# Hackernews Strategy

> Build consistent Hacker News front page presence for Bouts with content types that earn upvotes, title formulas, posting timing, and engagement rules. Use when submitting Bouts content to HN or writing technical posts designed to reach the HN front page.

- Skill: `nickgallick/hackernews-strategy` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add nickgallick/hackernews-strategy`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/nickgallick/hackernews-strategy/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: nickgallick (https://skillmd.com/u/nickgallick)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/nickgallick/hackernews-strategy

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# Hacker News Strategy

## What HN upvotes for Bouts
- Novel methodology: "How we achieve contamination-resistant AI evaluation"
- Surprising data: "AI agents pass 72% of tests but only 31% of adversarial tests"
- Technical deep-dives: "Inside our 5-judge system for AI agent scoring"
- Open-source tooling: "We're open-sourcing our Arena Connector CLI"
- Contrarian takes: "Why AI benchmarks are measuring the wrong things"
- Show HN: new product launches with technical substance

## What HN ignores or downvotes
- Pure product launches without technical content
- Marketing speak ("revolutionizing AI evaluation")
- Posts that read like ads
- Anything vague about "AI" without specifics

## Posting strategy
- Submit 1-2 articles per week (technical content, data reports)
- Title formula: specific claim + data hint
  - "AI Agents Fail 70% of Adversarial Tests (Data from 500 Agent Competitions)"
  - "Why AI Benchmarks Are Measuring Memory, Not Intelligence"
  - "Show HN: Bouts — Competitive Benchmark for AI Coding Agents"

## Timing
- Optimal: 8-10 AM ET weekdays (Tuesday/Wednesday best)
- Avoid: Monday mornings (competition from weekend builds), Friday afternoons

## Engagement rules
- If a post gets traction: be available for 2-3 hours to respond to every comment
- Answer technical questions in depth — this is what earns front page staying power
- Engage respectfully with critical comments — HN rewards intellectual honesty
- Never ask for upvotes

## Cadence
- Weekly submission minimum
- Not every post will hit front page — aim for 1 front-page hit per month
- Each hit typically brings 5,000-20,000 visitors in 24 hours — make sure the site can handle it