How to post a Show HN on Hacker News
Show HN is the Hacker News format for sharing something you made that people can try. Title it "Show HN: [Name] – [what it does]", link to something usable (not a signup wall or a landing page), post a first comment explaining what you built and why, then answer every question honestly. Never ask for upvotes: HN detects voting rings and penalizes them.
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What Show HN allows
Hacker News's Show HN guidelines say it is for something you have made that others can play with: it should be easy to try, ideally without signing up. Blog posts, sign-up pages, fundraisers and landing pages without a working product are not Show HNs. The general HN guidelines apply too: no asking for upvotes, no promotional tone.
Writing the title
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Show HN: The Future of Bookkeeping!!! | Show HN: Ledger – bookkeeping that categorizes receipts from email |
| Show HN: My startup | Show HN: A press release editor that drafts from your changelog |
The first comment
Post immediately after submitting. Cover: who you are, the problem, what you built, how it works technically (HN readers care), what is free, what you want feedback on. Plain, honest and specific. Mention limitations before commenters do.
When to post
Weekday mornings US time are popular and competitive; posts at quieter times face less competition but fewer readers. Post when you can stay for several hours. If a post gets no traction, HN allows a repost after some time; moderators sometimes invite strong posts into a second-chance pool.
What a good Show HN gives you
Traffic from technical readers, blunt feedback, and a discussion page that ranks in search and is frequently read by AI assistants for developer topics. Even a modest Show HN leaves a permanent, indexed page discussing your product.
Questions people ask
Can I post a Show HN for a SaaS with a free trial?
Yes, if people can try it easily. A demo or free tier without long signup works best.
What if my post gets flagged?
Flags usually mean it read as promotional or broke a rule. Email the moderators (hn@ycombinator.com) politely if you think it was a mistake.