Tool

Show HN Guidelines

Y Combinator · Hacker News Free Beginner

The official rules for posting to Hacker News's Show HN section, worth reading before you try this channel again: it tells you exactly what qualifies and how the community expects you to show up. A quiet first Show HN post is common, a better prepared second one, tied to a genuinely new milestone, is a normal way to try the channel again.

  • Show HN is for things people can try directly, not blog posts or sign up pages
  • A clear, neutral title matters more than a clever one
  • You can post the same product again later around a genuinely new milestone
Open on news.ycombinator.com ↗

It answers 2 questions

  1. My launch flopped and nobody cared, did I mess it up?
  2. 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. 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)
  3. 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
  4. Most first 100 users advice is vague. This piece is the opposite: it groups the real cold start tactics into seven concrete... Lenny's Newsletter Article · About a 15 minute read How the biggest consumer apps got their first 1,000 users Lenny Rachitsky
  5. The permission slip to recruit users by hand, do things manually, and deliver 'insanely great' experiences to your first few... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read Do Things That Don't Scale Paul Graham
  6. Twenty founders describe the pivotal moments on their path to fit, and a recurring theme is why the right founder for the right... First Round Review Article · ~25 min read The Only Way to Win: Advice for Founders From Founders First Round Review
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →