HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Start a Friendly Public Rivalry With Same-Day Launchers

Start a Friendly Public Rivalry With Same-Day Launchers is a launches & ph/hn tactic for getting your first users: Find the social accounts of other products launching the same day and tweet at them to kick off a playful public competition.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for PH launches, social-savvy founders. As a launches & ph/hn play, plan for low effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Launches & PH/HNLow effortFast

Why does launches & ph/hn work for this?

The banter earns cross-retweets and comments, spilling your launch into their audiences for free.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

Unlock the steps · $29 oncePlus all 3,000+ tactics and the new ones we add weekly.

Sources

Works for
Any / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "Start a Friendly Public Rivalry With Same-Day Launchers" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is low effort, and results tend to be fast.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

Related tactics

Launches & PH/HNMedium effort· Fast

Ask for Feedback and Comments, Never Upvotes

He drove engagement by explicitly asking his audience for feedback and comments rather than upvotes, sidestepping Product Hunt's rules against vote solicitation while still generating ranking signal.

Read the steps →
Launches & PH/HNMedium effort· Fast

Tie a Product Hunt Launch to a Value-Packed Lessons Post

Anchor a Product Hunt launch with a generous 'lessons learned' write-up posted to your community, so the milestone doubles as shareable content that pulls upvotes and signups.

Read the steps →
Launches & PH/HNLow effort· Fast

Post to Hacker News for a Steady Feedback Trickle

A low-key HN post during their soft, feedback-focused launch contributed about 18% of early traffic alongside Instagram and Reddit.

Read the steps →
Launches & PH/HNLow effort· Fast

Warm Up Your Upvoters Before Launch Day

Recruit your supporters days ahead of the launch and have them establish active, aged accounts, because ranking systems discount votes from accounts created the same day.

Read the steps →
Launches & PH/HNMedium effort· Slow

Sell Before You Build

Instead of building then promoting, you manufacture demand for something that doesn't fully exist yet, capturing emails and even pre-orders so launch day starts with a warm crowd already holding their wallets.

Read the steps →
Launches & PH/HNMedium effort· Fast

Gate the Full Build Behind a Product Hunt Launch

The founder shipped only an MVP Chrome extension and made building the full platform conditional on the Product Hunt launch performing well, using launch traction as a go/no-go signal.

Read the steps →

Get all 3,000+ tactics in one place

Filter by your product and channel, follow the exact steps, and get the new tactics we add every week. One payment, yours for good.

Unlock for $29 onceBrowse by channel