How to attract the next generation of Makers?
As many of you are likely aware, Product Hunt has always been a place for builders, founders, and tech enthusiasts to discover and share what’s new. But as the startup landscape evolves, so does the next generation of Makers.
I’d love to hear your thoughts - how can we make Product Hunt more appealing to first-time founders, students, and emerging Makers? Are there specific challenges they face that we have the chance to address?
Some questions to get your mind thinking:
What are newer Makers looking for in a platform like Product Hunt? Or missing?
Are there specific types of content, discussions, or features that would encourage more participation?
How can we better support those launching their very first product?
If you’re a newer Maker yourself (or recently were), would especially love to hear your perspective!
@rohanrecommends Oooh I like that. Could try and reach this audience over social media like IG, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc. Sometimes a video is easier than lines of text 🧠
@aaronoleary maybe something to think about for future social posts.
Through my prism, many people out there could benefit from some knowledge and networking. I think we need "tighter" relationships. Rohan's note is also valid.
@busmark_w_nika oh yes, very much in agreement here. Knowledge is power and community is something we all desperately need more of in today's day and age.
Considering Product Hunts current community, what are some ways we could improve the tightness? I know in the past there have been demo nights all over the world for people to meet up. I wonder if there's some way we could encourage people to connect with others in their area on their own? Or if we had ambassadors of sorts that drove that stuff 🤔
I think that guys who are constantly remote working would welcome some boot camp or so (maybe trying to ask through some poll or create a waitlist or ticket sale) – because when you are lacking colleagues and want to meet with like-minded people in the industry, some guys are more likely to travel to experience something like that.
It's hard to say. SF is far away from Europe, and as I remember, those meetups were mostly in the US or the Asian continent. Would be great to see what others think about that.
Last year, when I joined PH (my friend explained what it is, how it works, and all the basic stuff), I learned everything about PH either from the community or by trying things myself (like launching a product, connecting with people in the community, sharing feedback with makers, and offering support to good products, etc.).
One thing that new makers or students need is a friend who can help them at every stage (feedback on how to set up a PH profile, how to make connections with other makers, their product launch strategy, or even on the smallest things like how to improve a tagline, and 1,000 other things).
Recently, I saw there is a help section which is quite good, but it's a little boring. To make it more fun, we could introduce Kitty in the chat, because she won't judge new makers for asking stupid questions :)
P.S. We all love Kitty, and every new maker will fall in love with her too❤️
@gamifykaran hahaha thanks for being honest about our help center - it's literally an initiative of mine at the moment to update it!! Gradually making my way through 😤
Once that's done, you may see our chat option in the lower right get a little makeover similar to what you mentioned - great minds think alike 😉
I also recently learned that the cat's name is Puddy! Your "Product Hunt Buddy" I guess?
@ben_griese I know, there are lot of new things on PH, I am kind of falling in love with PH all again. All the best for the help chat Ben.
Whattttt then who is Kitty!!! her sister or mother, just kidding. I think its time to introduce Puddy to the community 🧡
Encourage hands-on creativity from a younger age. Kids like to tinker introduce them to DIY kits, coding games and maker spaces early on.
New Makers might appreciate a Launch 101 section guides, case studies, and a checklist to simplify the process.
@hazel_mathew thanks for the feedback! We do have our Launch Guide [https://www.producthunt.com/launch] - is there anything there you feel that may be missing?
I think newer Makers are looking for more than just a place to launch they want a supportive community. Adding mentorship, resources, and more guides for first-time founders would be super helpful. Maybe even live Q&As or office hours with experienced Makers could make a big difference. It’s about creating a space where beginners feel they’re not alone in the process.
@ashish_parmar13 Totally agree! Product Hunt should be used for more than just launching - we should have a clear path. What do you do at each point of your product's journey, right? That's not always super clear. Having a community space for mentorship and improving our resources are definitely top of mind for that.
Forums and the expansion of have been a great addition to Product Hunt. When I think Product Hunt, I think of LinkedIn for creators or startup founders. If Product Hunt created a better News feed with sorting, it would certainly facilitate more networking. I've seen a few talk about videos, trainings, and tips, that would be great. Educationals on how to navigate and be successful on Product Hunt since that's all the AMAs.
A unique way to help new Makers could be PH launching something similar to LinkedIn Learning or YC School. It could feature mini-course style content created by PH team or experienced PH community members. The topics could be product development, marketing, sales, fundraising, etc.