For a tech product, look no further than where you are right now. HN has been one of the best sources of users for EnvKey[1], a developer-focused configuration and secrets manager. While HN has a reputation for toughness, it's also full of early adopters who will give you great feedback and be understanding as you figure things out.
And don't be afraid to play small ball. Of course it's amazing to get on the front page of HN, PH, big subreddits, etc., but it's also hit-or-miss and subject to the whims of the hivemind. Posting comments in relevant threads is slower, but it can drive a surprising amount of traffic over time, and the conversion rates will often be much higher than a 'featured' placement.
Of course, you need to take care that you're adding something to the discussion and not just advertising. Basically, your comment should be able to stand on its own as something valuable without any mention of your product, but make people curious about what you're doing, so that by the time they get to your link, they actually want to click it and learn more.
Another tip: if you have a product that has sdks for various languages, integrations with other platforms, etc., treat each one as a mini-launch to that community. It's often much easier to get attention with "here's a cool new thing for Elixir" vs. "here's something for everyone".
This has definitely been the case for me over at breachinsider.com too – the ShowHN brought our first handful of customers, which have been a real delight to work with and completely fit the description outlined above... they understand the position we are in, and are happy to report issues or bugs they find (and are happy when we fix them in hours rather than weeks).
Generally speaking (and not in anyway a comment directed at the lovely people behind EnvKey), it can be a double edged sword, as if you are seen to only plug your business, even if you do add to the conversation, it can come across as a little disingenuous or pushy. So if you do take this route, don’t forget to be human and post normally sometimes.
I think your second tip is precisely what I've been trying with http://2FB.me because Shareable Tweets is kind of ambiguous. But for YouTubers who want to experience watching video as a simulcast, there is YouTube Share Enhancer which is the 2FB tool plus.
> Posting comments in relevant threads is slower, but it can drive a surprising amount of traffic over time, and the conversion rates will often be much higher than a 'featured' placement.
Could you elaborate on this? Do you see ongoing traffic coming in from comments on old HN threads (even old ones)?
Occasionally, yes, but by "over time" I meant that it's something you can do repeatedly that adds up, not that a single comment gets much long-tail traffic by itself.
And don't be afraid to play small ball. Of course it's amazing to get on the front page of HN, PH, big subreddits, etc., but it's also hit-or-miss and subject to the whims of the hivemind. Posting comments in relevant threads is slower, but it can drive a surprising amount of traffic over time, and the conversion rates will often be much higher than a 'featured' placement.
Of course, you need to take care that you're adding something to the discussion and not just advertising. Basically, your comment should be able to stand on its own as something valuable without any mention of your product, but make people curious about what you're doing, so that by the time they get to your link, they actually want to click it and learn more.
Another tip: if you have a product that has sdks for various languages, integrations with other platforms, etc., treat each one as a mini-launch to that community. It's often much easier to get attention with "here's a cool new thing for Elixir" vs. "here's something for everyone".
1 - https://www.envkey.com