1. 2 weeks before: pick an angle HN cares about
A product page alone will flop or get flagged. Pick one thing you can explain in depth: your cost breakdown per garment, why you chose a specific mill or fabric, how you solved fit with data, or a tool you built, like a size calculator. Read the top posts for 'Show HN' and for searches like 'manufacturing' or 'merino' on hn.algolia.com to see what has landed before.
2. 2 weeks before: use your account like a normal reader
New accounts that only post their own links get ignored or flagged. Spend 15 minutes a day leaving useful comments on threads about manufacturing, ecommerce, and small businesses. You are not gaming anything. You are becoming someone whose post people will read.
3. 1 week before: write the post on your own site
Write one honest, detailed article with your real numbers and photos. Example title: 'What it cost us to make 300 merino t-shirts in Portugal.' Include the minimum order quantities, the per-unit cost, what went wrong with the first samples, and what you would do differently. Link to the shop once at the end, not in every paragraph.
4. 3 days before: get your site ready for a spike
Remove email popups and cookie walls that block reading. Show prices, fabric weight, country of manufacture, and a size chart in centimeters and inches. Place a test order yourself, and check how much stock you can actually ship within a week.
5. Launch day: submit at the right time with a plain title
Submit on a weekday between 8 and 10am US Eastern. Use a factual title with no hype. Use 'Show HN' only if people can try something, such as your size tool. Otherwise submit the article as a normal link, for example 'What it cost us to make 300 merino t-shirts in Portugal.' Then post a first comment: 'I'm the founder. We're a two-person brand with no investors. Happy to answer anything about the factory, fabric, or margins.'
6. Launch day: stay in the thread all day
Reply to every real question within the hour, including the harsh ones. If someone says the price is too high, show the math: 'Fair question. Fabric is X, sewing is Y, shipping is Z, so our margin is about W. Here is the breakdown in the post.' Never argue, never ask anyone to upvote, and never have friends comment. HN detects voting rings and will kill the post.
7. Days 1 to 7: follow up with everyone who showed up
Email every buyer personally, thank them, and ask one question: 'What made you order?' Reply to late comments in the thread. People who asked about sizes or restocks deserve a direct answer. Write down every objection you heard and fix the top two on your product page.
8. Week 2: turn the thread into more customers
Use what resonated to write a second piece, such as 'What 400 HN comments taught us about pricing.' Share the original article where self-posts are allowed and the topic fits, like r/BuyItForLife or r/Entrepreneur, after reading each subreddit's rules. Hulby, an AI cofounder, runs this kind of launch prep and follow-up for founders every day.
Mistakes to skip
- Submitting a bare shop homepage instead of an article or tool people can engage with
- Asking friends or a group chat to upvote, which gets the post flagged
- Hiding prices or fabric details, which HN readers will point out immediately
- Posting and walking away instead of answering questions all day
Want this done for your clothing brand, every day?
Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.
Find my first customersQuestions
Can a clothing brand really do well on Hacker News?
Yes, if the post is about how it was made, what it costs, or a tool you built. A plain product announcement usually sinks.
Should I use Show HN?
Only if readers can try something, like a fit calculator. Otherwise submit your article as a normal link.
What if my post gets no traction?
You can resubmit a few days later at a different time. HN allows a small number of reposts of the same story if it got no attention.
How much stock do I need?
Enough to ship what you can realistically sell in a week, or offer clear preorders with a ship date. Late shipping after a launch damages trust fast.