HN expert comments before self-promotional posts
Treat useful comments on other people's threads as a demand channel, because expertise often converts more cleanly than showing up only when you want attention for your own launch.
Why this can grow a startup
A good comment lets buyers discover you while they are already reading about the problem. There is less defensive filtering because you are helping the discussion rather than asking the room to switch context into launch mode. Over time that builds familiarity, and the inbound interest tends to arrive warmer because it started from demonstrated expertise instead of announcement copy.
Company example
In Ask HN: What HN post made you money?, one founder said random expert comments led more reliably to inbound sales interest that converted into revenue than the Show HN spike did.
Source and metric
Source: Ask HN: What HN post made you money?
The founder said comments, not posts, led more reliably to sales interest that converted
Source discovered: May 27, 2026
When to use it
Use this when Hacker News, Community, Founder-led is relevant to community-led growth, founder-led, trust building and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
Founder checklist
- Read Ask HN: What HN post made you money? and identify what is directly supported.
- Choose one channel context: Hacker News, Community, Founder-led.
- Define the test around The founder said comments, not posts, led more reliably to sales interest that converted.
- Set an owner, evidence window, and stop condition before launch.
Explore the context
Apply this with an operator
Build creator and community systems around real incentives, trust, and repeat participation.