Community Outreach

/community-outreach

Find relevant community threads (Reddit, Hacker News, ProductHunt) and draft contextual, value-first responses. NOT spam — genuine helpful answers that naturally mention the product.

MCP Tools (use if available)

web_search(query, engines, include_raw_content) — search Reddit, HN, web kb_search(query) — find related methodology project_info(name) — get project details If MCP tools are not available, use WebSearch/WebFetch as fallback.

Steps

• Parse project from $ARGUMENTS.
• Read PRD/README to understand: problem, solution, ICP, key features.
• If empty: ask via AskUserQuestion.
• Extract search keywords:
• Problem keywords (what users complain about)
• Solution keywords (what users search for)
• Category keywords (the market/niche)
• Competitor names (for "vs" and "alternative" threads)
• Search communities (run searches in parallel):
• 3a. Reddit
• For each keyword group, search via MCP web_search(query) or WebSearch:
• "{problem} reddit" — pain point threads
• "{solution category} recommendations reddit" — recommendation requests
• "{competitor} alternative reddit" — competitor frustration
• "{competitor} vs reddit" — comparison threads
• For each result, extract: subreddit, title, URL, post date, comment count.
• Filter: prefer threads < 6 months old, > 5 comments (active).
• 3b. Hacker News
• Search via site:news.ycombinator.com:
• "Show HN: {similar product category}" — similar launches
• "Ask HN: {problem domain}" — questions in the space
• "{competitor name} site:news.ycombinator.com" — competitor mentions
• Extract: title, URL, points, comment count.
• 3c. ProductHunt
• Search via site:producthunt.com:
• "{product category} site:producthunt.com" — similar launches
• "{competitor} site:producthunt.com" — competitor pages
• Extract: product names, launch dates, upvote counts, taglines.
• 3d. Other Communities (optional)
• site:indiehackers.com "{problem}" — Indie Hackers
• site:dev.to "{solution category}" — Dev.to (if technical product)
• Forced reasoning — outreach strategy:
• Before drafting, write out:
• Best 5 threads to engage with (highest relevance + activity)
• Tone per community: Reddit (casual, self-deprecating), HN (technical, data-driven), PH (enthusiastic, builder)
• Value-first angle: What genuine help can we offer BEFORE mentioning the product?
• Red lines: No astroturfing, no fake accounts, always disclose you're the builder
• Draft responses for top 5 threads:
• For each thread:
• ### Thread: {title}
• **URL:** {url}
• **Subreddit/Community:** {community}
• **Why relevant:** {1 sentence}
• **Draft response:**
• {2-4 paragraph response that:
• Directly addresses the question/problem
• Provides genuine value (tips, experience, data)
• Mentions the product naturally (last paragraph)
• Includes "disclaimer: I'm the developer" for transparency
• }
• Generate ProductHunt launch checklist:
• ## ProductHunt Launch Checklist
• ### Pre-Launch (1 week before)
• [ ] Hunter identified (or self-hunting)
• [ ] Tagline ready (< 60 chars): "{tagline}"
• [ ] Description ready (< 260 chars)
• [ ] 5+ screenshots/GIF prepared
• [ ] Maker comment drafted (story + problem + solution)
• [ ] Launch day scheduled (Tuesday-Thursday, 00:01 PST)
• ### Launch Day
• [ ] Post live and verified
• [ ] Maker comment posted immediately
• [ ] Share in relevant communities (not vote-begging)
• [ ] Respond to all comments within 1 hour
• [ ] Share progress on Twitter/LinkedIn
• ### Post-Launch
• [ ] Thank supporters
• [ ] Collect feedback from comments
• [ ] Update product based on feedback
• Write outreach plan to docs/outreach-plan.md:
• # Community Outreach Plan: {Project Name}
• **Generated:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
• **Product:** {one-line description}
• **ICP:** {target persona}
• ## Target Communities
• | Community | Relevant Threads Found | Priority |
• |-----------|----------------------|----------|
• | r/{subreddit} | N | high/medium/low |
• | Hacker News | N | high/medium/low |
• | ProductHunt | N | high/medium/low |
• ## Top Threads to Engage
• {5 thread drafts from step 5}
• ## ProductHunt Launch Checklist
• {checklist from step 6}
• ## Search Keywords Used
• {keyword1}: N results
• {keyword2}: N results
• ---
• *Generated by /community-outreach. Review all drafts before posting.*
• Output summary — communities found, top 3 threads to engage, PH readiness.

3a. Reddit

For each keyword group, search via MCP web_search(query) or WebSearch: "{problem} reddit" — pain point threads "{solution category} recommendations reddit" — recommendation requests "{competitor} alternative reddit" — competitor frustration "{competitor} vs reddit" — comparison threads For each result, extract: subreddit, title, URL, post date, comment count. Filter: prefer threads < 6 months old, > 5 comments (active).

3b. Hacker News

Search via site:news.ycombinator.com: "Show HN: {similar product category}" — similar launches "Ask HN: {problem domain}" — questions in the space "{competitor name} site:news.ycombinator.com" — competitor mentions Extract: title, URL, points, comment count.

3c. ProductHunt

Search via site:producthunt.com: "{product category} site:producthunt.com" — similar launches "{competitor} site:producthunt.com" — competitor pages Extract: product names, launch dates, upvote counts, taglines.

3d. Other Communities (optional)

site:indiehackers.com "{problem}" — Indie Hackers site:dev.to "{solution category}" — Dev.to (if technical product)

Critical Rules

Value first, product second — every response must genuinely help the person Always disclose — "I'm the developer" or "disclaimer: I built this" No vote manipulation — never ask for upvotes No astroturfing — never pretend to be a user Respect community rules — check subreddit rules before posting Quality over quantity — 5 great responses > 50 generic ones

Web search not available

Cause: MCP web_search tool not configured or WebSearch not accessible. Fix: Use WebSearch/WebFetch as primary. For better results with engine routing (Reddit, HN), set up SearXNG (private, self-hosted, free) and configure solograph MCP.

No relevant threads found

Cause: Niche too small or wrong keywords. Fix: Broaden search terms. Try competitor names, problem descriptions, or adjacent categories.

Responses sound promotional

Cause: Product mention too prominent or lacks genuine value. Fix: Rewrite with value-first approach: 80% helpful answer, 20% product mention. Always include builder disclosure.