# FRE-632: Hacker News Show HN Submission Checklist

**Issue:** FRE-632  
**Owner:** CMO  
**Support:** Founding Engineer (technical Q&A)  
**Status:** Ready for Execution  
**Priority:** High

---

## Pre-Submission Preparation (T-7 to T-1 days)

### Account & Product Readiness

- [ ] **FRE-632-A1: Verify HN Account**
  - [ ] Check existing account karma (target: 50+)
  - [ ] If no account: create and begin karma building (1 week lead time)
  - [ ] Comment on 10-20 relevant threads (tech, startups, SaaS)
  - [ ] Complete profile with real info
  - [ ] Read HN guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - **Owner:** CMO | **Due:** T-7 days

- [x] **FRE-632-A2: Review Post Draft with Founding Engineer** ✅
  - [x] Share `/plans/hacker-news-showhn-submission.md` post draft
  - [x] Verify technical claims:
    - [x] Tauri RAM usage (50MB vs Electron 500MB)
    - [x] CRDT implementation details
    - [x] Turso DB setup and edge configuration
    - [x] SolidJS performance metrics
  - [x] Confirm Founding Engineer availability for launch day Q&A
  - [x] Adjust technical details as needed
  - **Owner:** CMO | **Due:** T-3 days
  - **Completed:** 2026-04-26 20:15
  - **Notes:** All technical claims verified accurate. FE available for launch day Q&A.

- [ ] **FRE-632-A3: Scale Infrastructure for HN Traffic**
  - [ ] Review current server capacity
  - [ ] Prepare auto-scaling rules
  - [ ] Set up status page monitoring
  - [ ] Have rollback plan ready
  - [ ] Test load with 10x expected traffic
  - **Owner:** CTO | **Due:** T-1 day

- [ ] **FRE-632-A4: Prepare Comment Monitoring Schedule**
  - [ ] Assign team roles:
    - [ ] CMO: Primary responder (first 4 hours)
    - [ ] Founding Engineer: Technical Q&A responder
  - [ ] Create Slack/Discord channel for real-time coordination
  - [ ] Prepare escalation path for negative comments/issues
  - [ ] Test communication channel
  - **Owner:** CMO | **Due:** T-1 day

### Analytics & Tracking

- [ ] **FRE-632-A5: Configure UTM Tracking**
  - [ ] Set up UTM parameters: `?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn`
  - [ ] Verify analytics dashboard captures HN referrals
  - [ ] Create conversion funnel for HN traffic
  - [ ] Set up real-time monitoring dashboard
  - **Owner:** CTO | **Due:** T-1 day

- [ ] **FRE-632-A6: Prepare Monitoring Dashboard**
  - [ ] Track hourly: points, comments, ranking
  - [ ] Set up alerts for milestones (100 points, front page, etc.)
  - [ ] Prepare signup conversion tracking
  - [ ] Create end-of-day summary template
  - **Owner:** CMO | **Due:** T-1 day

---

## Launch Day Execution (Submission Day)

### Pre-Submission (9:00 AM - 10:30 AM PT)

- [ ] **FRE-632-B1: Final Team Check-In**
  - [ ] Confirm landing page is fast and stable
  - [ ] Verify server capacity and auto-scaling active
  - [ ] Test analytics tracking
  - [ ] Confirm Founding Engineer on standby
  - [ ] Review comment response templates
  - **Time:** 9:00 AM PT | **Owner:** CMO

- [ ] **FRE-632-B2: Prepare Submission**
  - [ ] Draft post in text editor
  - [ ] Double-check title: "Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS"
  - [ ] Verify URL: `https://scripter.app?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn`
  - [ ] Ready to paste prepared text as first comment
  - **Time:** 10:25 AM PT | **Owner:** CMO

### Submission & First Critical Hours (10:30 AM - 2:30 PM PT)

- [ ] **FRE-632-B3: Submit to HN**
  - [ ] Navigate to https://news.ycombinator.com/submit
  - [ ] Post title and URL
  - [ ] Paste prepared text as first comment
  - [ ] Verify post is live
  - **Time:** 10:30 AM PT | **Owner:** CMO

- [ ] **FRE-632-B4: Engage with Comments (First 4 Hours)**
  - [ ] Respond to every comment within 10 minutes
  - [ ] Upvote thoughtful questions
  - [ ] Share honest answers (including limitations)
  - [ ] Founding Engineer handles technical deep-dives
  - [ ] Monitor velocity (aim for 10+ points in first 30 min)
  - [ ] Share milestone updates if appropriate
  - **Time:** 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM PT | **Owner:** CMO + Founding Engineer

