ph-golden-kitty

name	ph-golden-kitty
description	Strategy for Product Hunt Golden Kitty Awards. Use this skill to understand award categories, prepare nominations, and maximize your chances of winning annual recognition.

Product Hunt Golden Kitty Awards

This skill helps you understand and strategize for the annual Product Hunt Golden Kitty Awards, the platform's highest recognition.

When to Use This Skill

• Planning your launch for award eligibility
• Preparing for nomination period
• Mobilizing community for voting
• Understanding award categories

What Are the Golden Kitty Awards?

Overview

• Annual celebration of best products
• Recognizes products launched that year
• Community voting determines winners
• Winners receive Golden Kitty trophy

Timeline (Typical)

• Nominations: Early December
• Voting: Mid-December
• Winners Announced: Late December/Early January

What Winners Get

• 🏆 Golden Kitty Trophy (physical)
• Product Hunt swag
• Permanent badge on profile
• Major credibility boost
• PR and media coverage

Award Categories

Main Categories (2024)

By Product Type:

• Product of the Year
• Mobile App of the Year
• Developer Tool of the Year
• Design Tool of the Year
• AI & Machine Learning
• No-Code Tool of the Year
• Hardware Product of the Year
• Fintech Product of the Year
• Health & Wellness
• Productivity Tool
• E-commerce Product
• Privacy-Focused Tool

By Achievement:

• Side Project of the Year
• Remote Work Tool
• WTF Product of the Year (most creative/unusual)
• Crypto Product of the Year

Community Awards:

• Maker of the Year
• Community Member of the Year

Category Eligibility

To be eligible:

• Launched on Product Hunt in the award year
• Follows community guidelines
• Qualifies for specific category

Strategy for Winning

Phase 1: Launch Strategy (Pre-Award)

Launch Timing:

• Launching early in year = longer community presence
• Launching late = fresher in memory
• Either can work; focus on quality

Build Community:

• Strong launch builds foundation
• Engage with supporters post-launch
• Maintain PH presence throughout year

Track Record:

• Multiple successful launches help
• Consistent community engagement
• Reputation building

Phase 2: Nomination Period

When Nominations Open:

• Products can be nominated by community
• Top nominations advance to voting
• Category matters for positioning

Getting Nominated:

• Previous supporters often nominate
• Community remembers strong launches
• Makers can't self-nominate (usually)

Increasing Nomination Chances:

• Strong launch performance
• Active community engagement
• Memorable product/story

Phase 3: Voting Period

How Voting Works:

• Community votes in each category
• Each user can vote once per category
• Votes from quality accounts count more
• Voting typically lasts 1-2 weeks

Mobilizing Voters:

To Your Community:

Subject: [Product] is nominated for Golden Kitty Awards!

Hey [Name],

Amazing news — [Product] has been nominated for the
Product Hunt Golden Kitty Awards in the [Category] category!

This is the biggest recognition on Product Hunt, and
your vote would mean everything.

→ Vote here: [Link]

Takes 30 seconds. Voting ends [Date].

Thank you for your continued support!

[Your Name]

On Social Media:

🏆 [Product] is nominated for @ProductHunt's Golden Kitty
Awards in [Category]!

We're honored to be among the best products of [Year].

If we helped you this year, your vote would mean the world 🙏

Vote here: [Link]

#GoldenKittyAwards #ProductHunt

Phase 4: If You Win

Immediate Actions:

• Thank community publicly
• Share on all channels
• Update website/social with badge
• Reach out to press

Long-Term Benefits:

• Major credibility
• Attracts users/investors
• Helps future launches
• Community goodwill

Category-Specific Strategies

AI & Machine Learning

What Wins:

• Genuinely innovative AI use
• Clear practical application
• Impressive capabilities
• Strong demo/results

Examples of Winners:

• Tools that transform workflows
• Novel AI applications
• Accessible AI products

Developer Tools

What Wins:

• Developer experience focus
• Solves real pain points
• Technical excellence
• Community adoption

Examples of Winners:

• Supabase, Raycast, Linear

No-Code Tools

What Wins:

• Empowers non-developers
• Impressive capabilities
• Easy to use
• Strong use cases

Examples of Winners:

• Notion Sites, Retool

Productivity

What Wins:

• Clear productivity gain
• Wide applicability
• Delightful experience
• Strong user love

Side Project of the Year

What Wins:

• Built by individual/small team
• Creative or unusual
• Community favorite
• Authentic maker story

Building Your Case

Throughout the Year

Maintain Presence:

• Stay active on Product Hunt
• Engage with community
• Support other makers
• Share updates/milestones

Build Advocates:

• Turn users into fans
• Collect testimonials
• Create community
• Encourage word-of-mouth

During Voting

Mobilization Strategy:

Audience	Message	Channel
Core users	Personal ask	Email
Community	Celebration post	Social
Network	Favor request	DM
General	Announcement	Public

Timing:

• Day 1: Announce nomination
• Day 3-4: Reminder
• Day 6-7: Final push
• End: Thank everyone

What to Avoid

Don't:

• ❌ Buy votes or use services
• ❌ Spam communities
• ❌ Make false claims
• ❌ Beg or pressure
• ❌ Attack competitors

Do:

• ✅ Ask genuinely
• ✅ Thank supporters
• ✅ Share excitement
• ✅ Be gracious if you lose
• ✅ Celebrate others

If You Don't Win

Graceful Response

Congrats to all #GoldenKittyAwards winners! 🎉

Honored to be nominated alongside such amazing products.

Huge thanks to everyone who voted for us — your support
drives us to keep building.

Here's to an even better [Next Year]! 🚀

Learn and Improve

• Note what winners did well
• Build stronger community for next year
• Continue shipping great product

Golden Kitty Checklist

Year-Round

• Strong product launch
• Community engagement
• User advocacy building
• PH presence maintained

Nomination Period

• Monitor for nominations
• Prepare voting campaign
• Draft announcement content
• Identify key supporters

Voting Period

• Launch voting campaign
• Email supporters
• Social media push
• Daily engagement
• Thank voters

Post-Awards

• Thank community (win or lose)
• Display badge if won
• PR outreach if won
• Plan for next year

Output Format

GOLDEN KITTY STRATEGY: [Product Name]

TARGET CATEGORY: [Category]
ELIGIBILITY: [Confirmed/Pending]

CAMPAIGN TIMELINE:

Pre-Voting:
- [Action 1]
- [Action 2]

Voting Period:
- Day 1: [Action]
- Day 3: [Action]
- Day 7: [Action]

MOBILIZATION PLAN:

Audience Segments:
1. [Segment]: [Size] - [Channel] - [Message type]
2. [Segment]: [Size] - [Channel] - [Message type]
3. [Segment]: [Size] - [Channel] - [Message type]

PREPARED CONTENT:
- Announcement post: [Draft]
- Email template: [Draft]
- Social posts: [Drafts]
- Thank you message: [Draft]

SUCCESS METRICS:
- Votes target: [Number]
- Engagement goal: [Metric]

WIN SCENARIO:
- Immediate actions: [List]
- PR plan: [Outline]
- Badge placement: [Where]

LOSE SCENARIO:
- Response: [Draft]
- Next year plan: [Outline]