Hacker News is not working for my dev tool announcement, what are the other options?

If HN isn’t a fit, you still have a lot of good channels for a dev tool launch. The best alternatives depend on what kind of tool it is, but here are the strongest options:

Good places to announce a dev tool

1. Reddit

Useful if you target a specific developer niche.

• Relevant subreddits: r/webdev, r/programming, r/devops, r/learnprogramming, r/reactjs, r/python, etc.
• Best for: honest product feedback, early adopters, and niche visibility.
• Tip: don’t post “launch” style copy; frame it as a problem/solution or ask for feedback.

2. Product Hunt

Best for a broader launch with startup/dev-tool audiences.

• Best for: traffic, social proof, early users, press pickup.
• Tip: make sure your landing page is strong and you have people ready to comment/upvote.

3. X / Twitter

Still good for devtools if you already have or can build an audience.

• Best for: quick reach, networking, repeat exposure.
• Tip: short demo clips, threads, and “build in public” updates work well.

4. LinkedIn

Surprisingly effective for B2B dev tools.

• Best for: CTOs, engineering managers, founders, and company buyers.
• Tip: focus on business pain, productivity gains, or cost savings.

5. Indie Hackers

Good if your tool is aimed at indie builders, SaaS founders, or solo devs.

• Best for: feedback, early users, and founder-friendly audiences.

6. Specialized communities

These can outperform big platforms if your tool is niche:

• Discord servers
• Slack communities
• Dev newsletters
• Stack Overflow / Stack Exchange communities
• Framework-specific communities
• GitHub Discussions / README promotion
• Dev.to / Hashnode

7. Your own distribution channels

Often the highest-converting if you already have some audience.

• Email list
• Existing users
• Blog post + SEO
• In-app announcement if you have another product
• Docs site / changelog / “What’s new” page

8. Open-source + GitHub

If your tool is developer-facing, GitHub can be a huge discovery channel.

• Open source some part of it
• Make the README excellent
• Add examples, badges, screenshots, and quickstart
• Promote in GitHub Discussions or relevant repos if allowed

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What usually works best

For dev tools, the best results often come from a mix:

1. Niche communities for early feedback
2. Product Hunt for launch day visibility
3. X/LinkedIn for repeated reach
4. Blog/SEO/GitHub for long-term discovery

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If HN didn’t work, common reasons

• The tool is too niche or too salesy
• The post was framed as marketing instead of a useful problem
• Timing was off
• There wasn’t enough initial traction/social proof
• The audience on HN doesn’t match your product

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A practical launch plan

If you want an alternative plan, try:

• Day 1: Post in 2–3 niche communities
• Day 2: Share a demo clip on X and LinkedIn
• Day 3: Publish a short blog post with the problem and solution
• Launch day: Product Hunt
• Ongoing: Keep posting updates, tutorials, and use cases

If you want, I can suggest the best 5 places to promote your specific dev tool if you tell me:

• what it does
• who it’s for
• whether it’s open source or paid