ph-safe-messaging

name	ph-safe-messaging
description	Write Product Hunt compliant messages and requests. Use this skill to craft outreach, social posts, and supporter communications that follow community guidelines and avoid penalties.

Product Hunt Safe Messaging

This skill helps you write messages that effectively rally support while staying within Product Hunt's community guidelines.

When to Use This Skill

• Writing launch day emails
• Creating social media posts
• Briefing supporters
• Responding to "how can I help?" questions
• Crafting any public launch messaging

The Core Principle

NEVER explicitly ask for upvotes.

Product Hunt guidelines are clear: asking or incentivizing people to upvote can trigger algorithm penalties or get your product unfeatured.

Language Conversion Guide

Forbidden → Allowed

❌ Don't Say	✓ Say Instead
"Please upvote"	"Check it out"
"Vote for us"	"We'd love your support"
"Upvote if you like it"	"Let us know what you think"
"Every vote counts"	"Your feedback means a lot"
"Help us reach #1"	"Excited to share this with you"
"Click the upvote button"	"Take a look and share your thoughts"
"We need your upvotes"	"We need your feedback"
"Vote now"	"Check it out now"

Incentive Language

❌ Don't Say	✓ Say Instead
"Upvote for 20% off"	"PH community gets 20% off"
"Voters get early access"	"Everyone from PH gets early access"
"First 100 upvoters win"	"First 100 signups from PH win"
"Vote to enter giveaway"	"Visit our PH page to enter giveaway"

Safe Message Templates

Email Templates

Template 1: Simple Announcement

Subject: [Product] is live on Product Hunt!

Hey [Name],

We just launched [Product] on Product Hunt!

[One sentence about what it does]

→ Check it out here: [Link]

If you find it useful, we'd really appreciate you
sharing your thoughts in the comments. Honest
feedback helps us improve!

Thanks for your support,
[Your Name]

Template 2: Personal Ask

Subject: Would love your support today

Hey [Name],

Today's a big day — [Product] just went live
on Product Hunt.

After [X months] of building, it's finally out there.
A bit nervous, honestly!

If you have a moment to take a look: [Link]

Any feedback — good or bad — would mean a lot.
And if you think it's cool, sharing it would
make my day.

No pressure either way. Just excited to
share this with you.

[Your Name]

Template 3: For Active Users

Subject: We're on Product Hunt — your experience matters

Hi [Name],

As someone who's been using [Product], I wanted
to let you know we just launched on Product Hunt.

→ [Link]

If you have a moment, I'd love for the PH community
to hear about your experience. Your perspective
as a real user is incredibly valuable.

Of course, only if you genuinely have good things
to say — authentic feedback is what we're after!

Thanks for being an early believer,
[Your Name]

Social Media Templates

Twitter/X

Simple Announcement:

🚀 Just launched [Product] on @ProductHunt!

[One line value prop]

Would love your feedback → [Link]

#ProductHunt

Story Version:

After [X months] of building, [Product] is
finally live on @ProductHunt.

[Why you built it]

Take a look and let me know what you think → [Link]

Progress Update:

Wow! [X] hours into our @ProductHunt launch:

• [X] people have checked it out
• [X] amazing comments and feedback
• Learning so much from this community

Thanks for the support! 🙏 → [Link]

LinkedIn

Professional Announcement:

Excited to share that [Product] launched on
Product Hunt today.

After [context], we built [solution] to help
[target audience] [achieve outcome].

If this sounds relevant to your work, I'd
genuinely appreciate you taking a look and
sharing your professional feedback.

[Link in comments]

#ProductHunt #[Relevant tags]

Supporter Briefing

What to Tell Supporters:

Hey! Just a quick note on how to support our
Product Hunt launch:

PLEASE DO:
✓ Check out the product page
✓ Leave a genuine comment about your thoughts
✓ Share with anyone who might find it useful
✓ Answer any questions others have

PLEASE DON'T:
✗ Just write "Great product!" (low value)
✗ All comment at the exact same time
✗ Create new accounts just to support
✗ Copy/paste the same comment

The most valuable thing? Authentic engagement.
Tell us what you actually think!

Link: [Link]

Responding to "How Can I Help?"

When Someone Asks:

❌ Don't say: "Please go upvote!"

✓ Do say:

Thanks so much for asking!

Here's what would be most helpful:
1. Check out our page: [Link]
2. If you genuinely like it, leave a comment
   with your thoughts
3. Share with anyone you think would find it useful

Your honest feedback is what we're really after.
If you see things we should improve, I want to
hear that too!

Handling Comment Requests

When Preparing Comment Examples:

❌ Don't say: "Please post this exact comment: [script]"

✓ Do say:

Some ideas for what to comment about:
• What problem this solves for you
• A feature you find interesting
• A question about how something works
• Honest feedback on what could be better

Make it your own — authentic voices are way
more valuable than scripted comments!

Platform-Specific Guidelines

In Product Hunt Comments

Allowed:

• Thanking people genuinely
• Answering questions
• Sharing relevant information
• Acknowledging feedback

Not Allowed:

• Asking commenters to upvote
• Self-promotion on other products
• Spammy responses
• Begging for support

In Direct Messages

Allowed:

• Following up on comments
• Answering specific questions
• Building genuine relationships

Not Allowed:

• Mass messaging users
• Asking strangers to upvote
• Spamming launch links

In External Communications

Allowed:

• Announcing your launch
• Sharing the link
• Asking for feedback
• Offering genuine value

Not Allowed:

• Explicit vote requests
• Vote-for-reward schemes
• Misleading urgency
• Fake scarcity

Safe Messaging Checklist

Before Sending Any Message

• No explicit vote request
• No vote-for-reward language
• Focus on feedback, not voting
• Genuine, not manipulative
• Would you be embarrassed if PH saw this?

Message Quality Check

• Personalized (not mass copy-paste)
• Clear what you're asking for
• Respectful of recipient's time
• Value offered (not just asking)
• Appropriate for the relationship

Red Flag Phrases

Avoid These Completely

"Upvote" (verb)
"Vote for"
"Click upvote"
"Every vote counts"
"Help us win"
"We need votes"
"Vote to support"
"Upvote if you"
"First to upvote"
"Vote now"

These Are Fine

"Check it out"
"Take a look"
"Share your thoughts"
"Give us feedback"
"Let us know what you think"
"Support our launch"
"We'd appreciate your feedback"
"Leave a comment"
"Tell us what you think"

Output Format

MESSAGE REVIEW FOR: [Product Name]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
"[Original text]"

ISSUES FOUND:
- [Issue 1]: [Location in text]
- [Issue 2]: [Location in text]

REVISED MESSAGE:
"[Compliant version]"

COMPLIANCE CHECK:
✓ No explicit vote requests
✓ No vote incentives
✓ Focus on feedback/support
✓ Genuine tone
✓ Appropriate for platform

STATUS: [Compliant / Needs revision]