Solo Community Outreach

/community-outreach

Find relevant community threads (Reddit, Hacker News, ProductHunt) and draft contextual, value-first responses. NOT spam — genuine helpful answers that naturally mention the product.

MCP Tools (use if available)

• web_search(query, engines, include_raw_content) — search Reddit, HN, web
• web_extract(url, size, page) — read one thread or article as clean markdown
• kb_search(query) — find related methodology
• project_info(name) — get project details

If MCP tools are not available, use WebSearch/WebFetch as fallback.

Steps

1. Parse project from $ARGUMENTS.

   • Read PRD/README to understand: problem, solution, ICP, key features.
   • If empty: ask via AskUserQuestion.

2. Extract search keywords:

   • Problem keywords (what users complain about)
   • Solution keywords (what users search for)
   • Category keywords (the market/niche)
   • Competitor names (for "vs" and "alternative" threads)

3. Search communities (run searches in parallel):

   3a. Reddit

   For each keyword group, search via MCP web_search(query) or WebSearch:

   • "{problem} reddit" — pain point threads
   • "{solution category} recommendations reddit" — recommendation requests
   • "{competitor} alternative reddit" — competitor frustration
   • "{competitor} vs reddit" — comparison threads

   For each result, extract: subreddit, title, URL, post date, comment count. Filter: prefer threads < 6 months old, > 5 comments (active).

   3b. Hacker News

   Search via site:news.ycombinator.com:

   • "Show HN: {similar product category}" — similar launches
   • "Ask HN: {problem domain}" — questions in the space
   • "{competitor name} site:news.ycombinator.com" — competitor mentions

   Extract: title, URL, points, comment count.

   3c. ProductHunt

   Search via site:producthunt.com:

   • "{product category} site:producthunt.com" — similar launches
   • "{competitor} site:producthunt.com" — competitor pages

   Extract: product names, launch dates, upvote counts, taglines.

   3d. Other Communities (optional)

   • site:indiehackers.com "{problem}" — Indie Hackers
   • site:dev.to "{solution category}" — Dev.to (if technical product)

4. Forced reasoning — outreach strategy: Before drafting, write out:

   • Best 5 threads to engage with (highest relevance + activity)
   • Tone per community: Reddit (casual, self-deprecating), HN (technical, data-driven), PH (enthusiastic, builder)
   • Value-first angle: What genuine help can we offer BEFORE mentioning the product?
   • Red lines: No astroturfing, no fake accounts, always disclose you're the builder

5. Draft responses for top 5 threads:

   For each thread:

   ### Thread: {title}
   **URL:** {url}
   **Subreddit/Community:** {community}
   **Why relevant:** {1 sentence}
   
   **Draft response:**
   {2-4 paragraph response that:
   - Directly addresses the question/problem
   - Provides genuine value (tips, experience, data)
   - Mentions the product naturally (last paragraph)
   - Includes "disclaimer: I'm the developer" for transparency
   }
   

6. Generate ProductHunt launch checklist:

   ## ProductHunt Launch Checklist
   
   ### Pre-Launch (1 week before)
   - [ ] Hunter identified (or self-hunting)
   - [ ] Tagline ready (< 60 chars): "{tagline}"
   - [ ] Description ready (< 260 chars)
   - [ ] 5+ screenshots/GIF prepared
   - [ ] Maker comment drafted (story + problem + solution)
   - [ ] Launch day scheduled (Tuesday-Thursday, 00:01 PST)
   
   ### Launch Day
   - [ ] Post live and verified
   - [ ] Maker comment posted immediately
   - [ ] Share in relevant communities (not vote-begging)
   - [ ] Respond to all comments within 1 hour
   - [ ] Share progress on Twitter/LinkedIn
   
   ### Post-Launch
   - [ ] Thank supporters
   - [ ] Collect feedback from comments
   - [ ] Update product based on feedback
   

7. Write outreach plan to docs/outreach-plan.md:

   # Community Outreach Plan: {Project Name}
   
   **Generated:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
   **Product:** {one-line description}
   **ICP:** {target persona}
   
   ## Target Communities
   
   | Community | Relevant Threads Found | Priority |
   |-----------|----------------------|----------|
   | r/{subreddit} | N | high/medium/low |
   | Hacker News | N | high/medium/low |
   | ProductHunt | N | high/medium/low |
   
   ## Top Threads to Engage
   
   {5 thread drafts from step 5}
   
   ## ProductHunt Launch Checklist
   
   {checklist from step 6}
   
   ## Search Keywords Used
   - {keyword1}: N results
   - {keyword2}: N results
   
   ---
   *Generated by /community-outreach. Review all drafts before posting.*
   

8. Output summary — communities found, top 3 threads to engage, PH readiness.

Critical Rules

1. Value first, product second — every response must genuinely help the person
2. Always disclose — "I'm the developer" or "disclaimer: I built this"
3. No vote manipulation — never ask for upvotes
4. No astroturfing — never pretend to be a user
5. Respect community rules — check subreddit rules before posting
6. Quality over quantity — 5 great responses > 50 generic ones

Gotchas

1. Reddit shadowban triggers — posting links in your first comment on a subreddit, multiple self-promotional posts in 24h, or using shortened URLs. Always build comment karma in a subreddit before mentioning your product.
2. Subreddit self-promotion rules vary wildly — r/SaaS allows Show posts, r/startups requires flair, r/webdev bans affiliate links. Always check sidebar rules before drafting. Some require 10:1 comment-to-promotion ratio.
3. PH vote manipulation detection — ProductHunt detects coordinated upvotes from same IP/network/timing. Never share direct PH links in Slack/Discord asking for upvotes. Share on social media with context instead.
4. Old threads are locked — Reddit threads >6 months old are archived (can't comment). Filter by date, not just relevance. HN threads don't lock but old ones get zero visibility.
5. "I built this" disclosure backfires if too early — lead with value (3-4 sentences of genuine help), THEN disclose. Opening with "disclaimer: I'm the dev" makes the entire comment read as an ad.

Common Issues

Web search not available

Cause: MCP web_search tool not configured or WebSearch not accessible. Fix: Use WebSearch/WebFetch as primary. For better results with engine routing (Reddit, HN), set up SearXNG (private, self-hosted, free) and configure solograph MCP.

No relevant threads found

Cause: Niche too small or wrong keywords. Fix: Broaden search terms. Try competitor names, problem descriptions, or adjacent categories.

Responses sound promotional

Cause: Product mention too prominent or lacks genuine value. Fix: Rewrite with value-first approach: 80% helpful answer, 20% product mention. Always include builder disclosure.