--- name: prd-v09-hn-reddit-launch description: > Build a Hacker News + Reddit launch playbook for developer-tools and community-led products during PRD v0.9 Go-to-Market. Triggers on requests to plan HN/Reddit launch, "Show HN" post, community launch, or when user asks "HN launch", "Show HN", "Reddit launch", "launch on /r/SaaS", "Product Hunt vs HN", "community launch", "developer launch". Outputs GTM-* with Type=Channel-HN / Type=Channel-Reddit entries with timing, title, story angle, and engagement plan. context: fork allowed-tools: - Read - Write - Edit - Glob - Grep - WebSearch - WebFetch execution_modes: default: standard supports: [quick, standard, deep] --- # 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`](../../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 1. **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. 2. **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 3. **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. 4. **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. 5. **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. 6. **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/ Type: Channel-Reddit Layer: Borrowed Owner: Founder Subreddit: /r/ 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-strategy` and `reddit-engagement` skills (devmarketing-skills) - HN guidelines: news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html - (No bundled `references/` — HN/Reddit norms change; read current pinned rules)