Community launch

Community Launch

Purpose

Selects the right developer community platforms for a product launch and produces platform-specific submission content. Prevents the two most common failures: submitting everywhere simultaneously (dilutes upvote concentration) and violating platform norms (triggers downvotes or removal).

Built for founders and DevRel leads who know they should post to developer communities but don't know which ones, when, or how to write for each platform's specific culture.

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Inputs

Input	Required?	Description
Product type	Required	Developer tool / API / consumer app / enterprise / open-source
Target persona	Required	Primary user: developer / founder / researcher / designer
Launch day	Required	Date of D0 hero announcement
Product Hunt pre-launch	Optional	Whether a PH profile has been set up and teaser posted
Community presence	Optional	Existing presence in relevant communities (karma, account age)
Demo available	Optional	Whether a live demo or video demo is available
Open-source	Optional	Whether the product is open-source or has an OSS component
Brain context	Optional	Prior community post performance

Brain read (if connected):

brain/read: community_post_performance, persona_community_activity

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Outputs

Output	Format	Description
Platform selection	Markdown decision table	Selected platforms with rationale; excluded platforms with reason
Post timing schedule	Markdown table	Platform × day × time (local timezone)
Submission drafts	Markdown	Platform-specific post content, formatted per platform norms

Brain write (if connected):

brain/write: community_platform_selected, post_timing, submission_performance

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Decision Logic

Step 1 — Platform selection by product type

Product type	Primary platforms	Secondary	Exclude
Developer tool / CLI	Hacker News (Show HN)	Reddit r/programming, dev.to	Product Hunt as primary
API / infrastructure	Hacker News (Show HN)	Reddit r/webdev, dev.to	Instagram, TikTok
Open-source project	Hacker News (Show HN)	GitHub trending, Reddit r/opensource	Product Hunt (low relevance for pure OSS)
Consumer / prosumer app	Product Hunt	Reddit (relevant subreddit), Twitter	HN (lower consumer relevance)
AI / ML tool	Hacker News (Show HN)	Product Hunt, Reddit r/MachineLearning	Treat as developer tool first
Enterprise SaaS	LinkedIn, Reddit (niche)	HN if technical buyer	Product Hunt (misaligned audience)

IF product is open-source AND has a GitHub repo
  THEN: Add GitHub README + trending as distribution channel alongside HN

IF product has a working live demo
  THEN: HN Show HN eligibility improves significantly — prioritize

IF target persona is non-technical (designer, marketer, operator)
  THEN: Product Hunt > HN; add relevant subreddit for the persona's domain

Step 2 — Platform timing rules

Platform	Best day	Best time	Logic
Hacker News (Show HN)	Monday or Tuesday	8–10am PT	Front page competition lowest; US West Coast morning maximises upvote window
Product Hunt	Tuesday	12:01am PT	PH resets daily at midnight PT; early launch = full 24-hour upvote window
Reddit	Tuesday–Thursday	9am–12pm local community timezone	Varies by subreddit — check subreddit's peak activity before scheduling
dev.to	Any weekday	8am ET	Email digest goes out early morning ET; early posts get digest inclusion

IF launch_day = Monday AND target_platform = HN
  THEN: Post Show HN at 8am PT on launch day — do not delay to Tuesday

IF Product Hunt AND HN both planned
  THEN: Stagger by 48h — PH on Tuesday, HN on Thursday (or vice versa)
  REASON: Simultaneous posts split upvote momentum; community cross-posting is visible and seen negatively

Step 3 — Platform norm enforcement

Hacker News Show HN:

• Title format: Show HN: [Product Name] – [plain-English description] — no marketing language
• Body: builder voice, first-person, ≤300 words
• What to include: why you built it, how it works, what feedback you want
• What to exclude: press release language, social proof claims, "excited to announce"
• After posting: respond to every comment within 2 hours; do not delete critical comments

Product Hunt:

• Tagline ≤60 characters; no verbs ("the X for Y" not "get the X for Y")
• First comment posted within 5 minutes of launch — maker's story, not marketing copy
• Hunter should be community member with >50 PH followers for credibility
• Do not submit the same product twice in 30 days

Reddit:

• Read and follow subreddit rules before posting — each subreddit has different self-promotion norms
• Self-promotion posts require established comment history in the subreddit
• Title must match subreddit's title conventions — check top posts of the week
• Engage with replies within 1 hour of posting; disappearing after post = downvotes

Enforced constraints:

• Never submit to HN and PH simultaneously — stagger by ≥48h
• Never delete a Show HN post after receiving comments (flagged by community)
• Never cross-post identical copy to multiple subreddits — each subreddit requires adapted copy

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Cross-Review Triggers

Required before FINAL:

• None — community launch posts do not require cross-review before submission

Conditionally required:

• pmm/content-review/ — if submission copy includes a benchmark claim or comparative statement
• pmm/positioning-review/ — if submission introduces a new positioning claim not approved in strategy brief

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Shared-skill consultation

shared-skill: foundations/shared-skills/
signal-direction: growth → pmm
purpose: confirm messaging consistency between community posts and hero blog post

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Example Usage

Example 1: Developer CLI tool — HN primary

Context: Founders launching an open-source CLI tool for database migrations. Working demo. Technical developer audience.

