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How to post a Show HN on Hacker News
You submit a normal Hacker News story whose title starts with "Show HN:" and links to something people can try right away. It is free and takes a few minutes, but your project must be something you built, usable now, and not a landing page or signup wall. Every Show HN appears on the Show New page first and moves to the Show page after it passes a small points threshold.
Checked on Hacker News (Show HN)'s own pages on 2026-11-12.
| Cost | Free |
|---|---|
| Who can submit | Anyone with a Hacker News account, sharing their own work. Hacker News asks that self-promotion be only part of how you use the site. |
| Review | No pre-review. Posts are ranked by votes, time, user flags, anti-abuse software and moderators. Posts that break the rules can be flagged or killed. |
| Link to your site | Mixed. On the day checked, most links on the Show pages carried rel=nofollow and some did not. Hacker News does not document the rule. |
| Fits | Software you can run, open-source projects, developer tools, web apps, games, hardware (shown through a video or detailed write-up) and books (through a sample chapter). |
| Time needed | 15 to 30 minutes to write the title and first comment, plus a few hours to reply to comments. |
Before you start
- A Hacker News account with a real identity, ideally with some history of comments on the site
- A working product people can try without signing up or giving an email address
- A plain title under the 'Show HN:' prefix with no hype, uppercase or exclamation marks
- A short first comment, written by you, explaining what it is, how you built it and why
- Time set aside to answer questions for the first few hours
- A plan for honest answers about limits, pricing and tech stack
How to list on Hacker News (Show HN), step by step
Check it qualifies
Show HN is for things people can run or hold, that you made yourself and can discuss. Blog posts, newsletters, lists, landing pages, fundraisers and routine version updates do not qualify. Quickly generated one-off projects are also off-topic.
Remove barriers
Make the project easy to try without a signup or email address. A live demo, a download or a public repo works best.
Write the title
Start with 'Show HN:' followed by a plain description of what it is. Leave out the site name, gratuitous numbers and promotional adjectives.
Submit the story
Click submit in the top bar while logged in, add the title and the URL. Hacker News does not allow links inside a text submission, so put your context in a regular comment after posting.
Add your first comment
Explain what the project does, how and why you built it, and what feedback you want. Write it yourself; Hacker News asks for no AI-generated or AI-edited text.
Stay and reply
Answer questions with curiosity and admit weaknesses honestly. Do not ask friends to upvote or comment, and do not delete and repost if it gets little attention.
What the Hacker News (Show HN) form asks for
| Field | Limit | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| title | – | Begin with 'Show HN:' and describe the project plainly; HN asks you not to make titles stand out with caps or hype. |
| url | – | Link straight to the thing people can try, not a waitlist page. |
| text | – | Hacker News says links cannot go in a text submission, so submit the URL and add context as a comment. |
Why submissions get rejected
- Landing pages, signup pages and fundraisers
- Blog posts, newsletters, lists and other reading material (these belong in regular submissions)
- Quickly generated one-off projects and routine version updates
- Work that is not ready for users yet
- Soliciting upvotes or comments; Hacker News penalizes or bans submissions, accounts and sites that do this
- Generated text in posts and automated posting
- Deleting and reposting the same story
Tips that make a difference
- A story only reaches the Show page after a small points threshold; until then it lives on Show New, so the first hour matters.
- Reposts are acceptable only if the story has not had significant attention in the last year or so, and only a small number of times.
- Accounts with more karma do not rank higher, so a new but genuine account can still do well.
- Commenters often ask about the stack, pricing and alternatives; answering those in your first comment saves back-and-forth.
- Hacker News readers spot coordinated voting and will flag it, which can kill the post.
Example: what JustLaunched prepared
These are the texts Pushify prepared for JustLaunched, a real brand, before listing it on sites like Hacker News (Show HN). See the full sample report ›
| Name | JustLaunched |
|---|---|
| Tagline | Launch board for founders and early adopters |
| Short description | JustLaunched is a free launch board where founders introduce new products and early adopters try them first, ask questions and share feedback. |
| Tags | product launch, launch platform, startup discovery, indie makers, early adopters, beta testers, launch deals, product hunt alternative, saas, startups |
Questions people ask
Is posting a Show HN free?
Yes. Any Hacker News account can submit a Show HN at no cost. There is no paid placement for regular posts.
Can I post a landing page on Show HN?
No. The Show HN rules exclude landing pages, signup pages and fundraisers. Wait until people can actually try the product.
Why doesn't my Show HN appear on the Show page?
Every Show HN appears on Show New first. It moves to the Show page only after it passes a small points threshold.
Can I ask friends to upvote my Show HN?
No. Hacker News prohibits soliciting upvotes or comments and penalizes or bans submissions, accounts and sites that do it.
Can I repost my Show HN if it got no attention?
Hacker News allows a small number of reposts if the story has not had significant attention in the last year or so. Do not delete and repost the same story.
Sources
The Hacker News (Show HN) pages this guide was checked against.