Can I promote my product on Hacker News?

Yes, via a 'Show HN' post — but only for your own work that people can try right now, with a plain title and no hype. Never ask for upvotes or have friends post booster comments.

How do I avoid getting banned on Reddit?

Post in the niche subreddit your user actually reads, follow its self-promotion rules, lead with the problem and a real story, and participate genuinely before posting your product. Don't ask for upvotes.

What makes a good Show HN title?

Plain and factual — describe what it is, with no exclamation points, no marketing language, and no site-name stuffing. Make the product easy to try without a signup.

Should my Reddit or HN username be my company name?

No. A username that matches your product reads as pure promotion and hurts you on both sites. Use a normal personal account.

Which community is safest to launch in?

Indie Hackers is the most forgiving for sharing a build and a story. Reddit and Hacker News convert well but ban self-promotion fast, so follow their rules carefully.

Maker Playbook

How to Launch on Reddit and Hacker News Without Getting Banned (2026)

Reddit and Hacker News send the most engaged users, but both punish self-promotion. Post where your specific user already is, lead with the problem and a real story, make your product trivially easy to try, and never ask for upvotes or have friends pile in. On Hacker News, use a plain 'Show HN' title with no hype.

Communities convert better than any ad — and ban faster than any platform. This is how to launch a vibe-coded product on Reddit and Hacker News in 2026 without torching your account: the unwritten rules, the title format, and what actually seeds a good discussion. The rules below are checked against Hacker News's Show HN guidelines and Reddit's self-promotion rules (June 2026).

By Andrew DyuzhovUpdated June 2026

How to Launch on Reddit and Hacker News Without Getting Banned (2026) — illustration

Why are communities worth the risk?

A front-page Hacker News post or a hit in the right subreddit sends a flood of genuinely engaged, technical users — the kind who give real feedback and become your first advocates. The catch is that both communities are allergic to marketing, so the whole game is contributing instead of promoting.

How do you post a 'Show HN' correctly?

Hacker News allows self-promotion through Show HN — if you do it their way. The rules are explicit:

01Use 'Show HN:' only for your own work that people can actually try right now — not a landing page, waitlist, or blog post.
02Write a plain, factual title. No hype, no exclamation points, no marketing language, no site-name stuffing.
03Make it trivially easy to try — ideally without a signup or email confirmation.
04Add a first comment with the backstory: why you built it and what's interesting technically. This seeds the discussion in a good direction.
05Stay in the thread and answer honestly, criticism included. Never ask for upvotes, and don't let friends drop booster comments — HN treats that as spam.

How do you launch on Reddit without a ban?

Reddit is dozens of separate communities, each with its own rules. The fastest way to get removed is to treat it like one big billboard.

Post in the subreddit where your actual user hangs out (the niche one, not just r/SideProject), read its self-promotion rules first, and lead with the problem and your story — not 'I launched X'. Be a real participant for a while before you post your thing, and let people ask for the link.

What gets you removed everywhere?

Hacker News — Show HN
The official Show HN rules. Read them before you post — they're short and enforced.
Reddit
Find the niche subreddit your user actually reads, and check its self-promotion rules first.
Indie Hackers
A friendlier community for founders to share a build and a story — lower ban risk than HN or Reddit.

01Asking friends, followers, or teammates to upvote or comment — both sites detect coordinated voting.
02A username that's your company or product name — it reads as a billboard.
03Deleting and reposting because the first try flopped.
04Hype language, fake-sounding praise in the comments, or copy-pasting the same post across many subreddits.

Frequently asked questions

Can I promote my product on Hacker News?: Yes, via a 'Show HN' post — but only for your own work that people can try right now, with a plain title and no hype. Never ask for upvotes or have friends post booster comments.
How do I avoid getting banned on Reddit?: Post in the niche subreddit your user actually reads, follow its self-promotion rules, lead with the problem and a real story, and participate genuinely before posting your product. Don't ask for upvotes.
What makes a good Show HN title?: Plain and factual — describe what it is, with no exclamation points, no marketing language, and no site-name stuffing. Make the product easy to try without a signup.
Should my Reddit or HN username be my company name?: No. A username that matches your product reads as pure promotion and hurts you on both sites. Use a normal personal account.
Which community is safest to launch in?: Indie Hackers is the most forgiving for sharing a build and a story. Reddit and Hacker News convert well but ban self-promotion fast, so follow their rules carefully.