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Launch Post Writing

Write launch posts that fit each channel's culture and rules (Show HN, Reddit, X/Twitter thread, LinkedIn, Indie Hackers, community groups), leading with a story or lesson instead of an ad. Use when announcing a product, a major update or a milestone, or when someone asks "write my launch post", "Show HN post", "how do I post on Reddit without getting banned", or "announce my app".

Beginner⏱ 30-45 min📂 launchv1.0.0

In 30–45 minutes you will have one core story and a version of it for each channel, ready to post.

Goal

Write posts people read to the end because they are useful or interesting, and click because they want to, not because you told them to.

When to use

  • Launch day, a major version, or a milestone ("100 paying users, here's what worked").
  • A post you already published flopped and you want to know why.
  • Not for: paid ads or store listing copy → aso-title-subtitle-optimization.

Inputs

  • What the product does, who it's for, and a link people can try (ideally without signing up).
  • The story: why you built it, a real number or moment, what surprised you.
  • The channels you'll post in, and each one's rules (read the sidebar or rules page of every community).

The one structure that works everywhere

  1. Hook: a specific problem, number or moment. ("I waited 94 days for a $2,400 invoice.")
  2. Story or insight: what you tried, what you learned. This is the part people share.
  3. What you built: one or two sentences, concrete.
  4. What's different: the one thing that isn't true of the alternatives.
  5. Ask: a specific question you want feedback on. The link goes here, at the end.

Channel rules

Channel Format Must know
Show HN Title Show HN: <Name> – <what it does>, plain text, link to the product For things people can try. Make it easy: no signup wall if possible. Technical detail and honest limits do well, marketing language does badly. Stay and answer comments.
Reddit Story/lesson post, link at the end or in a comment if the sub prefers Every subreddit has its own self-promotion rules. Read them first (launch-reddit-posting picks subreddits by product type and fetches their rules). Many only allow promotion on specific days or threads. Post from an account with real history in that community.
X / Twitter Thread: hook tweet → 4–7 tweets → link in the last tweet The first tweet must stand alone. A screenshot or 15-second demo video beats text.
LinkedIn 1,000–1,300 characters, short lines, lesson-first The first 2 lines show before "…see more". Put the link in the post or first comment.
Indie Hackers / communities Milestone or lesson post with real numbers Numbers and transparency (revenue, what failed) get engagement.

Steps

  1. Write the core story once (15 min) using the 5-part structure. Around 150–250 words.
  2. Adapt per channel (15 min) using the table. Change the hook and length, not the facts.
  3. Remove hype. Delete "revolutionary", "game-changer", "excited to announce", and every exclamation mark except one.
  4. Check the rules of every community one more time. Add UTM tags to every link.
  5. Post and stay. Block 2 hours after each post to reply to every comment. Early replies drive most of the reach.

Prompt (copy-paste)

Replace everything in {{ }}.

You are a launch copywriter who writes like a builder, not a marketer.

Product: {{what it does, who it's for}}
Link: {{URL}}   Can people try it without signing up? {{yes/no}}
My story: {{why I built it, a real moment or number, what I learned}}
What's different from alternatives: {{one thing}}
Channels: {{e.g. Show HN, r/SaaS, X, LinkedIn}}

1. Write a core story (150-250 words): hook with a specific moment or number → insight → what I built →
   what's different → a specific feedback question. Link only at the end.
2. Adapt it for each channel:
   - Show HN: title in the "Show HN: Name – what it does" format + a plain first comment with technical
     details and honest limitations.
   - Reddit: a lesson-first post; remind me to check the subreddit's self-promotion rules.
   - X: a 5-7 tweet thread, first tweet must stand alone, link in the last tweet.
   - LinkedIn: 1,000-1,300 characters, first two lines must make people click "see more".
3. No hype words (revolutionary, game-changer, excited to announce). Max one exclamation mark per post.

Example output

Illustrative example. Fictional product, shown for format.

Show HN title: Show HN: Invoicely Lite – invoices that send polite payment reminders for you

X hook tweet:

I waited 94 days for a $2,400 invoice. Not because the client was shady. Because I hated writing "just following up" emails. So I built a tool that writes them for me. Here's what 3 months of automatic reminders did to my payment times 🧵

Common mistakes

  • Starting with the product name. Nobody cares yet. Start with the problem or the moment.
  • The same post pasted everywhere. Each community notices, and moderators remove it.
  • Link first, story never. It reads as an ad, gets downvoted, and in many subreddits gets removed.
  • Posting and leaving. Unanswered comments kill reach in the first hour.

Credits

Written by @nvminhtu. Show HN rules from Hacker News' Show HN guidelines. Always read each subreddit's rules before posting.