Product Hunt Safe Messaging
This skill helps you write messages that effectively rally support while staying within Product Hunt's community guidelines.
When to Use This Skill
- Writing launch day emails
- Creating social media posts
- Briefing supporters
- Responding to "how can I help?" questions
- Crafting any public launch messaging
The Core Principle
NEVER explicitly ask for upvotes.
Product Hunt guidelines are clear: asking or incentivizing people to upvote can trigger algorithm penalties or get your product unfeatured.
Language Conversion Guide
Forbidden → Allowed
| ❌ Don't Say | ✓ Say Instead |
|---|---|
| "Please upvote" | "Check it out" |
| "Vote for us" | "We'd love your support" |
| "Upvote if you like it" | "Let us know what you think" |
| "Every vote counts" | "Your feedback means a lot" |
| "Help us reach #1" | "Excited to share this with you" |
| "Click the upvote button" | "Take a look and share your thoughts" |
| "We need your upvotes" | "We need your feedback" |
| "Vote now" | "Check it out now" |
Incentive Language
| ❌ Don't Say | ✓ Say Instead |
|---|---|
| "Upvote for 20% off" | "PH community gets 20% off" |
| "Voters get early access" | "Everyone from PH gets early access" |
| "First 100 upvoters win" | "First 100 signups from PH win" |
| "Vote to enter giveaway" | "Visit our PH page to enter giveaway" |
Safe Message Templates
Email Templates
Template 1: Simple Announcement
Subject: [Product] is live on Product Hunt!
Hey [Name],
We just launched [Product] on Product Hunt!
[One sentence about what it does]
→ Check it out here: [Link]
If you find it useful, we'd really appreciate you
sharing your thoughts in the comments. Honest
feedback helps us improve!
Thanks for your support,
[Your Name]Template 2: Personal Ask
Subject: Would love your support today
Hey [Name],
Today's a big day — [Product] just went live
on Product Hunt.
After [X months] of building, it's finally out there.
A bit nervous, honestly!
If you have a moment to take a look: [Link]
Any feedback — good or bad — would mean a lot.
And if you think it's cool, sharing it would
make my day.
No pressure either way. Just excited to
share this with you.
[Your Name]Template 3: For Active Users
Subject: We're on Product Hunt — your experience matters
Hi [Name],
As someone who's been using [Product], I wanted
to let you know we just launched on Product Hunt.
→ [Link]
If you have a moment, I'd love for the PH community
to hear about your experience. Your perspective
as a real user is incredibly valuable.
Of course, only if you genuinely have good things
to say — authentic feedback is what we're after!
Thanks for being an early believer,
[Your Name]Social Media Templates
Twitter/X
Simple Announcement:
🚀 Just launched [Product] on @ProductHunt!
[One line value prop]
Would love your feedback → [Link]
#ProductHuntStory Version:
After [X months] of building, [Product] is
finally live on @ProductHunt.
[Why you built it]
Take a look and let me know what you think → [Link]Progress Update:
Wow! [X] hours into our @ProductHunt launch:
• [X] people have checked it out
• [X] amazing comments and feedback
• Learning so much from this community
Thanks for the support! 🙏 → [Link]Professional Announcement:
Excited to share that [Product] launched on
Product Hunt today.
After [context], we built [solution] to help
[target audience] [achieve outcome].
If this sounds relevant to your work, I'd
genuinely appreciate you taking a look and
sharing your professional feedback.
[Link in comments]
#ProductHunt #[Relevant tags]Supporter Briefing
What to Tell Supporters:
Hey! Just a quick note on how to support our
Product Hunt launch:
PLEASE DO:
✓ Check out the product page
✓ Leave a genuine comment about your thoughts
✓ Share with anyone who might find it useful
✓ Answer any questions others have
PLEASE DON'T:
✗ Just write "Great product!" (low value)
✗ All comment at the exact same time
✗ Create new accounts just to support
✗ Copy/paste the same comment
The most valuable thing? Authentic engagement.
Tell us what you actually think!
Link: [Link]Responding to "How Can I Help?"
When Someone Asks:
❌ Don't say: "Please go upvote!"
✓ Do say:
Thanks so much for asking!
Here's what would be most helpful:
1. Check out our page: [Link]
2. If you genuinely like it, leave a comment
with your thoughts
3. Share with anyone you think would find it useful
Your honest feedback is what we're really after.
If you see things we should improve, I want to
hear that too!Handling Comment Requests
When Preparing Comment Examples:
❌ Don't say: "Please post this exact comment: [script]"
✓ Do say:
Some ideas for what to comment about:
• What problem this solves for you
• A feature you find interesting
• A question about how something works
• Honest feedback on what could be better
Make it your own — authentic voices are way
more valuable than scripted comments!Platform-Specific Guidelines
In Product Hunt Comments
Allowed:
- Thanking people genuinely
- Answering questions
- Sharing relevant information
- Acknowledging feedback
Not Allowed:
- Asking commenters to upvote
- Self-promotion on other products
- Spammy responses
- Begging for support
In Direct Messages
Allowed:
- Following up on comments
- Answering specific questions
- Building genuine relationships
Not Allowed:
- Mass messaging users
- Asking strangers to upvote
- Spamming launch links
In External Communications
Allowed:
- Announcing your launch
- Sharing the link
- Asking for feedback
- Offering genuine value
Not Allowed:
- Explicit vote requests
- Vote-for-reward schemes
- Misleading urgency
- Fake scarcity
Safe Messaging Checklist
Before Sending Any Message
- No explicit vote request
- No vote-for-reward language
- Focus on feedback, not voting
- Genuine, not manipulative
- Would you be embarrassed if PH saw this?
Message Quality Check
- Personalized (not mass copy-paste)
- Clear what you're asking for
- Respectful of recipient's time
- Value offered (not just asking)
- Appropriate for the relationship
Red Flag Phrases
Avoid These Completely
"Upvote" (verb)
"Vote for"
"Click upvote"
"Every vote counts"
"Help us win"
"We need votes"
"Vote to support"
"Upvote if you"
"First to upvote"
"Vote now"These Are Fine
"Check it out"
"Take a look"
"Share your thoughts"
"Give us feedback"
"Let us know what you think"
"Support our launch"
"We'd appreciate your feedback"
"Leave a comment"
"Tell us what you think"Output Format
MESSAGE REVIEW FOR: [Product Name]
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
"[Original text]"
ISSUES FOUND:
- [Issue 1]: [Location in text]
- [Issue 2]: [Location in text]
REVISED MESSAGE:
"[Compliant version]"
COMPLIANCE CHECK:
✓ No explicit vote requests
✓ No vote incentives
✓ Focus on feedback/support
✓ Genuine tone
✓ Appropriate for platform
STATUS: [Compliant / Needs revision]