git:20251113.b02ed5d to git:20260121.495d7e5

---

name: ph-community-outreach

description: Engage Reddit, Indie Hackers, Hacker News and other communities for Product Hunt launches. Use this skill to identify relevant communities, craft appropriate posts, and drive cross-platform engagement without appearing spammy.

---

# Product Hunt Community Outreach

This skill helps you leverage online communities to amplify your Product Hunt launch while maintaining authenticity and following community guidelines.

## When to Use This Skill

- Identifying communities relevant to your product

- Crafting community-appropriate posts

- Timing cross-platform promotion

- Building relationships before launch

- Avoiding spam flags and bans

## The Golden Rules

### Rule 1: Be a Member First

- Participate for 2-4 weeks before launch

- Add value through comments and discussions

- Build karma/reputation organically

- Never cold-post your launch

### Rule 2: Provide Value, Not Just Promotion

- Share learnings, not just links

- Answer questions in your domain

- Help others with their launches

- Make posts interesting standalone

### Rule 3: Follow Each Community's Rules

- Read sidebar/rules before posting

- Check if self-promotion is allowed

- Note any format requirements

- Respect moderators

## Platform-by-Platform Guide

### Reddit

#### Relevant Subreddits

**General Startup/Product:**

- r/SideProject (253k) - Very friendly to makers

- r/startups (960k) - Broader startup discussion

- r/Entrepreneur (2.4M) - Business-focused

- r/smallbusiness (1.3M) - SMB audience

- r/InternetIsBeautiful (17M) - Cool web things

**Tech/Development:**

- r/webdev (1.7M) - Web development

- r/programming (5.6M) - General programming

- r/learnprogramming (3.5M) - Beginners

- r/opensource (400k) - Open source projects

- r/selfhosted (280k) - Self-hosted solutions

**Specific Niches:**

- r/SaaS (44k) - SaaS products

- r/nocode (120k) - No-code tools

- r/artificial (1.4M) - AI products

- r/productivity (1.1M) - Productivity tools

- r/design (470k) - Design tools

**Product Hunt Specific:**

- r/ProductHunters (small but targeted)

#### Reddit Posting Strategy

**Pre-Launch (2-4 weeks before):**

1. Join relevant subreddits

2. Comment helpfully on 10-20 posts

3. Build karma organically

4. Observe what content works

**Launch Day Post Template:**

```

Title: I built [Product] to solve [specific problem] -

launching on Product Hunt today

Hey r/[subreddit]!

After [X months] of building, I'm finally launching

[Product] on Product Hunt today.

**The Problem:**

[2-3 sentences about the problem]

**What I Built:**

[2-3 sentences about your solution]

**What Makes It Different:**

[Your unique angle]

**Current Status:**

- [Key metric or milestone]

- [Another relevant detail]

**Looking For:**

- Honest feedback on the concept

- Suggestions for improvement

- [Specific question for community]

Product Hunt link: [URL]

Happy to answer any questions about the build,

the tech stack, or the journey!

```

#### Reddit Best Practices

- ✓ Post during active hours (9 AM - 5 PM local)

- ✓ Respond to every comment

- ✓ Be humble and open to criticism

- ✓ Share actual value/learnings

- ✓ Use authentic language

#### Reddit Avoid

- ❌ Posting in 10+ subreddits at once (spam)

- ❌ Using the same text everywhere

- ❌ Just dropping a link

- ❌ Ignoring negative feedback

- ❌ Posting in large subreddits without karma

---

### Indie Hackers

#### Why Indie Hackers Works

- Community of makers/founders

- Celebrate launches and milestones

- Value transparency and learning

- Often reciprocal support

#### Indie Hackers Post Template

```

Title: Just launched [Product] on Product Hunt -

here's what I learned building it

Hey IH community!

Today I launched [Product] on Product Hunt and wanted

to share the journey.

**📝 The Backstory**

[How you got the idea, why you built it]

**🔨 What I Built**

[Product] is [description]. It helps [audience]

[achieve outcome].

**📊 Key Numbers**

- Time to build: [X months]

- Lines of code: [X] (or tech stack)

- Beta users before launch: [X]

- Current MRR: [X or "pre-revenue"]

**💡 Lessons Learned**

1. [Key lesson]

2. [Key lesson]

3. [Key lesson]

**🎯 What's Next**

[Your roadmap or next steps]

**🙏 The Ask**

Would love feedback from this community:

- [Specific question]

- [Specific question]

Product Hunt: [Link]

Website: [Link]

AMA about the build!

```

#### Indie Hackers Best Practices

- ✓ Share real numbers (transparency wins)

- ✓ Focus on the journey, not just the product

- ✓ Engage with other launches too

- ✓ Join relevant IH groups

- ✓ Follow up with results post

---

### Hacker News

#### Hacker News Reality Check

- Very high bar for quality

- Community can be harsh

- Not for every product

- Best for: Dev tools, technical products, novel tech

#### HN Post Strategy

**Show HN Format:**

```

Title: Show HN: [Product Name] – [Brief description]

[Link to product]

Then in comments, add context:

Hey HN! I built [Product] because [reason].

Technical details:

- Built with [tech stack]

- [Interesting technical challenge]

- [Performance/scale info]

I'd appreciate any feedback, especially on:

- [Technical question]

- [UX question]

Happy to discuss the implementation!

```

#### HN Best Practices

- ✓ Technical substance required

- ✓ Be ready for tough questions

- ✓ Respond thoughtfully to criticism

- ✓ Don't ask for upvotes (ever)