The Dispatch

October 9, 2024 | Edition #5

Argon Labs is a specialized technical and developer marketing agency that helps developer-focused startups to scaleups build out their content strategy and helps them establish domain authority and presence in their industry.

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Dispatch, where we provide you with the latest musings on technical marketing and Developer Experience & Relations to help educate and inform you on building the best content strategy for your team and organization.

Today, we'll be addressing a long-standing ask from our developer community of founders - how the heck do you get featured on HackerNews!

We wanted to tackle this because we understand how challenging it can be to stand out when you're starting from the absolute beginning - no brand awareness, no presence, and no brand authority.

HackerNews is just one of those chat forums that have been around for a long time but also has become an institution for evangelizing the developer community. Love them or hate them, getting on the front page of HackerNews is no easy feat, so we wanted to take some time to explain how to do it properly.

Time to dive in.

But first, here are a few things that caught our eye over the past month.

What Caught Our Eye

​The 2024 State of Developer Relations - this report highlights the increasing importance of DevRel as a strategic function within tech companies. Content development remains a top activity, reflecting the need for education and technical documentation, while there's a noticeable shift towards higher budgets and salaries, suggesting an acknowledgment of DevRel's value in enhancing software quality and developer engagement.

​How Make Your Technical Product Standout in Crowded Market - this piece is from yours truly. It focuses on solving real problems in unique ways, like really getting to know your users' pain points and innovating there. Also, it's super important to communicate what makes your product special through clear, engaging marketing that resonates with your audience.

​How to go beyond developer acquisition to developer advocacy - this one is all about how companies shouldn't just stop hiring developers but should turn them into advocates for their brand. If developers love where they work, they naturally promote the company through word of mouth, social media, and even at tech events. This not only helps in attracting more talent but also in building a solid, positive company reputation.

​How to Sell to Developers - this is all about understanding that developers are a different breed – they hate typical marketing fluff and want straightforward communication. Show them you've got a solid product with good documentation, offer free trials or freemium models, and engage with them where they hang out, like GitHub or Stack Overflow.

​How to Build a Developer Community - start by nailing down your community's purpose and setting clear goals. Choose the right platform where devs hang out, like Discord or GitHub. Make sure you engage with them through cool content, regular events, and by being super responsive.

Getting Featured on HackerNews!

If you’re a young, developer-focused startup, getting attention is tough - ​you have little to no brand awareness, no presence, no domain authority, ​and very little to show in progress and traction.

You need to get the word out.

Your product is ready. Your website (including SEO) is ready. Your socials ​are ready.

But you just need a bit of a kick to get moving in the right direction.

Enter HackerNews.

Now imagine having your product featured on HackerNews—the visibility ​alone can catapult your startup into the spotlight.

Companies from Dropbox to Stripe, are two iconic startups that gained ​momentum after making waves on HackerNews.

But the challenge?

It’s not easy to get featured. HackerNews users are known for their ​discerning, sometimes critical, nature. Low-quality, overly promotional ​content? It won’t survive long.

So how do you break through and get your moment in the spotlight?

But What Is HackerNews?

HackerNews is a social news platform run by Y Combinator where users ​share and discuss tech-related articles, projects, and breakthroughs.

With a predominantly developer audience, the content is focused on ​programming, startups, and industry innovation.

Unlike social platforms driven by algorithms, HackerNews is community-curated, meaning that upvotes and downvotes from users determine ​which content rises to the top.

This makes it both highly democratic and quite unpredictable.

Posts that offer real value and authentic discussion tend to perform well, ​while anything deemed self-promotional or low-effort is swiftly buried.

Let’s dive into what are some practical ways you can increase your ​chances of making a HackerNews appearance.

Practical Tips for Startups to Get ​Featured on HackerNews

Focus on Real Value—Don’t Sell, Teach:

The first thing you need to know is that HackerNews users hate sales ​pitches - let me say that again - they absolutely hate it.

The best posts don’t feel like marketing; they feel like genuine insights or ​valuable contributions to the developer community. Share useful content ​usually in blog post form like tutorials, lessons learned, or an open-source ​tool you’ve built.

If you’re an avid Twitter (X) user, you know what we mean by this - you ​have to talk around your product, not about it.

Example: Instead of saying, “Try our new dev tool,” frame it as “Here’s how ​we solved X problem while building our dev tool.”

By doing this, you’re contributing to a larger conversation, not pushing a ​product.

Be Transparent About Your Journey:

HackerNews readers love an authentic and genuine story, especially if it ​involves struggle, learning, or unique technical challenges.

Share your journey—what worked, what didn’t, and what you’ve learned.

Honesty about your process, especially the technical hurdles you faced, is ​something the community respects.

Example: A startup shared a post about how they re-architected their ​entire system after their first design failed, which resulted in massive ​discussion and attention.

Timing is Key

Your content has a limited window to gain traction before it sinks into the ​void, so post when the community is most active.

The best times tend to be on weekdays between 9 AM and 12 PM PST, as ​this captures early users and gives your post more time to gain upvotes ​throughout the day.

Q4 Slots Open Now

We’ve got some open slots for new clients left for Q4.

If you’re struggling with developer marketing, we’re here to help.

Maybe your product isn’t getting the traction it deserves, or your technical messaging is getting lost in translation.

We understand the pain points—whether it’s driving adoption, creating technical content that resonates, or getting noticed on platforms like HackerNews.

Just reach out and we'll be happy to work together to refine your strategy, craft content that engages your audience, and help you get the visibility you need to grow.