[skmurphy]

Key points:

1. There are many to launch but most of the sites don’t have the community or credibility that PH seems to have lost.

2. If you want what PH was 3-4 years ago you have to go somewhere else.

3. If you want to build the new Product Hunt you can’t just create a site where people can submit their product and launch. You need affordances that cultivate community.

4. Once you get traction you should expect some members will game your system: successful systems always attract parasites.

[skmurphy]

I think these two articles are relevant for #4

https://gwern.net/doc/technology/2005-shirky-agroupisitsownw...

https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2014/09/15/guidelines-for-an-o...

[PaulHoule]

I don’t believe in the value of the Product Hunt “community”.

The point of marketing is to get your product in front of customers, not to get it front of members of a community of deadbeat marketers who think they’re doing their job when they get their product in front of non-customers. If your product is “one weird trick” to get your product on the top of Product Hunt that’s appropriate for Product Hunt, but that’s about it.

[skmurphy]

One of the challenges in reaching customers is that someone else may have already assembled groups of them in the form of website audiences and communities. Some of those sites will accept sponsorships or ads, others--for example HN--are the result of audience members voting on your submission.

Assuming you believe that getting visibility on Product Hunt will draw the attention of prospects--I agree a potentially dubious assumption--you may need to find ways to cultivate "deadbeat marketeers." From what I understand, not everyone who submits a product the first time gains widespread visibility, so they must submit multiple times. Here might be a second reason to consider how to be a member in good standing of a community whose approval will be of benefit.

Obviously your mileage may vary.

[minimaxir]

> The point of marketing is to get your product in front of customers, not to get it front of members of a community of deadbeat marketers

But what if the customers are deadbeat marketers?

[PaulHoule]

If they're not willing to put in the elbow grease I don't think most of them will want to spend much money.