Indie Builder Launch Playbook: Product Hunt, Directories, and the 30 Days After

1. Launch ≠ listing ≠ mention. Know which one you're doing.
2. Product Hunt is optional; fit and helpers matter more than the brand.
3. Day +7: one permanent reviewed listing live.
4. Free path only — skip paid queue-jumps.
5. Badge-tolls (listing only if you add their badge/backlink) — decline.
6. Pace: 5–10 free submits per week.
7. Day 0: can a stranger try it + a clear one-liner. Day 30: return use, conversations, lasting URLs.
8. This page is the sequence; deeper lists live in PH alternatives and where to submit.
9. Soft-CTA WAYB in discovery threads; thank-you and listing posts get short hype only.

• Launch boardone-day (or one-week) spike: Product Hunt, Show HN, Peerlist Launchpad.
• Permanent listinglasting URL on someone else's site, often with a link back.
• Mentionnewsletter or roundup; you usually earn it, you don’t "submit" it.

Spend scarce time on permanent listings first.

• Name · one-liner under 12 words · short paragraph · tags
• Square logo · screenshot · socials · two-sentence founder bio
• A working og:image
• Soft presence where people already discuss the problem

1. Days −7 to 0Prep

   • Finish the assets pack above.
   • Join or lurk in 1–2 communities where the problem is discussed.
   • No promo yet.

2. Launch windowoptionalGo public

   • Product Hunt only if the product fits — fast demo, maker crowd — and people will show up.
   • Otherwise one or two smaller rooms that match it: DevHunt and Show HN for dev tools, Peerlist Launchpad for a builder audience.
   • Skip paywalled boards and badge-tolls on the free tier.
   • Full list: Product Hunt alternatives.

3. Day +7Checkpoint

   • One permanent reviewed listing is live. Non-negotiable.
   • Worked example: list on WhatAreYouBuilding.AI — free, reviewed before it appears, do-follow, and the LISTED ON badge is optional.

4. Days 1–14Evergreen

   • Free lasting directories at a human pace, about 5–10 a week.
   • Log status. Follow up once on moderated queues after ~2 weeks.
   • Use the criteria below, and the full filter on where to submit.

5. Days 15–30Follow-through

   • Talk to users. Watch activation and return use.
   • Add a true badge only if the listing exists without it.
   • Write one honest week-3 update.
   • A second Product Hunt attempt is usually the wrong spend.

• WhatAreYouBuilding.AIworked examplePermanent directoryFreeDo-follow (noopener only)No badge-toll

  Reviewed before it appears; country, category and stage.

  Submit
• Indie Hackers: ProductsPermanent product pageFreeNofollowNo badge-toll

  Lasting /product/{slug}. Instant after an account; treat it as a living profile.

  New product
• SaaSHubComparison listingFreeNofollow on VisitNo badge-toll

  Editorial queue, days typical. Blog "dofollow" claims are stale.

  Submit
• AlternativeToSoftware listingFree backlogDo-follow on Official WebsiteNo badge-toll

  Free review often takes months. The optional $5 is speed only — skip it unless you choose to pay. Account → Suggest new application.

• Peerlist: projectProfile projectFreeNofollow unless top 5 of the weekNo badge-toll

  Project stays on your profile after the week. Don't count on SEO unless you place.

  Launchpad

One of these is ours. It is marked as the worked example, and it is held to the same six criteria as the rest — the guide above tells you how to check that yourself.

• Uneedthe free line is back (re-checked 2026-09-30), but its do-follow link depends on votes, so it is not a sure free lasting path.
• BetaListpaid-only.
• Fazierthe free tier is a badge/backlink toll.
• MicroLaunchfree path not proven.
• G2 / Capterrareview and sales-cycle heavy for day 0.

More options and the full filter: where to submit your startup.

• Where should I launch besides Product Hunt?

  One or two rooms that match the product (DevHunt, Peerlist Launchpad, Show HN for technical tools), then put most time into permanent listings above. Full list: Product Hunt alternatives.

• Launch board vs permanent directory?

  Launch = spike, then fade. Directory = lasting page, often with a link back. One afternoon → do the directory.

• What is worth doing in week 1?

  Assets, soft community presence, at most one or two launch channels, and by day +7 one permanent reviewed listing live.

• What do I do in the 30 days after?

  Free lasting listings at a human pace, one follow-up on moderated queues, and measure conversations and return use.

• Is Product Hunt still worth it for solo builders in 2026?

  Only with fit and people who will show up. Otherwise skip it and do listings.

• What do I measure on day 0 vs day 30?

  Day 0: can they try it, clear one-liner. Day 30: return use, real conversations, lasting listing URLs live. Upvotes alone are not the score.

• List your productFree, reviewed by a person before it appears, and a do-follow link that is not traded for a badge.
• The guide as MarkdownThe whole thing as plain text, for handing to an assistant.
• API and MCPThe endpoint an assistant queries, and what it can read without a key.
• All guidesThe rest of the writing about getting found.