majiayu000 HN + Reddit Launch Playbook
Position in workflow: v0.9 Launch Channels (ORB) → v0.9 HN + Reddit Launch → v0.9 Launch Metrics
Execution Mode
Default is standard. See .claude/rules/08-skill-execution-modes.md for selection logic.
| Mode | What this skill produces |
|---|---|
| quick | Single Show HN post draft; title; first 4-hour engagement plan |
| standard | HN post + 2 Reddit cross-posts; story angle decision; comment-engagement rules; non-launch follow-up wave |
| deep | HN + 3–5 Reddit subreddits + Lobsters + Indie Hackers; pre-launch warm-up posts; subreddit-specific tone variants; AMA scheduling |
What This Does
Produces a launch playbook for Hacker News and Reddit — two channels where developer-tool, technical, and community-friendly products win launches if executed well and lose them silently if executed badly. Both platforms reward authenticity, technical depth, and founder presence; both punish marketing-speak, top-of-funnel sales tactics, and absent founders.
This is a channel-execution skill. It assumes the ORB channel mix already includes HN/Reddit; it doesn't second-guess that choice. If positioning best-fit doesn't live on these platforms, this skill should not run.
How It Works
- Decide if HN/Reddit fits — Re-check positioning best-fit characteristics. HN/Reddit work for: developer tools, technical products, B2B with developer/PM buyer, indie/bootstrapped story, open-source. HN/Reddit are wrong for: enterprise procurement, regulated B2B with non-technical buyer, consumer products targeting non-technical users.
- Pick the story angle — One of:
- Show HN (product) — "Show HN: [Product] — [one-line description]" — works when product itself is interesting
- Ask HN (problem) — "Ask HN: How do you handle [pain]?" — works when category needs education before product
- Story — "I built X because Y" or "Why we [unusual decision]" — works when founder narrative is the hook
- Open source — "[Project] is now open source" — works when there's something to release
- Technical writeup — "How we built X" — works for HN; less for Reddit
- Craft the title — Platform-specific:
- HN: Factual, no marketing words, no emoji. Example: "Show HN: An open-source alternative to X". HN guidelines reject hype.
- Reddit: Subreddit-specific. Each subreddit has tone norms. Read the subreddit's pinned rules and recent top posts.
- Plan timing:
- HN: Post Tue–Thu, 8–10am PT. Avoid Mondays and weekends. The first hour matters most — upvote velocity determines front-page placement.
- Reddit: Subreddit-specific peak time. Read subreddit traffic patterns. Some subreddits ban "self-promotion" posts on certain days.
- Founder presence (first 24h) — Founder responds to every substantive comment in the first 4 hours. No "thanks!" replies; engage with the argument. This is the difference between a 50-comment thread and a 500-comment thread.
- Non-launch follow-up [standard+] — 30–60 days post-launch, return to HN/Reddit with:
- Technical writeup of how you built it
- "What I learned launching on HN" retrospective (if appropriate)
- Case study or growth update
- AMA if launch generated real interest
Example
Developer tool launching. Best-fit = solo developers + small dev teams. ORB matrix has HN as the primary Borrowed channel.
Story angle: "Show HN" — product is self-evident; demo is the hook.
Title: Show HN: [Product] – Type-safe contracts between your frontend and backend
Timing: Tuesday 9:00 AM PT. Founder cleared calendar for the next 4 hours.
Post body (HN expects substance):
Hi HN — I built this because I spent 2 years debugging "frontend says string, backend says number" issues at my last job.
[Product] generates type-safe API clients from your OpenAPI spec. It works with TypeScript, Python, Go, and Rust.
Tech stack: [...]
Some things that worked and didn't: [...]
Free for individuals; paid for teams. Source is on GitHub: [link].
Happy to answer questions.
First 4 hours: Founder watches Show HN ranking. Responds substantively to every technical question. Doesn't engage with off-topic critique. Posts updates if relevant.
Reddit cross-post: 24 hours later, post to /r/programming (technical), /r/typescript (community), /r/SaaS (founder story). Each with a subreddit-tuned title and intro.
Follow-up wave (Day 30): "Building [Product]: 30 days after launch" — retrospective post.
What You Get Back
- GTM-* with Type=Channel-HN (one entry) — Title, body, timing, founder-engagement plan
- GTM-* with Type=Channel-Reddit (one per subreddit) — Subreddit-tuned title, body, posting time
- GTM-* engagement rules — Comment-response policy, when to escalate to founder
- GTM-* follow-up wave — 30/60-day post-launch content plan
When to Use It
| Trigger | Mode |
|---|---|
| Developer-tool launch | standard |
| Open-source release | standard |
| Indie / bootstrapped product launch (story angle) | standard |
| B2B SaaS with technical buyer | quick (just HN; skip Reddit) |
| Big technical decision worth a writeup ("how we migrated to X") | quick (one HN post, no Reddit) |
| Enterprise / non-technical buyer | do not use |
| Regulated category (medical, financial) | do not use without legal review |
Consumes
- GTM-* positioning + PER-* best-fit characteristics — Anchors the story angle and confirms HN/Reddit is even appropriate
- GTM-* launch channels (from v0.9 Launch Channels ORB) — HN/Reddit must already be in the mix matrix
- GTM-* offer card — Determines the post's CTA (free tier, beta, open source, paid trial)
- CFD-* customer stories — Anchors social proof in comments and follow-up
- BR-POS-* constraints — Tone guardrails (no enterprise speak in /r/SaaS, etc.)
