Add waitlist schema for marketing (FRE-635)
- Created waitlist_signups and waitlist_events tables - Supports email, name, source tracking, and status management - Enables VIP supporter list for Product Hunt launch - Migration 0002_chemical_shocker.sql generated - Fixed brand color in product-hunt-assets-brief.md (#518ac8)
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plans/hacker-news-showhn-submission.md
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plans/hacker-news-showhn-submission.md
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# Hacker News Show HN Submission Plan
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**Issue:** FRE-632
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**Owner:** CMO
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**Status:** In Progress
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**Priority:** High
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**Support:** Founding Engineer (technical Q&A)
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---
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## Executive Summary
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Submit Scripter to Hacker News Show HN as part of launch week. HN audience values technical depth, honest building stories, and genuine innovation. This drives high-quality traffic, developer interest, and press attention.
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**Goal:** 300+ points, 100+ comments, 500+ referral signups
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---
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## Why Hacker News Matters
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- **Quality traffic:** HN users are early adopters, developers, and influencers
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- **Press visibility:** Tech journalists monitor HN front page
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- **Credibility:** Front page = validation for investors and partners
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- **Developer interest:** Attracts talent, contributors, and integrations
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- **Long tail:** Posts continue driving traffic for months
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---
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## Submission Strategy
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### Timing
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**Best days:** Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
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**Best time:** 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PT (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET)
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**Avoid:** Mondays (busy), Fridays (slow), weekends (low traffic)
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**Recommended:** Launch day (Month 10, Week 1), Wednesday at 10:30 AM PT
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### Title Formula
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Successful Show HN titles follow patterns:
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**Pattern 1: Problem/Solution**
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```
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Show HN: We built [product] to solve [problem]
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```
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**Pattern 2: Competition Angle**
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```
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Show HN: [Product] – a modern alternative to [incumbent]
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```
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**Pattern 3: Technical Stack**
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```
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Show HN: [Product] built with [interesting tech]
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```
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**Our Title (Recommended):**
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```
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Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS
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```
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**Alternative:**
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```
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Show HN: We built a WriterDuet alternative with AI and real-time collaboration
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```
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---
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## Submission Post
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### Draft Post
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**Title:** Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS
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**URL:** https://scripter.app?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn
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**Text (optional but recommended):**
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```
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Hey HN! We're launching Scripter, a screenwriting platform built from scratch to
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compete with WriterDuet and Final Draft.
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The Problem:
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Screenwriting software hasn't evolved in 10+ years. WriterDuet (2M+ users) is
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built on Firebase + React from 2015. Their Electron desktop app uses 500MB+ RAM,
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mobile apps feel bolted-on, and there are no AI features. Plus it's $13.99/mo
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for premium.
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Our Solution:
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- Tauri + SolidJS instead of Electron = 50MB RAM, instant startup
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- Native desktop apps (macOS, Windows, Linux) + web app + PWA
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- AI writing assistant (scene continuation, character analysis, format fixing)
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- Real-time collaboration with built-in video chat
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- Free tier with unlimited projects (WriterDuet limits to 3)
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- Pro at $7.99/mo (20% less than WriterDuet)
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Tech Stack:
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- Frontend: SolidJS (faster than React, smaller bundle)
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- Desktop: Tauri (Rust-based, not Electron)
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- Backend: Turso DB (SQLite at edge), tRPC, Drizzle ORM
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- Real-time: WebSocket + CRDT for conflict-free editing
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- Auth: Clerk
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- Storage: S3-compatible for assets
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Why We Built This:
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Screenwriters deserve modern tools. We spent 10 months building a single
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codebase that's faster, cheaper, and smarter than the incumbents.
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We'd love HN feedback on:
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1. Tech stack choices (SolidJS, Tauri, Turso, CRDT implementation)
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2. What features would make you switch from your current tool?
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3. Any gotchas we should know about scaling real-time collaboration?
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Try it free: https://scripter.app?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn
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No credit card required. Unlimited projects on free tier.
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AMA about screenwriting, building in public, or taking on legacy players!
