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Product Hunt is an online community for product enthusiasts, makers, investors, and journalists who are interested in the latest tech products — from hoverboards to mobile apps. Their members can submit their own stuff, leave feedback on other products, and vote them up (kind of like Reddit).
In four months, Product Hunt grew their community from 40,000 people to 400,000 through word of mouth. Here’s how:
1. They made their members feel important
2. They asked for their help
3. They brought them together
1. They made their members feel important
Product Hunt is the kind of community that’s only as cool as the people who contribute to it. So to encourage the founding members to spread the word to more people like them, Product Hunt gave the first 100 recognition as “thought leaders.” These thought leaders also have a badge next to their user name and a member number to show they were one of the first. It doesn’t have to be complicated — a bunch of small recognitions like these build up to help make people feel important and want to talk about you.
2. They asked for their help
If you want your customers to recommend you to a friend, just ask. Product Hunt does it without any referral rewards or gimmicks. Instead, they send a simple, personal email asking them to write a post about their experience with Product Hunt as a way to highlight founders who do well. All with “no pressure or obligation, of course.”
3. They brought them together
Product Hunt organizes meet-ups and happy hours for their members to get together and get to know one another. Why is this important for an online community? The most important aspects of any community — online or off — are real connections. Too often, online-based communities forget just how valuable and remarkable real-world connections can be.
