How I Product Hunt
How I discover and test new products.
Before writing this, I decided to check if I was using the term product hunt correctly and surprise, surprise—I’m not. But I kind of like mine better, so I’m just going to stick with it.
What is Product Hunting?
I think of product hunting as when someone—anyone—hunts for and tests new and cool products. They scour every possible nook of the internet, keep their eyes peeled for fascinating things that pop up, and take it a step further by testing these products and occasionally offering constructive criticism or thinking of ways they could be better.
And Why Bother?
I find that product hunting opens up your mind. You start to think of new ideas just by seeing the cool stuff other people are building. Sometimes you come across a product and think, "That makes so much sense—I wish I thought of that!" Other times, you might think, "I don’t get how that would work… it’d be cooler if they did XYZ instead."
It also gets you thinking about all the new products you could build by combining these tools or ideas.
At this point, product hunting has become a habit for me. It’s like absentmindedly opening Twitter to scroll for no real reason. I just know someone, somewhere, could have launched something mind-blowing today, and I’m always curious to find out what it is. Ironically, I don’t really check Product Hunt itself.
So Where Do I Check?
I have a thing for design directories. These directories are meant to showcase beautiful websites, color schemes, templates, and design inspiration. But naturally, they also showcase the products behind those designs. And the fact that they’re often visually stunning just makes it easier to draw me in.
Some of my go-to directories:
I’m also on YC’s launch page and Show HN pretty much every day.
Testing Products
I never sign up with my real email unless I’m very sure I want to become an actual user. My first stop after checking out the homepage is always the Pricing page. I don’t want to fall in love with a product and then get hit with some insane pricing.
Next, I check the Features page, if there is one.
When it comes to testing, I keep it simple:
- Click every clickable button to see where it goes and what it does.
- Check if all the features they listed actually exist or if they’re “coming soon.”
- Think about whether there’s something cool I could build with the product.
Sometimes I’ll come across a promising product, but it’s not available yet, or worse—there’s a Book a Demo button blocking my way. I get that demos are necessary in some cases, but as someone who just likes to poke around, it’s not very fun.
So, I try the standard subdomains:
app.dashboard.console.
If that doesn’t work, I’ll run the site through Builtwith.
Of course, there are times where none of the above work.
Keeping Track
I keep two bookmark folders on Chrome: Cool Products and Super Cool Products. From time to time, I revisit them to see what’s changed.
Depending on how long it’s been, I might find:
- A new website design.
- New features.
- Or, sometimes, a full-on pivot.
Occasionally, a product will have shut down entirely. Sad.
When that happens, I use Wayback Machine to see the different versions of their site. I love looking through how they pivoted, how their messaging changed over time, or how they described their product in five different ways before settling on the final version.
All in All, It’s Fun
You should try it.