Hunters?

This is a very VALID concern - Personally, I am not using any people that require me to pay them for "a guaranteed place in top 5" - you just cannot guarantee that. There are so many factors! And yes, you're gonna get an inflow of upvotes and comments generated by ChatGPT (poorly) that will be removed by Product Hunt. Or if you're unlucky, your whole launch might get removed.

The risks are just not worth the price. Last time we launched (it was my first time ever) we "collaborated" with some "influencers" and it was shocking how bad it turned out. All their followers on social media are fake, nobody actually interested in your product. I wouldn't recommend it. It was my biggest regret from that launch.

Inform yourself on these different hunters. Check their linkedIn profiles and their followers on PH to see if it is fake accounts or not. Best advice I could give

We are in the exact same situation right now. Personally, I avoid paid hunters because first, it's not allowed on PH, so you could always end up hurting your launch. Second, we are looking for genuine users/feedback that would help us learn and grow, not fake upvotes. But having said that, look into the genuine top hunters who hunt products because they like them and want to support them. Secondly, to scale things, try reaching out 1:1 through automated growth hacking tools—LinkedIn/Twitter. For Discord/Slack/Reddit, try making a genuine post about your story so far and the things you want out of the launch, not just upvotes. I have seen people respond and engage much better with those things. I hope it helps. Do share if you find better ways to go about this. I'm really curious about how we can handle it better, too.

We have this concern too, we will simply try to find a hunter who has launched a product in our category, or who likes our product and who doesn't want any payment. PH already offers advertisement service in exchange of a payment, why to pay for a hunter too?? Besides, I happily support you as much as I can on your launch day with a humble team of 10 :)) Please reach me when the day comes. Best of luck!

hi Marie Philippe, Hunters is just someone who posts your product launch. You can do it yourself as maker. It the early days, they were the cool kids who could spot the best products and share their opinion. And their followers would get notified upon the launch. Nowaday their followers won't get an email, just an in app notification of the launch. So the impact is limited. You can have one, but that will not guarantee success, you don't need one. Most #1 top products are launched by makers. And paying someone to hunt for you is against the rules of community if i remember correctly. And you get the risk of fake upvotes which can ruin your launch. Dont sweat it. Just apply the best practice strategies to build relationships with the community and launch on your own. You'll do just fine.

I would discourage the use of paid hunters! We also got the opportunity of being "hunted" but we will launch our product ourselves. As @toni_pm wrote. Most #1 products are hunted by their makers. In the meanwhile I just signed up to be notified when Fleso is launched. Good luck 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Many hunters are offering free-of-cost hunting options. You can coordinate with @benln.

Thank you for this discussion, it is really relevant!! I don't know the answer, and I think the right choice is not to use it. I think I won't. But it also depends on your goal. If your main goal is a top 5 place, I read an article about one man who used it, paid $80, and it was a fail at first but then he finally got his 'help'. However, I think this is a great risk. Best of luck!! 🍀🍀🍀

As a PR manager, I understand your concerns about using hunters and the potential for fake upvotes. It's important to prioritize authenticity and genuine engagement when launching your product. Building a strong community of supporters who believe in your product can have a more long-lasting impact than a quick boost from a hunter. Instead of focusing on paying for a hunter, consider reaching out to your network, friends, family, and early users to spread the word about your upcoming launch. Personal recommendations and genuine excitement can go a long way in generating buzz around your product. Engage with potential users on social media, forums, and online communities to start building relationships and generating interest in your launch. Share behind-the-scenes updates, sneak peeks, and exclusive content to build anticipation and excitement. Utilize the power of storytelling to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Remember, the most important aspect of a successful launch is creating a product that solves a real problem and resonates with your target audience. Focus on delivering value and building authentic connections with your community to set yourself up for success. We are building a marekting Contentify AI for Free here just look up Contentify AI

Don’t fall for the trap

Whether to use a hunter and pay for it can be two questions. If you don't have enough preparation in advance, it's friendly to find a product hunter who is qualified for your approval to help you launch, and his experience can help you save time. But I don't know why it's worth paying for it.

Sure, Marie-Philippe! I'm excited to see what you've discovered. Can you share more details about the product you're hunting?

We had a hunter launcher our product, who did it for free because they liked it. I believe most great hunters do this to support the product and they enjoy it. It didn't come across any that charge for it, and personally wouldn't go for one that does. The upside of a hunter launching a product is that all their followers are notified of the launch and higher chances of upvotes etc

unless they are really ytop hunters who love your product, do it yourself.

My hunch (and reading lots of sad stories) says it may not be a good idea to pay for hunting. It may make more sense to reach out to some validated Hunters and ask them if they'd support your launch pro bono

Hey there! Using hunters on Product Hunt can be like navigating a jungle - exciting but also full of unexpected twists. While some swear by them, others tread cautiously to avoid any wild surprises. Stay true to your bootstrapped journey, and remember, authentic engagement always outshines artificial boosts. Best of luck with your launch!