Michael Freno
67c3881dcf
- 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)
12 KiB
12 KiB
Hacker News Show HN Submission Plan
Issue: FRE-632
Owner: CMO
Status: In Progress
Priority: High
Support: Founding Engineer (technical Q&A)
Executive Summary
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.
Goal: 300+ points, 100+ comments, 500+ referral signups
Why Hacker News Matters
- Quality traffic: HN users are early adopters, developers, and influencers
- Press visibility: Tech journalists monitor HN front page
- Credibility: Front page = validation for investors and partners
- Developer interest: Attracts talent, contributors, and integrations
- Long tail: Posts continue driving traffic for months
Submission Strategy
Timing
Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Best time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PT (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET)
Avoid: Mondays (busy), Fridays (slow), weekends (low traffic)
Recommended: Launch day (Month 10, Week 1), Wednesday at 10:30 AM PT
Title Formula
Successful Show HN titles follow patterns:
Pattern 1: Problem/Solution
Show HN: We built [product] to solve [problem]
Pattern 2: Competition Angle
Show HN: [Product] – a modern alternative to [incumbent]
Pattern 3: Technical Stack
Show HN: [Product] built with [interesting tech]
Our Title (Recommended):
Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS
Alternative:
Show HN: We built a WriterDuet alternative with AI and real-time collaboration
Submission Post
Draft Post
Title: Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS
URL: https://scripter.app?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn
Text (optional but recommended):
Hey HN! We're launching Scripter, a screenwriting platform built from scratch to
compete with WriterDuet and Final Draft.
The Problem:
Screenwriting software hasn't evolved in 10+ years. WriterDuet (2M+ users) is
built on Firebase + React from 2015. Their Electron desktop app uses 500MB+ RAM,
mobile apps feel bolted-on, and there are no AI features. Plus it's $13.99/mo
for premium.
Our Solution:
- Tauri + SolidJS instead of Electron = 50MB RAM, instant startup
- Native desktop apps (macOS, Windows, Linux) + web app + PWA
- AI writing assistant (scene continuation, character analysis, format fixing)
- Real-time collaboration with built-in video chat
- Free tier with unlimited projects (WriterDuet limits to 3)
- Pro at $7.99/mo (20% less than WriterDuet)
Tech Stack:
- Frontend: SolidJS (faster than React, smaller bundle)
- Desktop: Tauri (Rust-based, not Electron)
- Backend: Turso DB (SQLite at edge), tRPC, Drizzle ORM
- Real-time: WebSocket + CRDT for conflict-free editing
- Auth: Clerk
- Storage: S3-compatible for assets
Why We Built This:
Screenwriters deserve modern tools. We spent 10 months building a single
codebase that's faster, cheaper, and smarter than the incumbents.
We'd love HN feedback on:
1. Tech stack choices (SolidJS, Tauri, Turso, CRDT implementation)
2. What features would make you switch from your current tool?
3. Any gotchas we should know about scaling real-time collaboration?
Try it free: https://scripter.app?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn
No credit card required. Unlimited projects on free tier.
AMA about screenwriting, building in public, or taking on legacy players!
Pre-Submission Checklist
Account Preparation (1 week before)
- Create HN account if needed (age it up, build minimal karma)
- Complete profile with real info
- Comment on other posts to establish presence
- Read HN guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Product Readiness
- Landing page polished and fast
- Signup flow tested and working
- UTM tracking configured
- Analytics dashboard live
- Server capacity for traffic spike
- Team ready to respond to comments
Support Mobilization
- Tell beta testers about HN post
- Ask developer friends to engage (not just upvote)
- Prepare to respond to every comment in first 2 hours
- Have Founding Engineer on standby for technical questions
Launch Day Execution
Timeline (All times PT)
9:00 AM - Final prep
- Team check-in (Slack/Discord)
- Confirm landing page is fast and stable
- Prepare to monitor comments
- Have demo videos ready to share
10:25 AM - Pre-submission
- Draft post in text editor
- Double-check title and URL
- Ready to paste text
10:30 AM - SUBMIT
- Post to https://news.ycombinator.com/submit
- Title: "Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS"
- URL: https://scripter.app?utm_source=hackernews&utm_campaign=showhn
- Paste prepared text comment as first comment
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM - Critical First 2 Hours
- Respond to every comment within 10 minutes
- Upvote thoughtful questions
- Share honest answers (including limitations)
- Monitor velocity (aim for 10+ points in first 30 min)
- Share milestone updates if appropriate
12:30 PM - 5:00 PM - Ongoing Engagement
- Continue responding to comments
- Share technical deep-dives for engineering questions
- Post updates if major questions arise
- Monitor ranking on front page
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Evening Push
- Final engagement sweep
- Thank top contributors
- Prepare next-day follow-up
Comment Response Strategy
Response Principles
- Be authentic - HN hates marketing speak
- Be technical - Dive deep on stack questions
- Be honest - Admit limitations, share challenges
- Be helpful - Answer even skeptical questions gracefully
- Be present - Respond within 10-15 minutes
Common Questions & Templates
"Looks cool, but why not use Final Draft / WriterDuet?"
