How to Get to the Front Page of Hacker News (Without Getting Flagged)

Hacker News (HN) can send more traffic to your site in 2 hours than most channels can in a month. But it is also the most brutal community on the internet.

If your post smells like marketing, it will be flagged and dead within minutes.

Here is how to play the HN game:

1. Show, Don't Tell

Hacker News loves "Show HN" posts. This is where you show something you built. The community wants to see the code, the architecture, or the data. They don't care about your landing page.

2. Write for Engineers

The audience on HN is mostly software engineers. Use technical language, share your tech stack, and be open about your bugs. Authenticity is the only currency that works.

3. The Timing Myth

There is no "perfect time" to post on HN. The algorithm is designed to prevent gaming. Focus on the quality of the submission rather than the clock.

Use Reddit to Test

Before posting on Hacker News, test your content on Reddit! See how a community like r/webdev reacts to your project. If it does well there, it has a good chance on HN.

Respect the community.