good monitoring tools is that you also add a lot of customization to your alert so that it pulls in exactly<\/em> what you\u2019re looking for, and nothing else.<\/strong>
\nHere are the keywords we chose to monitor specifically for launch day of Mention Academy:
\n
\nWe also used alerts we already had set up, like those for our brand name, \u201cmedia monitoring,\u201d and \u201csocial listening,\u201d to help with listening and outreach.
\nYou\u2019ll want to monitor as many sources as possible for this. While you may think most of the conversation will be happening on Twitter or Product Hunt itself, you\u2019d be surprised.
\n[Tweet “Discussions around @ProductHunt doesn’t *only* happen on Product Hunt.”]
\nNot only are hunted products discussed on PH and social, but they frequently get picked up by other places.<\/strong> For example, the press might pick up news of your launch and cover it. People might also post your product in other forums like Reddit or niche communities. Just because you\u2019re not talking about your launch on a given channel, doesn\u2019t mean other people aren\u2019t. Be on the lookout for mentions in blog posts, news articles, forums, etc.
\nSince you\u2019ve set that all up in advanced, conversations and insight will be there waiting for you as soon as you wake up on launch day (unless you didn\u2019t go to bed – but they\u2019d still be there waiting for you).
\nNow fast forward to right after your product has gone live on PH. Here\u2019s how monitoring will help you have a more successful Product Hunt launch:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n#1. Get real-time notifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nLaunches are chaos. Even if everything\u2019s going according to plan, there\u2019s a thousand things going on. Something like clicking \u201crefresh\u201d on your Product Hunt page to load new comments, or checking your Twitter mentions, can easily fall to the wayside. But engaging with your earliest supporters should be a top priority.
\nUse your monitoring tool\u2019s notification features as a reminder to engage. <\/strong>That way you\u2019ll know when someone\u2019s commented on PH or has shared about your product. For example, Mention offers both emails and push notifications on desktop and mobile. You can also customize them to pop up more frequently on launch day than you normally would, so you don\u2019t miss anything:
\n
\nYou won\u2019t receive a notification at the due time if you haven\u2019t received any new mentions, so no need to worry about it becoming too distracting. But let\u2019s assume people are talking about you like crazy. \ud83d\ude09
\nBonus benefit:<\/strong> since almost 31% of brand mentions don\u2019t include the company\u2019s Twitter handle<\/a>, you\u2019ll find more conversations this way than if you were relying on Twitter notifications!
\n[Tweet “Your @ProductHunt upvoters are your earliest advocates – built that relationship.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\nAction steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n- Acknowledge every single mention.<\/strong> Whether that\u2019s through a reply, retweet, favorite, or box of cookies mailed to them. These are your product\u2019s earliest advocates – an important relationship to maintain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Curate the most flattering mentions.<\/strong> You can use them as social proof in your future marketing. And if you\u2019re pitching more traditional press, this social proof shows your relevance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Continue conversations.<\/strong> You want interactions to last as long as possible. Instead of just saying \u201cthanks,\u201d ask questions to learn more about your audience and build the relationships further.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
#2. Identify potential audiences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nProduct Hunt\u2019s own audience is part of the reason launches there go so well, but that doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t be out in the trenches, marketing everywhere you can.
\n[Tweet “Monitoring elsewhere can help the performance of your @ProductHunt launch.”]
\nIn fact, marketing elsewhere can even help your performance on PH.<\/b> Since you can\u2019t ask for upvotes<\/a>, a lot of makers question how to draw visibility and votes to their product. During any launch day promotion, link straight to your PH page for more information. It links back to the actual product page, and should have all the most important info there, anyway. And if people you reach out to have accounts already, they may upvote while they\u2019re there.
\nBut how do you find those people to reach out to in the first place? That\u2019s where monitoring descriptors and keywords come in, with the help of influencer scores<\/a>.
\nWhen you optimize your alerts so they\u2019re very specific, you can easily identify people that are pretty likely to be interested in your new product. Even if they don\u2019t say \u201cshut up and take my money,\u201d there\u2019s a good chance it\u2019s relevant enough to take a minute to check out.
