Actually I'm also into Reddit, many good Subreddit such as
/r/AlphaAndBetaUsers
/r/SideProject/
and others. Great platform to distribute your product and receive an honest feedback.
http://betalist.com/ is also one of my favorites but with different purpose.
Not sure what you mean by saying PH is elitist..
I believe that the "hose who are more independent or just starting out" can also get noticed and someone can see their product and submit it to Product Hunt as well.
It is all about the product quality in my opinion.
Anyway there are lots of other stories of Product Hunt success.
What would be the "democratic places to share your new things" you mentioned?