Article

Indie Dev Launch Strategy: Getting Traction on Product Hunt, Hacker News, and Reddit

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A practical, no-nonsense comparison of what actually differs across these three specific channels: what each one rewards, what gets you flagged, and how founders sequence launches across them instead of picking just one. Directly on-topic for this exact question.

  • Each of the three platforms rewards a different kind of post, so don't reuse the same copy across all of them
  • Reddit and Hacker News are closer to a lottery, most posts do little and a few outperform everything
  • Spacing launches out across platforms lets each one get its own attention instead of competing with itself

The question it answers

  1. What's the best channel to launch on, Product Hunt, Reddit, Hacker News, or LinkedIn?

Read with it

  1. A YC partner and ex-Airbnb growth lead gives a tactical, no-fluff talk on landing early customers for both B2B and B2C. It's... YC Startup Library Video · ~30 min video How to Get Your First Customers Gustaf Alstromer (Y Combinator)
  2. A data-backed teardown of how companies like Figma, Gusto, and Vanta actually sourced their earliest customers. Replaces... Lenny's Newsletter Article · ~15 min read How today's fastest-growing B2B startups found their first ten customers Lenny Rachitsky
  3. The definitive talk that reframes launching from a one-shot event into a repeatable tactic, exactly this category's thesis. YC... YC Startup Library Video · ~25 min How to Launch (Again and Again) Kat Manalac (Y Combinator)
  4. The official, primary-source guide straight from Product Hunt, it dispels myths and sets realistic expectations, unlike the sea... Product Hunt Article · guide / multi-page Product Hunt Launch Guide Product Hunt
  5. The authoritative handbook on founder-led sales, written for technical/first-time sellers building B2B SaaS. Readable free... foundingsales.com Book · book (~400 pages) Founding Sales: The Early Stage Go-to-Market Handbook Peter Kazanjy
  6. A blunt, practical guide from Demand Curve's founder on which paid and organic channels fit which business, and why most... julian.com Article · Long-form guide Startup Handbook: Customer Acquisition Channels Julian Shapiro
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