Producthunt Launch Kit

cat > /tmp/ph-launch-request.json << 'ENDJSON'
{
  "system_instruction": {
    "parts": [{
      "text": "You are writing Product Hunt launch copy. Generate all assets in sequence, clearly labeled. Rules: taglines max 60 chars, description max 500 chars, maker comment 300-400 words first-person. No marketing words: 'revolutionary', 'game-changing', 'powerful', 'robust', 'seamless', 'innovative', 'best-in-class', 'streamline'. No competitor names. No superlatives in taglines. Do not use em dashes. For social posts: tweets max 280 chars, no hashtags in tweet threads (they reduce signal quality on technical posts). LinkedIn post 150-300 words, professional but not stiff. Email sequence: 4 emails, each under 150 words, subject line under 50 chars. Output each asset with a clear header. No commentary between sections."
    }]
  },
  "contents": [{
    "parts": [{
      "text": "PRODUCT_DETAILS_HERE"
    }]
  }],
  "generationConfig": {
    "temperature": 0.7,
    "maxOutputTokens": 4096
  }
}
ENDJSON

curl -s -X POST \
  "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/gemini-2.0-flash:generateContent?key=$GEMINI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @/tmp/ph-launch-request.json \
  | python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d['candidates'][0]['content']['parts'][0]['text'])"

## Product Hunt Launch Kit: [Product Name]

---

### Taglines (choose one)
1. [tagline]: [char count]
2. [tagline]: [char count]
3. [tagline]: [char count]
4. [tagline]: [char count]
5. [tagline]: [char count]

**Recommendation:** [one-sentence reason to prefer tagline X]

---

### Listing Description
[description text]
[char count] / 500

---

### Maker Comment (post within 60 seconds of launch)
[maker comment text]

---

### Launch Day Tweets
Tweet 1/6: [text]
Tweet 2/6: [text]
...

---

### LinkedIn Post
[post text]

---

### Email Sequence

**Email 1: Existing Users (send 1 week before)**
Subject: [subject]
[body]

**Email 2: Newsletter / Audience (send day before)**
Subject: [subject]
[body]

**Email 3: Day-of Reminder (send at 12:01 AM PST)**
Subject: [subject]
[body]

**Email 4: Follow-up (send 48 hours after launch)**
Subject: [subject]
[body]

---

### Self-Hunt vs. Top Hunter Decision

Answer these questions to decide:

| Question | Self-Hunt | Get a Hunter |
|----------|-----------|--------------|
| Do you have 500+ Twitter/LinkedIn followers in your target audience? | Yes | No |
| Does your product have an existing user base to rally? | Yes | No |
| Is your product technical and you have a personal brand in dev communities? | Yes | No |
| Is this your first launch with no audience yet? | No | Yes |
| Does a top hunter (500+ followers on PH) already use your product? | No | Yes |

If 3+ answers point to "Get a Hunter": reach out to hunters at least 2 weeks before launch day. Frame the ask as sharing something you built that they would genuinely want to know about: not asking for a favor.

---

### 30-Day Pre-Launch Preparation

**Day 30-21: Teaser Phase**
- [ ] Post a "building in public" update on Twitter/LinkedIn: what problem you are solving and why
- [ ] Identify 3-5 hunters with 500+ PH followers who match your product category
- [ ] Start building a supporter list (everyone who would upvote on launch day): team, users, investors, friends in tech
- [ ] Set up a simple "notify me on launch" page (even a TypeForm or Google Form)

**Day 20-8: Asset Phase**
- [ ] Capture all 5 gallery images at 1270×760px (see gallery strategy above)
- [ ] Record 60-90 second demo video if applicable
- [ ] Draft all copy from this kit: tagline, description, maker comment, social posts, emails
- [ ] Send Email 1 (existing users) at Day 8

**Day 7-2: Final Prep**
- [ ] Send Email 2 (newsletter) at Day 2
- [ ] Message your supporter list directly (Slack, DM, email): not a mass blast, personal messages
- [ ] Schedule tweet thread and LinkedIn post
- [ ] Do a dry run: check PH listing preview, verify all gallery images display correctly
- [ ] Confirm maker comment is under 400 words and saved somewhere you can paste instantly

**Day 1: Launch Day**
- [ ] Post goes live at 12:01 AM PST
- [ ] Send Email 3 (day-of reminder) immediately after going live
- [ ] Maker comment posted within 60 seconds of launch
- [ ] Tweet thread posted in the first 30 minutes
- [ ] LinkedIn post published
- [ ] Reply to every comment within 2 hours: PH algorithm rewards active makers
- [ ] Do not ask for upvotes directly: ask people to "check it out" or "share feedback"
- [ ] DM your supporter list with a direct link: not "go upvote" but "we just launched, would love your thoughts"
- [ ] First comment with any promo code posted within 5 minutes of launch

**Day 2: Follow-Up**
- [ ] Send Email 4 (48-hour follow-up) with results and thank-you
- [ ] Post a results update on Twitter/LinkedIn: upvotes, comments, lessons
- [ ] Reply to any overnight comments you missed

---

### Upvote Benchmarks

| Upvotes | Outcome |
|---------|---------|
| 50-100 | Listed but not front page |
| 200-400 | Competitive front page placement |
| 500-800 | Top 5 of the day |
| 800+ | Product of the Day |
| 1500+ | Product of the Week contender |

First-hour velocity matters more than final count. 100 upvotes in the first hour beats 400 spread over 24 hours.

---

### Hour-by-Hour Launch Day Timeline

| Time (PST) | Action |
|------------|--------|
| 12:01 AM | Post goes live. Do not schedule: be awake and click manually. |
| 12:02 AM | Maker comment posted (have it in clipboard, paste and submit immediately) |
| 12:05 AM | First comment (promo code or context) posted |
| 12:15 AM | Tweet thread live |
| 12:30 AM | LinkedIn post live |
| 12:30 AM | Personal DMs to your 10 most-engaged supporters |
| 1:00 AM | Check for first comments, reply to all |
| 7:00 AM | Morning US traffic peak. Check ranking. Reply to overnight comments. |
| 9:00 AM | Send Email 3 (day-of reminder) if you held it for morning send |
| 12:00 PM | Midday check. Reply to all comments. Post a "midday update" tweet if trending. |
| 5:00 PM | Evening US traffic peak. Final push to supporter list if needed. |
| 11:59 PM | Results final. Screenshot your placement. |

---

### Launch Checklist
- [ ] Post goes live at 12:01 AM PST on launch day (manual click, not scheduled)
- [ ] Maker comment copied to clipboard, posted within 60 seconds of launch
- [ ] Supporter list of 200+ people ready to message personally on launch day
- [ ] Gallery images and video (if any) uploaded and previewed before launch
- [ ] All 4 emails drafted and scheduled
- [ ] Reply to every comment on launch day: PH rewards active makers
- [ ] Do not ask for upvotes directly: ask people to "check it out" or "share feedback"
- [ ] First comment (with any promo code) posted within 5 minutes of launch