Michal Unfiltered
Product Hunt drama: It's All About Eyeballs on the Product

Product Hunt drama: It's All About Eyeballs on the Product

Marketing

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about Product Hunt’s shift from a discovery platform to a showcase for VC-backed projects. For indie hackers, the platform was once a go-to for visibility. But now, it feels like the deck is stacked against them. So, where does that leave those of us who need every bit of attention we can get?

Nico's tweet that started it all

New wave of alternatives?

In response, some indie hackers built alternatives, aiming to bring back the spirit of fairness.

But even these alternatives struggled to solve the core issue: visibility for the products. Sure, those platforms get visibility, but the products not. Dagobert Renouf dropped out from the race, admitting that the main reason to use Product Hunt is still to get eyeballs on your product. Discovery has taken a backseat to just being seen.

Dagobert's tweet explaining why he's giving up on his product hunt clone

So while indie hackers are searching for a fair playing field on Product Hunt (or its alternatives), crafting launch strategies and rallying the community for that coveted “Product of the Day” badge, they’re missing the real point - it’s all about getting eyeballs on the product.

What's the alternative?

I stumbled upon a tweet from Thomas Sanlis, the creator of Uneed with the stats from last 30 days.

Very impressive numbers! One stood out to me:

🖱️ 451 visits to our best-performing premium product

30 days, premium product listing (read "paid") on Uneed got 451 visits.

On the other hand I helped fellow indie hacker Denis Yurchak crafting a post for r/SideProject subreddit. It took 5 mins with a help of my How to Dominate Reddit, One Sub at a Time: r/SideProject Edition analysis.

In 24 hours he got 70 visitors to his product page with no paid promotion and very low effort.

A quick, 5-minute Reddit post on r/SideProject got a sixth of the traffic that a paid Product Hunt alternative listing managed in 30 days — within just 24 hours.

It’s Not About the Platform, It’s About the Attention

At the end of the day, indie hackers don’t just need a fair platform—they need attention. Product Hunt might be dominated by VC-backed projects, and its alternatives may promise fairness, but they can’t guarantee eyeballs on your product.

The real challenge is cutting through the noise and getting in front of your audience. Whether it’s a premium listing or a quick Reddit post, what matters most is how many people actually see your product.

As Denis’s story shows, you don’t need to pour money into promotions. Sometimes, all it takes is knowing where your audience hangs out and crafting the right message. And that’s the edge platforms like Reddit can offer—direct access to niche communities, real engagement, and results that speak for themselves.

Indie hackers, it’s time to stop chasing the perfect launch strategy and focus on what really matters: getting those precious eyeballs on your product.

You can grab a free copy of How to Dominate Reddit, One Sub at a Time: r/SideProject Edition and try it out for yourself. More subreddits analysis coming soon!

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