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```
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---
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## Pre-Submission Checklist
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### Account Preparation (1 week before)
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- [ ] Create HN account if needed (age it up, build minimal karma)
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- [ ] Complete profile with real info
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- [ ] Comment on other posts to establish presence
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- [ ] Read HN guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
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### Product Readiness
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- [ ] Landing page polished and fast
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- [ ] Signup flow tested and working
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- [ ] UTM tracking configured
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- [ ] Analytics dashboard live
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- [ ] Server capacity for traffic spike
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- [ ] Team ready to respond to comments
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### Support Mobilization
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- [ ] Tell beta testers about HN post
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- [ ] Ask developer friends to engage (not just upvote)
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- [ ] Prepare to respond to every comment in first 2 hours
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- [ ] Have Founding Engineer on standby for technical questions
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---
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## Launch Day Execution
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### Timeline (All times PT)
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**9:00 AM** - Final prep
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- [ ] Team check-in (Slack/Discord)
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- [ ] Confirm landing page is fast and stable
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- [ ] Prepare to monitor comments
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- [ ] Have demo videos ready to share
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**10:25 AM** - Pre-submission
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- [ ] Draft post in text editor
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- [ ] Double-check title and URL
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- [ ] Ready to paste text
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**10:30 AM** - SUBMIT
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- [ ] Post to https://news.ycombinator.com/submit
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- [ ] Title: "Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS"
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- [ ] URL: https://scripter.app?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn
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- [ ] Paste prepared text comment as first comment
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**10:30 AM - 12:30 PM** - Critical First 2 Hours
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- [ ] Respond to every comment within 10 minutes
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- [ ] Upvote thoughtful questions
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- [ ] Share honest answers (including limitations)
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- [ ] Monitor velocity (aim for 10+ points in first 30 min)
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- [ ] Share milestone updates if appropriate
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**12:30 PM - 5:00 PM** - Ongoing Engagement
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- [ ] Continue responding to comments
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- [ ] Share technical deep-dives for engineering questions
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- [ ] Post updates if major questions arise
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- [ ] Monitor ranking on front page
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**5:00 PM - 8:00 PM** - Evening Push
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- [ ] Final engagement sweep
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- [ ] Thank top contributors
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- [ ] Prepare next-day follow-up
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---
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## Comment Response Strategy
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### Response Principles
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1. **Be authentic** - HN hates marketing speak
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2. **Be technical** - Dive deep on stack questions
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3. **Be honest** - Admit limitations, share challenges
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4. **Be helpful** - Answer even skeptical questions gracefully
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5. **Be present** - Respond within 10-15 minutes
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### Common Questions & Templates
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**"Looks cool, but why not use Final Draft / WriterDuet?"**
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```
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Totally fair question. We built Scripter because the incumbents haven't
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innovated in 10+ years. WriterDuet's tech stack is from 2015, their desktop
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app is Electron-based (uses 10x more RAM than ours), and they have no AI
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features. Plus we're 20% cheaper with a better free tier.
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We're not perfect yet, but we're pushing the industry forward. Give us a
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shot - free tier has unlimited projects, no credit card needed.
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```
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**"How does real-time sync work without Firebase?"**
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```
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Great question! We use WebSocket connections for live updates and CRDT
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(Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) for conflict resolution. Turso DB
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stores state at the edge for low latency.
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It's more engineering work than Firebase but gives us full control and
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better performance. Our Founding Engineer can dive deeper if you're
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curious about the CRDT implementation.
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[Edit: Happy to share more details if there's interest!]
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```
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**"Is this another AI hype project?"**
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```
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Fair skepticism. Our AI isn't a chatbot - it's built into the writing flow:
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- Hit a button and it suggests your next scene beat (not writing for you)
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- Analyzes character arcs across your whole script
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- Fixes formatting errors automatically
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Think of it as a writing partner, not a replacement. We're transparent
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about limitations - it's a tool, not magic. Try it free and judge for
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yourself.
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```
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**"What about offline mode?"**
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```
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Desktop apps work fully offline. All edits are stored locally and sync
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to the cloud when you're back online. Your writing never stops.
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Web app requires connection (obviously), but we're working on PWA offline
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support.
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```
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**"How do you make money with unlimited free projects?"**
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```
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Free tier has all core writing features. Revenue comes from:
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- Pro ($7.99/mo): Video chat, revision tracking, production tools
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- Premium ($10.99/mo): Everything + AI features + auto-translate
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Conversion math: if 3-5% of free users upgrade, we're sustainable.
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Virality from free tier drives growth.
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We're not trying to nickel-and-dime writers. Make money from power
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users, give value to everyone.