\nSo log into your favorite influencer outreach tool<\/a>, and start spreading the word to a targeted, well-researched outreach list<\/a>. But remember to ask them to check out (not upvote) your Product Hunt page<\/b> instead of the product page on your own website, at least for today.
\nBonus tip:<\/strong> You can even set up an alert to monitor Product Hunt to find active and interested hunters. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\nAction steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n- Build an outreach list.<\/strong> Use monitoring to find people talking about your niche (example: for us that could mean setting up an alert for \u201csocial listening tool\u201d).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Promote your PH link. <\/strong>Whether it\u2019s when reaching out to that list you just made, pitching more traditional press, or making announcement on channels like social media, email, and your blog.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Don\u2019t ask for upvotes.<\/b> Not only is it spammy and kind of desperate-looking, it\u2019s against the rules. Instead ask for an opinion, some feedback, or a simply taking a look.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
#3. Find press coverage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n[Tweet “Use media monitoring to find press covering your @ProductHunt launch.”]
Lastly, you can use monitoring and social listening to find any press coverage you\u2019ve gotten as a result of your Product Hunt launch. A lot of publications, whether they\u2019re online magazines, Twitter accounts, or newsletters, use Product Hunt as a research tool to scout prospective stories. So when you launch, there\u2019s an excellent chance you\u2019ll get some coverage.
When using a listening tool like Mention that monitors more than just social media, you can easily find websites, blogs, etc. talking about you. You can also filter your new mentions on a topic or industry alert so it only displays websites and news outlets writing about your niche. That will help you find places that haven\u2019t covered your launch yet, but might want to.
Acknowledge and keep a list of all the articles mentioning your launch. You can comment on the article, share it on social, email the author with a \u201cthank you,\u201d or all of the above. It\u2019s a great way to start building relationships before you need them<\/a>.
For example, as a result of our Product Hunt launch, Mention Academy was discovered by ListHunt<\/a>, who then included it in their newsletter and a blog post:
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAction steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Keeping it to myself feels selfish! So today, I\u2019m focusing on that aspect of launching on Product Hunt:<\/strong> how you can use a media monitoring tool like Mention to get real-time feedback on your product, get press coverage, and join in on conversations happening around your hunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not listening online, you\u2019re missing out lots of ways to grow your business. Here are just a few ways businesses can use monitoring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, ready to get started? Awesome! But you can\u2019t wait until the morning of launch day to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start setting up your monitoring dashboard a few days prior to launch. That way, everything will be set and ready to go on the big day. Additionally, monitoring your broader industry or community ahead of time helps with any outreach you do. You can identify your target contacts in advance so that you already have a list of people to contact as soon as the hunt is live. The best thing about good monitoring tools is that you also add a lot of customization to your alert so that it pulls in exactly<\/em> what you\u2019re looking for, and nothing else.<\/strong> Launches are chaos. Even if everything\u2019s going according to plan, there\u2019s a thousand things going on. Something like clicking \u201crefresh\u201d on your Product Hunt page to load new comments, or checking your Twitter mentions, can easily fall to the wayside. But engaging with your earliest supporters should be a top priority. Product Hunt\u2019s own audience is part of the reason launches there go so well, but that doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t be out in the trenches, marketing everywhere you can. [Tweet “Use media monitoring to find press covering your @ProductHunt launch.”]
I\u2019m not going to tell you how to launch on Product Hunt – there are much more experienced people to do that (I\u2019m looking at you, Kiki Schirr). But I do<\/em> know a bit about media monitoring and social listening. I mean, look at where I work. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy you need to be monitoring<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Prep work: Set up some alerts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n[Tweet “Set up monitoring before your @ProductHunt launch to be ready to go on the big day.”]
\nSo, what do you monitor?<\/strong> If you aren\u2019t already looking at who\u2019s talking about your company name, definitely set up an alert for that, and keep it forever and ever. It\u2019s a biggie.
\nOther suggestions for keywords to monitor include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"mention-product-hunt-launch-alert\"](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/mention-product-hunt-launch-alert.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\nHere are the keywords we chose to monitor specifically for launch day of Mention Academy:
\n
\nWe also used alerts we already had set up, like those for our brand name, \u201cmedia monitoring,\u201d and \u201csocial listening,\u201d to help with listening and outreach.