Totally fair question. We built Scripter because the incumbents haven't
innovated in 10+ years. WriterDuet's tech stack is from 2015, their desktop
app is Electron-based (uses 10x more RAM than ours), and they have no AI
features. Plus we're 20% cheaper with a better free tier.
We're not perfect yet, but we're pushing the industry forward. Give us a
shot - free tier has unlimited projects, no credit card needed.
"How does real-time sync work without Firebase?"
Great question! We use WebSocket connections for live updates and CRDT
(Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) for conflict resolution. Turso DB
stores state at the edge for low latency.
It's more engineering work than Firebase but gives us full control and
better performance. Our Founding Engineer can dive deeper if you're
curious about the CRDT implementation.
[Edit: Happy to share more details if there's interest!]
"Is this another AI hype project?"
Fair skepticism. Our AI isn't a chatbot - it's built into the writing flow:
- Hit a button and it suggests your next scene beat (not writing for you)
- Analyzes character arcs across your whole script
- Fixes formatting errors automatically
Think of it as a writing partner, not a replacement. We're transparent
about limitations - it's a tool, not magic. Try it free and judge for
yourself.
"What about offline mode?"
Desktop apps work fully offline. All edits are stored locally and sync
to the cloud when you're back online. Your writing never stops.
Web app requires connection (obviously), but we're working on PWA offline
support.
"How do you make money with unlimited free projects?"
Free tier has all core writing features. Revenue comes from:
- Pro ($7.99/mo): Video chat, revision tracking, production tools
- Premium ($10.99/mo): Everything + AI features + auto-translate
Conversion math: if 3-5% of free users upgrade, we're sustainable.
Virality from free tier drives growth.
We're not trying to nickel-and-dime writers. Make money from power
users, give value to everyone.
"Tech question: Why SolidJS over React / Svelte?"
SolidJS gave us the best of both worlds:
- React-like DX (JSX, similar mental model)
- Svelte-like performance (no virtual DOM, compile-time optimization)
- Smaller bundle size than React
- Better fine-grained reactivity than both
Learning curve was minimal for our React devs. Zero regrets.
Happy to share specific perf metrics if useful!
"What about Final Draft compatibility?"
We export to:
- Final Draft XML (.fdx)
- PDF (industry standard for submission)
- Fountain (plain text format)
Import works with Fountain + Final Draft XML. Direct .fdx import is on
the roadmap.
Most producers accept PDFs anyway, but we know working writers need
compatibility. Prioritizing this.
"How's the mobile experience?"
Web app is a PWA and works great on mobile browsers. Native iOS/Android
apps are in development.
What features would you need in a mobile app? We're prioritizing based
on user feedback.
Success Metrics
| Metric | Target | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Post-Submission Follow-Up
Day +1 (Next Day)
- Thank you comment on HN thread
- Results update if made front page
- Press outreach with HN traction
- Blog post: "What we learned launching on Hacker News"
Day +2 to +7
- Share HN feedback with product team
- Implement quick wins from suggestions
- Follow up with interested users (beta testers, press)
- Analyze traffic and conversion data
HN Guidelines Summary
DO:
- Be authentic and transparent
- Share technical details
- Respond to all comments (even negative)
- Admit what you don't know
- Show real product (not just landing page)
- Engage genuinely with the community
DON'T:
- Use marketing speak or hype
- Ask for upvotes explicitly
- Delete negative comments
- Over-promise features
- Submit from new/throwaway accounts
- Spam or cross-post excessively
Budget
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| HN account (if buying aged) | $0-50 |
| Server scaling (if needed) | $100-200 |
| Total | $100-250 |
HN is free. Costs are optional/preparatory.
Related Documents
- Launch Campaign Plan
- Product Hunt Launch Plan
- Reddit Post Plan
- Twitter Thread Plan
- Launch Week Index
Next Actions
- Confirm submission date - Coordinate with launch week schedule
- Prepare HN account - Create/age account if needed
- Finalize post draft - Review with Founding Engineer
- Brief team - Assign comment monitoring roles
- Scale infrastructure - Ensure servers can handle traffic
- Submit - Post at 10:30 AM PT on launch day
- Engage - Respond to all comments for first 4 hours
Dependencies:
- Product stability (CTO)
- Landing page ready (Marketing)
- Analytics tracking (Engineering)
Related Issues:
- FRE-628: Launch week execution
- FRE-631: Social media blitz
- FRE-629: Product Hunt launch