Produces
- GTM-* with Type=Channel-HN (one entry)
- GTM-* with Type=Channel-Reddit (one per subreddit)
- GTM-* engagement-rules entry — Comment policy, who escalates what
- GTM-* follow-up-wave entry — Post-launch content plan (30/60 day)
Output Template
GTM-XXX: Channel — Hacker News Launch
Type: Channel-HN
Layer: Borrowed
Owner: Founder (must be founder, not marketing)
Status: [Planned | Active]
Story angle: [Show HN | Ask HN | Story | Open source | Technical writeup]
Title: "[Exact title — no marketing words]"
Timing: [Day + hour, with rationale]
Post body:
[Full body — what HN expects: substance, tech detail, honest tradeoffs]
CTA: [Free tier link | GitHub link | Beta signup link]
Founder presence:
- Watch ranking for first 4 hours (block calendar)
- Respond to every substantive comment
- Update post if relevant
- No "thanks!" replies — engage with the argument
Failure modes to avoid:
- Marketing language in title
- Absent founder
- "Buy now" CTA (HN punishes)
- Astroturf upvotes (HN detects, instantly bans)
Linked IDs: GTM-YYY (positioning), GTM-ZZZ (offer), PER-AAA (best-fit), KPI-BBB (HN→signup target)
GTM-XXX: Channel — Reddit /r/<subreddit>
Type: Channel-Reddit
Layer: Borrowed
Owner: Founder
Subreddit: /r/<name>
Status: [Planned | Active]
Subreddit norms:
- Tone: [Pinned-rules summary]
- Self-promotion rule: [Subreddit's specific rule]
- Peak posting time: [Day + hour]
- Banned formats: [e.g., no link posts, no images-only]
Title: "[Subreddit-tuned title]"
Body: [Tuned to subreddit tone]
CTA: [Whatever the subreddit allows]
Founder presence: Same as HN — engage substantively for first 4 hours
Linked IDs: GTM-YYY (positioning), PER-AAA (best-fit)
Anti-Patterns
| Pattern | Signal | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing title | "Revolutionary AI-powered X" on HN | Rewrite as factual; HN strips marketing |
| Absent founder | Post goes up; founder is in a meeting | If you can't be present 4 hours, postpone the launch |
| "Thanks!" replies | Comment thread is full of "Thanks for the kind words!" | Engage with the argument or don't reply |
| Astroturfing upvotes | Asking team/friends to upvote | HN and Reddit detect coordinated voting; instant ban |
| Cross-posting too fast | Same post to 5 subreddits in 10 minutes | Stagger by 24+ hours; each post is rewritten for the subreddit |
| Ignoring subreddit rules | Banned within an hour of posting | Read the pinned rules; some subreddits ban self-promotion entirely |
| No follow-up wave | Launch spikes traffic, then silence | Plan 30/60-day return posts before launch day |
| Wrong product / wrong channel | Enterprise procurement product on /r/programming | Re-check positioning; HN/Reddit doesn't fit every product |
Quality Gates
Before launch day:
- Best-fit segment confirmed to use HN/Reddit (not assumption)
- Story angle chosen and matches the product's actual hook
- Title drafted; passes "no marketing words" check (HN)
- Founder calendar cleared for first 4 hours
- Post body has substance (technical detail, honest tradeoffs)
- CTA matches platform norms (free / GitHub / beta — not "buy now")
- Subreddit rules read for every targeted subreddit
- Follow-up wave (30/60 day) drafted in outline
- No astroturfing plan exists or has been considered
Downstream Connections
| Consumer | What it uses | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Channels (ORB) | Each HN/Reddit post is a Borrowed-channel entry | Rolls into channel-mix matrix |
| Launch Metrics | Per-post attribution → KPI-HN-signups, KPI-Reddit-signups | UTM-tagged links per post |
| Feedback Loop Setup | Comments become CFD- feedback entries | Top-voted comment thread → CFD- pattern |
| v0.9 Case Study Builder (v1.0) | High-engagement HN/Reddit launches → case study | "How we got 800 upvotes on Show HN" |
| v0.9 AEO Audit | HN/Reddit threads become AI-citation sources | Hi-rank threads → AEO inclusion |
Detailed References
- jonathimer's
hacker-news-strategyandreddit-engagementskills (devmarketing-skills) - HN guidelines: news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
- (No bundled
references/— HN/Reddit norms change; read current pinned rules)