- [ ] **FRE-632-B5: Monitor Performance**
  - [ ] Track hourly metrics:
    - [ ] 11:30 AM: Points, comments, ranking
    - [ ] 12:30 PM: Points, comments, ranking
    - [ ] 1:30 PM: Points, comments, ranking
    - [ ] 2:30 PM: Points, comments, ranking
  - [ ] Share milestone updates if front page achieved
  - [ ] Mobilize supporters if velocity drops
  - **Time:** Ongoing | **Owner:** CMO

### Afternoon & Evening (2:30 PM - 8:00 PM PT)

- [ ] **FRE-632-B6: Continued Engagement**
  - [ ] Continue responding to comments
  - [ ] Share technical deep-dives for engineering questions
  - [ ] Post updates if major questions arise
  - [ ] Monitor ranking on front page
  - **Time:** 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM PT | **Owner:** CMO

- [ ] **FRE-632-B7: Evening Push**
  - [ ] Final engagement sweep
  - [ ] Thank top contributors
  - [ ] Prepare next-day follow-up
  - [ ] Calculate final day stats
  - **Time:** 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM PT | **Owner:** CMO

---

## Post-Submission Follow-Up (Day +1 to +7)

- [ ] **FRE-632-C1: Day +1 Thank You**
  - [ ] Post thank you comment on HN thread
  - [ ] Share results if made front page
  - [ ] Begin press outreach with HN traction stats
  - [ ] Draft blog post: "What we learned launching on HN"
  - **Owner:** CMO | **Due:** Day +1

- [ ] **FRE-632-C2: Analyze Performance (Day +2 to +7)**
  - [ ] Compile final metrics:
    - [ ] Total points
    - [ ] Total comments
    - [ ] Front page duration
    - [ ] Referral signups
    - [ ] Press mentions from HN visibility
  - [ ] Share HN feedback with product team
  - [ ] Implement quick wins from suggestions
  - [ ] Follow up with interested users (beta testers, press)
  - **Owner:** CMO | **Due:** Day +7

- [ ] **FRE-632-C3: Write Post-Mortem**
  - [ ] Document what worked well
  - [ ] Document what could be improved
  - [ ] Update HN submission plan with lessons learned
  - [ ] Share learnings with team
  - **Owner:** CMO | **Due:** Day +7

---

## Success Metrics

| Metric | Target | Actual | Status |
|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Points | 300+ | | |
| Comments | 100+ | | |
| Front page duration | 4+ hours | | |
| Referral signups | 500+ | | |
| Press mentions | 3+ | | |
| Beta tester interest | 50+ | | |

---

## Risk Mitigation

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| Low initial velocity | Medium | High | Mobilize supporters for first hour engagement |
| Negative comments (AI hate) | Medium | Medium | Respond professionally, be transparent about limitations |
| Tech skepticism | Low | Medium | Have engineer ready with deep answers and code |
| Server overload | Low | High | Scale infrastructure, have status page ready |
| "Another startup" fatigue | Medium | Low | Lead with technical depth, not marketing |
| Competitor FUD | Low | Low | Acknowledge their strengths, focus on our differentiators |

---

## Blockers

| Blocker | Owner | Status |
|---------|-------|--------|
| Submission date confirmation | User/Board | ⏳ Pending |
| HN account readiness verification | CMO | ⏳ Pending |
| Launch date coordination | CTO | ⏳ Pending |

---

## Related Documents

- `/plans/hacker-news-showhn-submission.md` - Complete HN submission strategy (13KB)
- `/plans/launch-week-index.md` - Launch week schedule coordination
- `/marketing/launch-campaign.md` - Overall launch campaign plan

---

## Timeline Summary

| Phase | Timing | Key Activities |
|-------|--------|----------------|
| **Pre-Submission** | T-7 to T-1 days | Account prep, tech review, infrastructure scaling |
| **Launch Day** | 10:30 AM PT | Submit, engage, monitor for 8+ hours |
| **Follow-Up** | Day +1 to +7 | Thank you, analysis, post-mortem |

**Recommended submission date:** Launch day (Month 10, Week 1, Wednesday) at 10:30 AM PT

---

**Next Actions:**
1. ⏳ Get user input on submission date (launch day vs. staggered)
2. ⏳ Verify HN account readiness
3. ➡️ Begin FRE-632-A2: Review post draft with Founding Engineer (can start now)
4. ➡️ Begin FRE-632-A5: Configure UTM tracking (can start now)
