Hacker News (HN) is where tech-savvy founders, developers, and early adopters gather to discuss tools, products, and ideas. For B2B SaaS companies, it's one of the best places to find customers who love trying new products.

Why Hacker News?

HN users are ideal early adopters because they:

Work at tech companies with buying power
Love trying new tools and products
Share recommendations with their networks
Provide valuable product feedback

Types of High-Intent HN Posts

1. Ask HN Posts

Posts starting with "Ask HN:" are goldmines. Users explicitly ask for recommendations:

"Ask HN: What tools do you use for X?"
"Ask HN: Recommendations for Y?"
"Ask HN: How do you solve Z problem?"

2. Show HN Competitor Posts

When a competitor launches on HN, the comments often include people asking for alternatives or comparing features. This is high-intent traffic.

3. Problem Discussion Posts

Posts discussing problems in your space attract people who might be looking for solutions.

The HN Culture

Hacker News has strict guidelines about self-promotion. To succeed on HN:

Never spam - You'll get downvoted and flagged
Add genuine value - Answer the actual question
Be transparent - Say "I'm the founder of X" if mentioning your product
Participate broadly - Don't only comment when you can promote

How to Monitor HN Effectively

Manually checking HN multiple times a day is tedious. Here's a better approach:

Define keywords related to your product category
Set up automated monitoring for those keywords
Get instant alerts when relevant posts appear
Be among the first to respond with helpful answers

Pro Tip

Early comments on HN get more visibility. If you can respond within the first few hours of a relevant post, your comment is much more likely to be seen and upvoted.

Example: Good vs Bad Responses

❌ Bad Response:

"Check out MyProduct! It's the best solution for this. Link: myproduct.com"

✅ Good Response:

"I've been dealing with this problem too. Here are the options I evaluated: [detailed comparison]. Full disclosure: I ended up building MyProduct to solve this specific issue, but [Competitor] might be better if you need X. Happy to share more about my experience with either approach."

Automate Your HN Monitoring

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Key Takeaways

HN is perfect for reaching tech-savvy early adopters
Focus on "Ask HN" posts for highest-intent leads
Always add value and be transparent about self-promotion
Speed matters—early comments get more visibility
Build karma by participating in discussions broadly

How to Find Early Adopters on Hacker News