The Upvote
Launch your product on a curation platform s.a. Product Hunt and measure upvotes.
What is The Upvote?
The Upvote experiment involves launching your product or idea on popular curation platforms like Product Hunt, Hacker News, or Reddit to gauge market interest through community voting and engagement. This lean validation technique provides immediate, quantifiable feedback on your product's desirability and commercial potential by measuring upvotes, comments, and user interactions from real potential customers.
By leveraging existing communities of early adopters and tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs can quickly assess market demand without building complex testing infrastructure. The experiment tests both solution fit (do people understand and want your product?) and commercial viability (is there sufficient interest to drive initial traction?). While results can vary based on timing, presentation, and platform dynamics, upvote experiments offer valuable insights into product-market fit at minimal cost.
This technique is particularly effective for digital products, apps, and tech-enabled services where the target audience actively participates in these platforms. The quantitative nature of upvotes, combined with qualitative feedback from comments, provides a comprehensive view of market reception and helps identify areas for improvement before investing heavily in development or marketing.
When to Use This Experiment
- MVP or prototype stage: When you have a working product or detailed mockup ready to showcase
- Pre-launch validation: Before investing significant resources in marketing or scaling
- Tech/digital products: Particularly effective for apps, SaaS tools, developer tools, or innovative tech solutions
- Targeting early adopters: When your ideal customers are likely to be active on platforms like Product Hunt or Hacker News
- Limited marketing budget: When you need cost-effective exposure and validation
- Competitive landscape research: To benchmark against similar products and understand market positioning
- Pivot validation: When testing a new direction or feature set with an existing product
- Media attention seeking: When looking to generate buzz and attract potential investors or partners
How to Run This Experiment
-
Choose the right platform: Select Product Hunt for broad tech audience, Hacker News for developer-focused products, or Reddit for niche communities. Research platform rules, optimal posting times, and successful launches in your category.
-
Prepare compelling assets: Create high-quality screenshots, GIFs, or demo videos that clearly show your product's value proposition. Write a concise, benefit-focused description and prepare a memorable tagline.
-
Build anticipation: Start promoting your launch 1-2 weeks beforehand through your existing networks, email lists, and social media. Set a specific launch date and ask supporters to be ready.
-
Time your launch strategically: Launch early in the day (typically 12:01 AM PST for Product Hunt) to maximize exposure time. Ensure your team is available throughout the day to respond to comments and questions.
-
Execute the launch: Submit your product with all prepared materials. Immediately notify your network and ask for genuine support. Share across all your social channels with platform-specific messaging.
-
Engage actively: Respond to every comment promptly and thoughtfully. Thank supporters, answer questions, and provide additional context. Engagement often drives more upvotes and visibility.
-
Track and analyze metrics: Monitor upvotes, comments, click-through rates to your website, sign-ups, and conversion rates. Use analytics to understand traffic sources and user behavior patterns.
-
Follow up strategically: Thank participants, share results with your community, and nurture leads generated from the campaign. Use feedback to refine your product and messaging for future launches.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Cost-effective validation: Minimal expense beyond time investment, with potential for significant organic reach
- Real audience feedback: Get reactions from genuine potential customers rather than friends and family
- Media attention potential: Successful launches can attract press coverage and investor interest
- Network effect: Popular posts can go viral, providing exponential exposure beyond initial reach
- Qualitative insights: Comments provide detailed feedback on features, positioning, and market fit
Cons
- Platform dependency: Success heavily influenced by platform algorithms, timing, and community mood
- Limited audience scope: Platform demographics may not represent your entire target market
- One-time opportunity: Most platforms allow only one launch, making timing critical
- Competitive environment: Standing out among hundreds of daily submissions can be challenging
- Potential negative exposure: Poor reception or critical comments become publicly visible and searchable
Real-World Examples
Notion's Product Hunt launch in 2019 exemplifies the power of upvote validation, receiving over 4,000 upvotes and winning Product of the Day. The overwhelming positive response validated their all-in-one workspace concept and generated significant user acquisition, helping establish Notion as a major player in the productivity software market. The launch comments revealed specific use cases and feature requests that guided their product roadmap.
Figma leveraged multiple platform launches during their growth phase, consistently receiving high upvote counts on Product Hunt and strong engagement on Hacker News. Their collaborative design tool concept resonated strongly with the tech community, with upvotes and comments validating the shift from desktop-based design tools to browser-based collaboration. This validation helped secure additional funding and partnerships.
Miro (formerly RealtimeBoard) used upvote experiments across several launches to test different positioning strategies. Their online collaborative whiteboard initially launched as a tool for remote teams but evolved based on community feedback showing strong demand from design and consulting professionals. The quantitative upvote data combined with qualitative comments helped them refine their target market and feature priorities, contributing to their eventual $17.5 billion valuation.