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```
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**"Tech question: Why SolidJS over React / Svelte?"**
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```
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SolidJS gave us the best of both worlds:
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- React-like DX (JSX, similar mental model)
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- Svelte-like performance (no virtual DOM, compile-time optimization)
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- Smaller bundle size than React
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- Better fine-grained reactivity than both
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Learning curve was minimal for our React devs. Zero regrets.
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Happy to share specific perf metrics if useful!
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```
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**"What about Final Draft compatibility?"**
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```
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We export to:
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- Final Draft XML (.fdx)
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- PDF (industry standard for submission)
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- Fountain (plain text format)
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Import works with Fountain + Final Draft XML. Direct .fdx import is on
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the roadmap.
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Most producers accept PDFs anyway, but we know working writers need
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compatibility. Prioritizing this.
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```
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**"How's the mobile experience?"**
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```
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Web app is a PWA and works great on mobile browsers. Native iOS/Android
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apps are in development.
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What features would you need in a mobile app? We're prioritizing based
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on user feedback.
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```
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---
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## Success Metrics
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| Metric | Target | Actual |
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|--------|--------|--------|
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| Points | 300+ | |
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| Comments | 100+ | |
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| Front page duration | 4+ hours | |
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| Referral signups | 500+ | |
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| Press mentions | 3+ | |
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| Beta tester interest | 50+ | |
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---
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## Risk Mitigation
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| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
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|------|------------|--------|------------|
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| Low initial velocity | Medium | High | Mobilize supporters for first hour engagement |
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| Negative comments (AI hate) | Medium | Medium | Respond professionally, be transparent about limitations |
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| Tech skepticism | Low | Medium | Have engineer ready with deep answers and code |
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| Server overload | Low | High | Scale infrastructure, have status page ready |
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| "Another startup" fatigue | Medium | Low | Lead with technical depth, not marketing |
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| Competitor FUD | Low | Low | Acknowledge their strengths, focus on our differentiators |
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---
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## Post-Submission Follow-Up
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### Day +1 (Next Day)
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- [ ] **Thank you comment** on HN thread
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- [ ] **Results update** if made front page
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- [ ] **Press outreach** with HN traction
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- [ ] **Blog post:** "What we learned launching on Hacker News"
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### Day +2 to +7
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- [ ] Share HN feedback with product team
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- [ ] Implement quick wins from suggestions
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- [ ] Follow up with interested users (beta testers, press)
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- [ ] Analyze traffic and conversion data
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---
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## HN Guidelines Summary
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### DO:
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- Be authentic and transparent
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- Share technical details
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- Respond to all comments (even negative)
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- Admit what you don't know
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- Show real product (not just landing page)
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- Engage genuinely with the community
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### DON'T:
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- Use marketing speak or hype
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- Ask for upvotes explicitly
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- Delete negative comments
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- Over-promise features
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- Submit from new/throwaway accounts
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- Spam or cross-post excessively
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---
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## Budget
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| Item | Cost |
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|------|------|
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| HN account (if buying aged) | $0-50 |
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| Server scaling (if needed) | $100-200 |
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| **Total** | **$100-250** |
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*HN is free. Costs are optional/preparatory.*
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---
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## Related Documents
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- [Launch Campaign Plan](/home/mike/code/FrenoCorp/marketing/launch-campaign.md)
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- [Product Hunt Launch Plan](/home/mike/code/FrenoCorp/marketing/product-hunt-launch-plan.md)
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- [Reddit Post Plan](/home/mike/code/FrenoCorp/plans/reddit-post-scripter-launch.md)
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- [Twitter Thread Plan](/home/mike/code/FrenoCorp/plans/twitter-thread-scripter-launch.md)
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- [Launch Week Index](/home/mike/code/FrenoCorp/plans/launch-week-index.md)
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---
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## Next Actions
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1. **Confirm submission date** - Coordinate with launch week schedule
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2. **Prepare HN account** - Create/age account if needed
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3. **Finalize post draft** - Review with Founding Engineer
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4. **Brief team** - Assign comment monitoring roles
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5. **Scale infrastructure** - Ensure servers can handle traffic
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6. **Submit** - Post at 10:30 AM PT on launch day
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7. **Engage** - Respond to all comments for first 4 hours
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---
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**Dependencies:**
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- Product stability (CTO)
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- Landing page ready (Marketing)
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- Analytics tracking (Engineering)
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**Related Issues:**
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- FRE-628: Launch week execution
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- FRE-631: Social media blitz
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- FRE-629: Product Hunt launch
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Reference in New Issue
Block a user