Hacker News is a link and discussion site with a largely technical audience. It has published guidelines, active moderation and a culture that values curiosity and substance. Founders can learn a lot there and meet early users, provided they take part as members rather than marketers.
The parts of Hacker News that matter for founders
- Ask HN: people ask the community questions, including requests for tool recommendations. These are the most direct signals of need.
- Show HN: for sharing something you made that people can try. It has its own rules; read them before posting.
- Comment threads: discussions under articles and launches often include detailed descriptions of problems and comparisons between tools.
What the guidelines ask of you
The guidelines discourage using the site primarily for promotion and prohibit asking for votes. In practice, comments that teach something are welcome, and comments that read like advertising are not. Disclosing that you built something you mention is expected.
A practical approach
- Read the guidelines. Read the Hacker News guidelines and the Show HN rules before posting or commenting.
- Find threads where you can add substance. Look for Ask HN requests and comment threads where people compare tools or describe a problem you know well.
- Lead with technical substance. Explain how the problem can be solved, including trade-offs, before mentioning any product.
- Disclose and keep it short. If you mention your own product, say you built it and keep the mention brief.
- Never ask for votes. Do not ask anyone to upvote or comment, and do not coordinate accounts.
How Distrarc helps on Hacker News
Hacker News is one of the sources Distrarc searches, including for the free first report. It returns relevant discussions with a link, the date and the reason they fit your product, and can draft a reply that answers first and discloses your affiliation. You decide whether to reply, and you post from your own account. Distrarc never posts for you.
Related: Distrarc for developer tools and replying in public without spamming. See what it finds with a free first report, or see pricing.