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Hacker News readers are skeptical of AI writing tools, and they say so in the comments. That works in your favor if you show something real, explain how it works, and answer criticism honestly. This playbook takes you from a week before your Show HN post to the days after it.

All guidesFor founders of an AI writing tool

1. 7 days before: make it usable without signup

HN readers leave when they hit a signup wall. Put a demo on the landing page where someone can paste a paragraph and see your tool rewrite it or draft from it in under 10 seconds. If that costs you API money, cap it at 3 free generations per visitor and say so on the page.

2. 6 days before: write down what makes it different

Every HN comment thread on AI writing asks the same question: how is this different from just using ChatGPT? Write a two-sentence answer that names one specific thing, like a workflow, a format, or a type of user. For example: 'It is built for support engineers writing changelog entries from git diffs. It reads the diff and matches your past changelog tone.'

3. 5 days before: study recent Show HN posts

Search hn.algolia.com for 'Show HN' with the keywords writing, editor, copy, and GPT, then sort by popularity. Read the top comments on the 10 highest-scoring posts and list the objections that keep coming up, such as hallucinations, privacy, prompt wrapper, and pricing. Prepare a short, honest reply to each one.

4. 3 days before: draft the post and first comment

Title format: 'Show HN: [Name] – [what it does for whom]'. Example: 'Show HN: Draftline – turns git diffs into release notes in your team's voice'. In your first comment, cover who you are, why you built it, which model you use, what data you store and for how long, what it is bad at, and pricing. Keep it under 250 words and do not use marketing language.

5. 2 days before: line up honest early feedback

Ask 5 to 10 people who would actually use the tool to try it and send you blunt notes. That could be indie hackers in the Indie Hackers forum, technical writers in the Write the Docs Slack, or developers you know. Do not ask anyone to upvote. HN detects vote rings and will penalize or kill the post.

6. Launch day: post early US Eastern time and stay in the thread

Submit between 7 and 9am ET on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, then post your first comment right away. Plan to reply to every comment for the next 6 hours. Thank critics and answer them with specifics, for example: 'Fair point. We store drafts for 24 hours for undo, then delete them. You can turn that off in settings.' If the post sinks in the first hour, you can email hn@ycombinator.com and ask about the second-chance pool. Do not repost the same day.

7. Days 1 to 3 after: follow up with people who engaged

Go through the comments and the signups from launch day. Email every signup personally with one question: 'What were you hoping to write when you tried it?' Turn the most repeated objection from the thread into a fix or a doc page within a week, and reply in the thread when it ships.

8. Week after: keep the momentum going

Write a short post on your blog about what you learned from the launch and what you changed afterward. Share it in r/SideProject and Indie Hackers. Hulby, an AI cofounder, can handle this outreach and follow-up for you every day so it keeps happening after launch week.

Mistakes to skip

  • Using marketing language like 'revolutionary AI writer' in the title, which HN readers penalize immediately.
  • Requiring signup or a credit card before anyone can see the output.
  • Asking friends to upvote, which can get the post flagged or killed.
  • Getting defensive when someone calls it a GPT wrapper instead of explaining what you built on top.

Want this done for your AI writing tool, every day?

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Questions

Can I post Show HN if my tool uses OpenAI or Anthropic models?

Yes. Name the model in your first comment and explain what your product adds. Hiding it hurts trust more than admitting it.

What if my post gets no traction?

Wait at least a few weeks, ship a meaningful change, and post again with a new angle. You can also email the mods about the second-chance pool.

Should I offer a launch discount?

It is optional. A free tier or a working demo matters far more to HN readers than a discount.

How many signups should I expect?

There is no reliable number. Results vary a lot, so measure how many people actually use the tool, not just page views.