Input:

• Product type: Developer tool (open-source CLI)
• Persona: Backend developer
• Demo: Live demo available
• Open-source: Yes

Output:

PLATFORMS SELECTED:
Primary: Hacker News (Show HN) — Tuesday 8am PT
Secondary: Reddit r/programming — Thursday 9am ET (separate adapted post)
Excluded: Product Hunt (OSS CLI has misaligned PH audience)

TIMING:
D0 (Tuesday): Blog post + HN Show HN at 8am PT
D2 (Thursday): Reddit r/programming (adapted post, no duplicate copy)

SHOW HN DRAFT:
Title: Show HN: MigrateKit – Open-source database migration CLI that tests before it commits
Body: [280-word builder-voice post per HN norms]

Reviews triggered: None

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Example 2: Consumer AI app — Product Hunt primary

Context: Small team launching an AI writing assistant for non-technical users. No OSS component. Demo video available.

Input:

• Product type: Consumer / prosumer app
• Persona: Non-technical writer / content creator
• Demo: Video demo available
• Open-source: No

Output:

PLATFORMS SELECTED:
Primary: Product Hunt — Tuesday 12:01am PT
Secondary: Reddit r/artificial — Wednesday 10am ET (if karma allows)
Excluded: Hacker News Show HN (consumer app, non-technical audience)

TIMING:
D0 (Tuesday midnight PT): Product Hunt launch
D1 (Wednesday 10am ET): Reddit r/artificial (adapted post)

PRODUCT HUNT PACKAGE:
Tagline: AI writing co-pilot for non-technical founders (58 chars)
Description: [260-char description]
First comment: [400-word maker story]

Reviews triggered: pmm/content-review (benchmark claim in PH description)

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Example 3: Enterprise SaaS — LinkedIn + niche Reddit

Context: B2B data platform targeting engineering managers and CTOs at mid-market companies. No developer community presence yet.

Input:

• Product type: Enterprise SaaS
• Persona: Engineering manager / CTO
• Demo: Case study available
• Open-source: No

Output:

PLATFORMS SELECTED:
Primary: LinkedIn (founder personal + company page)
Secondary: Reddit r/ExperiencedDevs — Thursday (for technical EM audience)
Excluded: Product Hunt (misaligned consumer-first audience for enterprise SaaS)
Excluded: Hacker News Show HN (enterprise SaaS doesn't fit Show HN format norms)

TIMING:
D0 (Tuesday): LinkedIn posts + blog
D2 (Thursday): Reddit r/ExperiencedDevs (discussion angle, not promotional)

NOTE: r/ExperiencedDevs prohibits direct product promotion — post as a discussion
("How do you handle X?") and mention the product in comments if relevant.

Reviews triggered: pmm/positioning-review

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Validation Criteria

Output passes if:

• Platform selection decision is shown with explicit rationale for each platform selected and excluded
• Timing schedule is specified for each platform with day, time, and timezone
• Simultaneous HN + PH submission is not recommended
• Each submission draft follows platform-specific norm rules
• HN Show HN title follows exact format: Show HN: Name – description
• Reddit post adapted per target subreddit (not identical copy to HN or PH)
• Sources are declared and Tier-1 frameworks are cited
• Review triggers are listed with current status
• Output carries: Confidence: [0-100] and Review Trace: [list of reviews passed]

Output fails if:

• HN and PH submission scheduled simultaneously
• HN Show HN title uses marketing language
• Reddit post is identical copy to HN or PH submission
• Platform selected without checking product type match

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Benchmarks

Metric	Benchmark	Source
HN Show HN — front page threshold	~100 upvotes within 2 hours for front page placement	HN community observation, 2023–2024
Product Hunt — top 5	Typically requires 300+ upvotes; achievable with pre-launch community activation	Product Hunt community observation, 2022–2024
HN comment response SLA	Respond within 2 hours for sustained community engagement	HN community norms (observed)
PH first comment timing	Post within 5 minutes of launch; first comment gets top position	Product Hunt maker norms (observed)

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References & Sources

Tier-1 frameworks used:

• Hacker News Guidelines — Y Combinator — current — Show HN format requirements, community norms
• Product Hunt maker community norms — Product Hunt — 2022–2024 — Tagline, first comment, timing rules

Tier-2 operator repos referenced:

• aether-growth/campaign/knowledge/tactics/community-seed.md — platform selection heuristics — internal

Tier-3 supplemental context:

• Reforge PLG Series — Reforge — 2023 — Used for: community seeding timing benchmarks

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Output metadata (append to every FINAL output):

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Skill: community-launch v0.1.0
Role: growth
Confidence: [0-100]
Review Trace: [list of reviews passed, or "DRAFT — pending: [list]"]
Bridge Signals: none
Brain Context: [connected / not connected]
Sources: HN Guidelines (YC); PH maker norms 2022–2024; Reforge PLG 2023
Generated: [date]
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