tools-only Tool/Product Mention Guidelines
Only mention tools if user requests it. Default is NO tool mentions.
Subtlety Levels
Level 1-2 (Barely There)
"A friend helped me set something up that pulls job listings. Not sure exactly how it works but saves me time."
- Tool name might not even be mentioned
- Extremely casual
- Almost an afterthought
Level 3-4 (Brief Mention)
"My friend helped me set something up in Claude that dumps job listings into my sheet. I barely understand how it works but beats checking 5 sites manually."
- Named once
- Downplayed
- Immediate disclaimer
Level 5-6 (Noticeable but Not Dominant)
"I got my friend to help me build a basic scraper using Claude. It pulls remote jobs into a Google Sheet automatically. It breaks sometimes and I couldn't recreate it if I tried, but it saves me from refreshing the same boards every morning."
- More detail
- Still has limitations
- Not the main solution
Level 7-10 (Don't Use - Too Promotional)
Will sound like an ad and likely get removed.
Placement Rules
Where to Put It:
- 40-60% through the post (not beginning, not end)
- After establishing the real solution (discipline, systems, habits)
- As supplementary detail, not climax of story
Where NOT to Put It:
- Opening paragraph (sounds promotional)
- As the turning point (makes tool the hero)
- Final paragraph (sounds like CTA)
- Multiple times (repetition = ad)
Language Patterns
Phrases That Work:
- "A friend helped me set something up in [tool]"
- "I got help from a friend who knows [tool]"
- "My friend showed me how to use [tool] for this"
- "I think it uses [tool]? Or something like that"
Phrases That DON'T Work:
- "I discovered [tool]"
- "I used [tool] and it changed everything"
- "[tool] allows you to..."
- "If you're interested in [tool], I can share"
Required Disclaimers
Add at least one:
- "Honestly I barely understand how it works"
- "I couldn't recreate it if I tried"
- "It breaks sometimes"
- "Not perfect but helps"
- "Saves me [specific small amount of time]"
Promotion Test
Critical: Remove the tool mention entirely. Does the post still have value and make sense? If no, the post is too promotional and needs rewriting.