ph-ban-prevention

name: ph-ban-prevention description: Avoid shadow bans and penalties on Product Hunt. Use this skill to understand platform rules, identify risky behaviors, and ensure your launch practices are fully compliant.

Product Hunt Ban Prevention

This skill helps you understand and avoid behaviors that could get your product unfeatured, votes removed, or your account banned on Product Hunt.

When to Use This Skill

• Planning your launch strategy
• Training team and supporters
• Reviewing outreach materials
• Checking compliance before launch
• Responding to flagged activity

Types of Penalties

1. Vote Removal

• Individual votes discounted or removed
• Happens automatically via algorithm
• May not be immediately visible

2. Product Unfeatured

• Product removed from homepage
• Still exists but not visible
• Can happen mid-launch

3. Shadow Ban

• Account actions don't count
• Not notified you're banned
• Activity appears normal to you

4. Account Suspension

• Complete account ban
• Public or private
• May affect all associated products

Prohibited Behaviors

Category 1: Vote Manipulation 🚫

Absolutely Forbidden:

• ❌ Buying upvotes
• ❌ Using upvote services (Fiverr, etc.)
• ❌ Creating fake accounts to vote
• ❌ Vote exchange schemes
• ❌ Paying for votes (even indirectly)

What Happens:

• Votes removed
• Product unfeatured
• Account banned
• Reputation destroyed

Category 2: Incentivized Voting 🚫

Forbidden:

• ❌ "Upvote for discount"
• ❌ "Vote to enter giveaway"
• ❌ "First 100 upvoters get X"
• ❌ Any reward tied to voting

What's Allowed:

• ✓ General launch discounts (not tied to voting)
• ✓ "PH community gets X" (regardless of vote)
• ✓ Offers for anyone who visits

Category 3: Explicit Vote Requests 🚫

Forbidden in Any Communication:

• ❌ "Please upvote"
• ❌ "Every vote counts"
• ❌ "Help us reach #1"
• ❌ "Your upvote means everything"
• ❌ "Vote for us"

What's Allowed:

• ✓ "Check it out and share your feedback"
• ✓ "Would love your support"
• ✓ "Let us know what you think"
• ✓ "We launched — take a look!"

Category 4: Coordinated Activity 🚫

Suspicious Patterns:

• ❌ All votes from same IP/location
• ❌ All votes in same 10-minute window
• ❌ Votes from brand new accounts
• ❌ Identical comment text
• ❌ Voting rings/groups

What's Allowed:

• ✓ Staggered supporter outreach
• ✓ Genuine community members voting
• ✓ Natural geographic spread
• ✓ Varied comment styles

Category 5: Self-Promotion Abuse 🚫

Forbidden:

• ❌ Commenting self-promotion on other products
• ❌ Spamming discussions with your product
• ❌ Creating fake discussions about your product

What's Allowed:

• ✓ Genuinely helpful comments
• ✓ Mentioning your product when relevant
• ✓ Participating in related discussions

Category 6: Spam Behavior 🚫

Forbidden:

• ❌ Mass messaging users
• ❌ Automated outreach
• ❌ Repeated submissions
• ❌ Misleading product information

How Detection Works

Algorithm Signals

Product Hunt's algorithm looks for:

Account Quality:

• Account age
• Activity history
• Engagement patterns
• Social connections

Vote Patterns:

• Vote timing distribution
• Geographic clustering
• Account similarity
• Velocity anomalies

Engagement Authenticity:

• Comment depth
• Response quality
• Discussion naturalness

Human Review

Moderators also check for:

• Reported violations
• Unusual patterns
• Community complaints
• Obvious manipulation

Risk Assessment Checklist

Before Launch

High Risk (Don't Do):

• Are you using any vote service?
• Are you offering rewards for votes?
• Are you asking directly for upvotes?
• Are new accounts being created to vote?

Medium Risk (Be Careful):

• Are you sending mass emails at once?
• Are all supporters voting same time?
• Do all comments look similar?
• Are you messaging PH users directly?

Low Risk (But Stay Alert):

• Is your product clearly explained?
• Are your claims accurate?
• Is your offer clearly communicated?

During Launch

Watch For:

• Sudden drops in vote count
• Product disappearing from homepage
• Comments being removed
• Unusual metric patterns

Safe Practices Guide

Safe Outreach

Email Best Practices:

✓ DO: Send to segmented lists in waves
✓ DO: Personalize messages
✓ DO: Ask for "support" or "feedback"
✓ DO: Respect unsubscribes

✗ DON'T: Send to purchased lists
✗ DON'T: Use same message for everyone
✗ DON'T: Ask for "upvotes"
✗ DON'T: Spam non-subscribers

Social Media Best Practices:

✓ DO: Share authentically
✓ DO: Spread posts throughout day
✓ DO: Engage with responses
✓ DO: Thank supporters

✗ DON'T: Post same link repeatedly
✗ DON'T: Use engagement pods
✗ DON'T: Ask for votes publicly
✗ DON'T: Spam hashtags

Safe Supporter Activation

Do:

• Activate in waves (not all at once)
• Use different time zones
• Encourage genuine comments
• Let people vote if they want

Don't:

• Coordinate exact voting times
• Script identical comments
• Pressure reluctant people
• Force anyone to participate

Safe Messaging Templates

Instead of: "Please upvote our product!" Say: "We just launched — would love your feedback!"

Instead of: "Every vote counts!" Say: "Your support means a lot to us."

Instead of: "Help us reach #1!" Say: "Check it out and let us know what you think."

Instead of: "Vote to win a prize" Say: "PH community gets 20% off (no vote required)"

If Something Goes Wrong

If Votes Are Removed

Don't:

• Panic
• Spam more outreach
• Create new accounts
• Complain publicly

Do:

• Review your practices
• Continue quality engagement
• Focus on genuine community
• Accept the result

If Product Is Unfeatured

Steps:

1. Stop all outreach immediately
2. Review potential violations
3. Contact PH support (calmly, factually)
4. Prepare explanation if asked
5. Learn for next time

If Account Is Flagged

Steps:

1. Do not create new accounts
2. Contact support@producthunt.com
3. Be honest about practices
4. Accept the decision
5. Rebuild reputation over time

Compliance Checklist

Pre-Launch Audit

Outreach Materials:

• No explicit vote requests
• No vote-for-reward offers
• Genuine, helpful language
• Personalized content

Supporter Briefing:

• Instructed not to script comments
• Explained staggered timing
• Emphasized genuine engagement
• No pressure to participate

Technical:

• Not using vote services
• Not using bots
• Real user accounts only
• Natural geographic distribution

Launch Day Monitoring

• Watching for unusual patterns
• Not over-activating if behind
• Responding genuinely to comments
• Not panicking about ranking

Documentation (Just in Case)

Keep records of:

• Your outreach list (legitimate contacts)
• Your supporter communication
• Your email/social templates
• Timeline of activities

Output Format

COMPLIANCE CHECK FOR: [Product Name]

RISK ASSESSMENT:

High-Risk Behaviors:
☐ [Behavior] - [Status: Clear/At Risk/Violation]

Medium-Risk Behaviors:
☐ [Behavior] - [Status]

OUTREACH REVIEW:
Email template: [Compliant/Needs revision]
Social posts: [Compliant/Needs revision]
Supporter briefing: [Complete/Incomplete]

RECOMMENDED CHANGES:
1. [Specific change needed]
2. [Specific change needed]

OVERALL STATUS: [Ready / Needs Work / High Risk]