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You built something. Now you want people to know about it. Simple enough, right? Except there's this whole thing where most people either **** their project everywhere and get ignored, or they're so worried about being annoying that nobody ever finds out it exists.
The truth is, promoting something you made isn't sleazy—it's necessary. You put in the work, you solved a problem, and there are people out there who need exactly what you built. Your job is to connect those dots without being that person everyone blocks.
Where to Actually Promote Projects
Product Hunt - Still the main platform for launching products, time your launch for Tuesday-Thursday for best visibility
****** News Show HN - Technical audience, brutally honest feedback, can drive serious traffic if your post resonates
Reddit - Find specific subreddits for your niche, read rules carefully, contribute before promoting, r/SideProject and r/IMadeThis for general projects
Indie Hackers - Community of builders, particularly good for SaaS and revenue-focused projects
Twitter/X - Build in public, share progress regularly, engage authentically with your niche community
Writing Promotion Posts That Work
Start with the problem you're solving, not what you built. "I kept losing track of freelance invoices" lands better than "I built an invoicing app." People care about problems they recognize.
Show, don't just tell. Screenshots, demo videos, live links people can click. Loom for quick demo videos works perfectly. CloudApp for annotated screenshots.
Be honest about what stage you're at. "Just launched the MVP, looking for feedback" is more authentic than pretending you're more established than you are. People appreciate transparency.
Include a clear call-to-action. What do you want people to do? Try it, give feedback, sign up, share it? Make it obvious.
Timing Your Launches
Product Hunt launches work best Tuesday-Thursday, posted right after midnight Pacific time. Weekend launches get buried. Hunter with an established following helps but isn't mandatory anymore.
****** News has no perfect timing—quality content rises whenever it's posted. But avoid Friday afternoons when traffic drops. Monday mornings often see high engagement.
Reddit timing varies by subreddit—check when your target community is most active using Later for Reddit timing tool.
Building Anticipation Before Launch
Don't just appear out of nowhere with a finished product. Build an audience while you build:
Twitter/X - Share progress, behind-the-scenes, problems you're solving, lessons learned Indie Hackers - Post milestones, get feedback on direction Newsletter via Substack or beehiiv - Keep interested people updated
People who followed your journey become advocates at launch. They're invested in seeing you succeed.
What Not to Do
Don't post the same thing across 50 subreddits. Mods ban you, users recognize it, you look desperate.
Don't use fake accounts to create hype in comments. Communities spot this immediately and you lose all credibility.
Don't argue with critical feedback. Acknowledge it, ask clarifying questions if needed, show you're listening. Defensive creators **** their own launch momentum.
Don't promote without contributing first. If your first interaction in a community is self-promotion, you're getting ignored or removed.
Following Up After Launch
Track where traffic comes from using Google Analytics or Plausible. Double down on channels that worked.
Respond to every comment and message for at least the first week. People remember founders who engaged personally.
Share the results—"we launched on Product Hunt, got 1,200 visitors, here's what we learned." Meta-content about your launch often performs as well as the launch itself.
Twitter threads breaking down launch results, mistakes, lessons get engagement and extend your launch visibility by days or weeks.
Resources for Promoting Projects
Launch Checklist by Indie Hackers - Comprehensive list of places to share your project
****** News Guidelines - Read before posting to avoid getting flagged
Product Hunt Ship - Pre-launch landing page builder with subscriber list management
The best promotion doesn't feel like promotion—it feels like someone sharing something useful they found. Lead with value, be genuine about what you built and why, and people will actually care.
The truth is, promoting something you made isn't sleazy—it's necessary. You put in the work, you solved a problem, and there are people out there who need exactly what you built. Your job is to connect those dots without being that person everyone blocks.
Where to Actually Promote Projects
Product Hunt - Still the main platform for launching products, time your launch for Tuesday-Thursday for best visibility
****** News Show HN - Technical audience, brutally honest feedback, can drive serious traffic if your post resonates
Reddit - Find specific subreddits for your niche, read rules carefully, contribute before promoting, r/SideProject and r/IMadeThis for general projects
Indie Hackers - Community of builders, particularly good for SaaS and revenue-focused projects
Twitter/X - Build in public, share progress regularly, engage authentically with your niche community
Writing Promotion Posts That Work
Start with the problem you're solving, not what you built. "I kept losing track of freelance invoices" lands better than "I built an invoicing app." People care about problems they recognize.
Show, don't just tell. Screenshots, demo videos, live links people can click. Loom for quick demo videos works perfectly. CloudApp for annotated screenshots.
Be honest about what stage you're at. "Just launched the MVP, looking for feedback" is more authentic than pretending you're more established than you are. People appreciate transparency.
Include a clear call-to-action. What do you want people to do? Try it, give feedback, sign up, share it? Make it obvious.
Timing Your Launches
Product Hunt launches work best Tuesday-Thursday, posted right after midnight Pacific time. Weekend launches get buried. Hunter with an established following helps but isn't mandatory anymore.
****** News has no perfect timing—quality content rises whenever it's posted. But avoid Friday afternoons when traffic drops. Monday mornings often see high engagement.
Reddit timing varies by subreddit—check when your target community is most active using Later for Reddit timing tool.
Building Anticipation Before Launch
Don't just appear out of nowhere with a finished product. Build an audience while you build:
Twitter/X - Share progress, behind-the-scenes, problems you're solving, lessons learned Indie Hackers - Post milestones, get feedback on direction Newsletter via Substack or beehiiv - Keep interested people updated
People who followed your journey become advocates at launch. They're invested in seeing you succeed.
What Not to Do
Don't post the same thing across 50 subreddits. Mods ban you, users recognize it, you look desperate.
Don't use fake accounts to create hype in comments. Communities spot this immediately and you lose all credibility.
Don't argue with critical feedback. Acknowledge it, ask clarifying questions if needed, show you're listening. Defensive creators **** their own launch momentum.
Don't promote without contributing first. If your first interaction in a community is self-promotion, you're getting ignored or removed.
Following Up After Launch
Track where traffic comes from using Google Analytics or Plausible. Double down on channels that worked.
Respond to every comment and message for at least the first week. People remember founders who engaged personally.
Share the results—"we launched on Product Hunt, got 1,200 visitors, here's what we learned." Meta-content about your launch often performs as well as the launch itself.
Twitter threads breaking down launch results, mistakes, lessons get engagement and extend your launch visibility by days or weeks.
Resources for Promoting Projects
Launch Checklist by Indie Hackers - Comprehensive list of places to share your project
****** News Guidelines - Read before posting to avoid getting flagged
Product Hunt Ship - Pre-launch landing page builder with subscriber list management
The best promotion doesn't feel like promotion—it feels like someone sharing something useful they found. Lead with value, be genuine about what you built and why, and people will actually care.