\nYou\u2019ll want to monitor as many sources as possible for this. While you may think most of the conversation will be happening on Twitter or Product Hunt itself, you\u2019d be surprised.
\n[Tweet “Discussions around @ProductHunt doesn’t *only* happen on Product Hunt.”]
\nNot only are hunted products discussed on PH and social, but they frequently get picked up by other places.<\/strong> For example, the press might pick up news of your launch and cover it. People might also post your product in other forums like Reddit or niche communities. Just because you\u2019re not talking about your launch on a given channel, doesn\u2019t mean other people aren\u2019t. Be on the lookout for mentions in blog posts, news articles, forums, etc.
\nSince you\u2019ve set that all up in advanced, conversations and insight will be there waiting for you as soon as you wake up on launch day (unless you didn\u2019t go to bed – but they\u2019d still be there waiting for you).
\nNow fast forward to right after your product has gone live on PH. Here\u2019s how monitoring will help you have a more successful Product Hunt launch:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n#1. Get real-time notifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"mention-alert-notifications\"](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/mention-alert-notifications.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\nUse your monitoring tool\u2019s notification features as a reminder to engage. <\/strong>That way you\u2019ll know when someone\u2019s commented on PH or has shared about your product. For example, Mention offers both emails and push notifications on desktop and mobile. You can also customize them to pop up more frequently on launch day than you normally would, so you don\u2019t miss anything:
\n
\nYou won\u2019t receive a notification at the due time if you haven\u2019t received any new mentions, so no need to worry about it becoming too distracting. But let\u2019s assume people are talking about you like crazy. \ud83d\ude09
\nBonus benefit:<\/strong> since almost 31% of brand mentions don\u2019t include the company\u2019s Twitter handle<\/a>, you\u2019ll find more conversations this way than if you were relying on Twitter notifications!
\n[Tweet “Your @ProductHunt upvoters are your earliest advocates – built that relationship.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\nAction steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
#2. Identify potential audiences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n[Tweet “Monitoring elsewhere can help the performance of your @ProductHunt launch.”]
\nIn fact, marketing elsewhere can even help your performance on PH.<\/b> Since you can\u2019t ask for upvotes<\/a>, a lot of makers question how to draw visibility and votes to their product. During any launch day promotion, link straight to your PH page for more information. It links back to the actual product page, and should have all the most important info there, anyway. And if people you reach out to have accounts already, they may upvote while they\u2019re there.
\nBut how do you find those people to reach out to in the first place? That\u2019s where monitoring descriptors and keywords come in, with the help of influencer scores<\/a>.
\nWhen you optimize your alerts so they\u2019re very specific, you can easily identify people that are pretty likely to be interested in your new product. Even if they don\u2019t say \u201cshut up and take my money,\u201d there\u2019s a good chance it\u2019s relevant enough to take a minute to check out.
\nSo log into your favorite influencer outreach tool<\/a>, and start spreading the word to a targeted, well-researched outreach list<\/a>. But remember to ask them to check out (not upvote) your Product Hunt page<\/b> instead of the product page on your own website, at least for today.
\nBonus tip:<\/strong> You can even set up an alert to monitor Product Hunt to find active and interested hunters. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\nAction steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
#3. Find press coverage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"mention-academy-pr-coverage\"](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/mention-academy-pr-coverage.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Lastly, you can use monitoring and social listening to find any press coverage you\u2019ve gotten as a result of your Product Hunt launch. A lot of publications, whether they\u2019re online magazines, Twitter accounts, or newsletters, use Product Hunt as a research tool to scout prospective stories. So when you launch, there\u2019s an excellent chance you\u2019ll get some coverage.
When using a listening tool like Mention that monitors more than just social media, you can easily find websites, blogs, etc. talking about you. You can also filter your new mentions on a topic or industry alert so it only displays websites and news outlets writing about your niche. That will help you find places that haven\u2019t covered your launch yet, but might want to.
Acknowledge and keep a list of all the articles mentioning your launch. You can comment on the article, share it on social, email the author with a \u201cthank you,\u201d or all of the above. It\u2019s a great way to start building relationships before you need them<\/a>.
For example, as a result of our Product Hunt launch, Mention Academy was discovered by ListHunt<\/a>, who then included it in their newsletter and a blog post:
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAction steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n