How do you create discussion topics for Product Hunt forums? + (My approach)
I've been contributing to discussions every single day for over 3 years now, and sometimes it's really hard.
One day, I have a great time coming up with topics, and then there are those days when I just stare at the screen and can't type. But I always manage to find a way.
So I'd like to write down a few things that help me create topics for the forums:
Use "last" things: Write about the last book you read, the last situation that happened, the last documentary you watched.
React to recent news or events in tech.
Identify a problem and share your perspective on it.
Create a list of ideas you can come back to later.
Reuse older topics and update them with new information.
Some of them are too obvious, but trust me, when you are paralysed, you have a hard time recalling these.
How do you come up with topics for this platform?
Replies
Love these tips, @busmark_w_nika! As someone who is just starting out here on Product Hunt, I’m soaking up all the inspiration I can get.
To add to your list, coming from a marketing background, I love discussing the psychological triggers that make us click 'install' or 'subscribe' – especially when a product manages to solve a problem I didn't even know I had. Sharing those 'aha!' moments or even the friction points that almost made me quit could be a great way to start a conversation.
Looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with!
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@tereza_hurtova Maybe some case studies and helpful tips in UX/UI could be approved :)
Hi @busmark_w_nika those are very good tips!
I just have one question: what if your life is boring? 🙈
I've been trying to be consistent, but it's very hard to always come up with something new.
Even talking about "last" things, at some point you run out of them, unless you do something different and interesting almost every day.
I find it very useful to write down whenever an interesting idea comes up and use it later, but they never seem to be enough to be consistent!
Am I too pessimistic? How do you manage to come up with different but still interesting topics every time?
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@pamela_arienti Of course, you can talk about work things. I sit at the desk for 14 hours per day – my days are the same :D but there is still something to talk about :D (I know, those 14 hours are horrible and sad) :D
@busmark_w_nika oh wow, 14 hours are a lot!
I'll try using daily tasks as inspiration for content. I guess I'm not used to considering routine tasks as interesting topics. It's always easier to talk about great successes or failures, but not the small things that happen every day.
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@pamela_arienti you know – my content over social media, another client work, another client work :D free time :D hard to be on pc less :D Also suggest to share some learnings from projects :)
Thank you for sharing these @busmark_w_nika, I've been following similar set of things off late, one of the things I do is while building my product, in case I get stuck on any problem, find interesting use case, I try to put it out on forum places like Reddit immediately, not only is it great support a lot of times but also keeps my profile growing for contributions.
One interesting thing I've found on some subreddits though is that people are just eager to comment (and sometimes post too) to build their karma.
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@arpan_garg Which subreddits do you post in?
@busmark_w_nika some of them include r/ruby, r/SaaS, r/buildinpublic and then some others include the hobby related parts. Mostly centered around posting my problems. Whenever I post, I try to answer others' questions too.
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@arpan_garg I think that at least 2 I am a part of :)
Very helpful. I'm an introverted founder and I have been working hard for the past 6 months to post daily on a few of my favorite places. I won't let AI write my posts but I do use AI to surface articles and concepts that gives me ideas and considerations. I like the "last" things idea. That will help "unstick" me.
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@tinyorgtech I cherish this approach. Have to admit that I use AI for polishing my English, cause I am a native speaker, but as soon as I do not like formatting and wording, I go with my plain text.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
Feel this. I keep a Notes file “PH sparks” with scraps from open tabs, sent emails, and bugs I hit. When blank: three prompts what broke, what worked, what surprised me. I’ll also flip a take I saw this week (softly). And reuse a hit with a fresh twist.
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@alexcloudstar aaa, so you have a secret folder for forums, right? :D It is worth going through older discussions :)
Triforce Todos
Seriously, coming up with topics can be brutal some days. It’s like my brain refuses to cooperate, and I end up staring at a blank screen like it's going to give me an epiphany suddenly.
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@abod_rehman IMO, it is about practice. We used to have this in a school – write an essay about this boring topic, otherwise you have worse grade or will not go home :D
MultiDrive
I tried a couple of times to write about topics unrelated to my product, but the thread was very active and my posts were rejected. After that, I didn’t try again. I’ll probably follow your recommendation and give it another try. :)
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@tetianai Try to filter the most successful topic here and build on that. Maybe some of them can be approved.
This really resonates! I’ve had those blank-screen moments too. I'm new to Product Hunt, but on other platforms I usually try a mix of what you mentioned: sharing something I just learned, a problem I ran into, or even a tiny hack that made my day easier and can for others. Sometimes I even scroll through old discussions and think, “Hmm, how would I approach this now?”
It’s surprising how many ideas come back when you just give yourself permission to riff on something small. Great advice @busmark_w_nika
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@richardriley You're welcome :) Keep writing :)
Great tips, @busmark_w_nika ! I'm new here and have been thinking a lot about balancing AI and real value. My logic is pretty simple: keep the brain for the core ideas and let AI do the heavy lifting—like fixing the structure or scouting what's trending. I usually just scribble down some messy thoughts first, then use tools to clean them up. It’s the best way I’ve found to stay fast without losing my own voice.
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@alex_la0 To be honest, AI can help but nothing beats authenticity :)
@busmark_w_nika I totally agreed that. What truly matters is the content itself—that's where differentiation lies. Creativity and authenticity are paramount; AI accelerates the creation and delivery of more resources.