Deep Dive into HackerNews: Conversation with Wolfram Hempel

Platforms that facilitate the exchange of ideas and feedback are invaluable. One such platform is HackerNews, a forum where technologists, programmers, system designers, scientists, and tech philosophers congregate to discuss the latest trends, tools, and controversies in the tech world.

Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with Wolfram Hempel, the founder of Hivekit, to discuss his experiences with HackerNews and how it has shaped his entrepreneurial journey.

Introduction to Wolfram Hempel and Hivekit

Wolfram Hempel is a seasoned entrepreneur with a track record of building and selling successful companies.

His current venture, Hivekit, focuses on providing operational and management software for mines, large urban operations, and field services.

Prior to Hivekit, Wolfram ran a company called [redacted], which created cloud diagramming software. This company was later acquired, marking a significant milestone in his career.

What is HackerNews?

HackerNews is a popular forum for technologists, including programmers, system designers, scientists, and tech philosophers. It is known for its straightforward concept: a collection of links that lead to interesting articles, with the ability for users to comment and discuss these links. The platform is highly trafficked and serves as a valuable resource for the tech community.

The Value of HackerNews

Wolfram emphasized the importance of HackerNews as a platform for both marketing and feedback. He noted that the discussions on HackerNews are generally well-informed and constructive, making it a great place to get candid feedback. The community is composed of hardcore technologists who are often very knowledgeable about the topics they discuss.

"HackerNews is a tough crowd, I'm not going to lie, but it's many and it's relevant," Wolfram said. "You get very candid feedback, which is invaluable for a founder. It's a place where people are honest about what they think, and that's the best thing you can ask for if you have a thick skin."

Successful Posts on HackerNews

Wolfram shared his experiences with successful posts on HackerNews. He highlighted that highly technical content tends to perform well, while higher-level SaaS offerings may not resonate as strongly. The key to a successful post is to provide value to the developer community rather than focusing on end-users or sellers of software.

"HackerNews is highly allergic to advertisement," Wolfram explained. "If you go there and just post your SaaS, and especially if you're like a larger corporation or so, chances are you'll get picked apart. It's very much in the current tech spirit of sort of anti-corporatism and a sort of confused anti-capitalism at times, but also at times not."

Strategies for Engaging with HackerNews

1. Avoid Advertisement: HackerNews is highly allergic to advertisement. Posting your SaaS product directly can lead to negative feedback. Instead, focus on providing valuable content that can spark interesting discussions.
   
   

2. Show HN Category: Use the "Show HN" category to post your product directly and solicit feedback. However, be aware that you only get one shot at this, so plan wisely.
   
   

3. Content Ideas: Wolfram suggested writing about topics that are both technically interesting and slightly controversial. For example, his post titled "Why I Wouldn't Invest in Open Source Companies" garnered significant attention.
   
   

4. Reposting: There is no penalty for reposting content. If your post doesn't gain traction initially, try again. Persistence can pay off.

Changes in HackerNews Over Time

Wolfram noted that HackerNews has evolved significantly over the past decade. It has become much larger and more competitive, with a broader audience. The makeup of the community has also changed, reflecting the wider spectrum of people involved in tech today.

"10 years ago, like everything else on the Internet, I feel it was just much smaller. It had much less traffic. It was easier to be seen. But once you're aware, the amount of people that came your way was also lower, right? So it just became much bigger, much more competitive and much more of a focal point of the industry at large," Wolfram said.

Common Mistakes on HackerNews

1. Gaming the System: Trying to game HackerNews can backfire. The platform is actively moderated, and attempts to cheat can lead to penalties.
   
   

2. Marketing Pitfalls: Avoid blatant marketing. Even if 90% of your post is valuable content, a 10% call to action can be seen as disingenuous.
   
   

3. Handling Negative Feedback: Be prepared for harsh feedback. The community can be critical, but it's also a place to get valuable insights.

"People will be harsh. And people will also, regardless what you offer them, they feel is it will definitely be too expensive. Ideally it shouldn't be commercial at all. And a lot of times you have this very particular mindset where whatever you offer them is sort of an insult.

But that's like a small subset of the crowd there. Don't take it personal, have a thick skin and focus on the valuable feedback you're getting," Wolfram advised.

Leveraging HackerNews for Market Research

Wolfram suggested using the "Ask HN" category to solicit feedback from the community. Asking honest, non-biased, and non-salesy questions can yield valuable insights, especially for new entrepreneurs.

"HackerNews has a category called Ask HN, right? Again, the only way you can get stuff on HackerNews is simply by posting a link with a title, but the titles are a bit magical. So if you start your title with ask space uppercase HN colon, it will go automatically into this category.

And this is a good way to solicit feedback from people as long as you ask honest, non-biased and non salesy questions, right? So don't ask stuff like, you know, hey guys, what do you like best? SaaS product one or at least two of my competitors or something, right? Like people hate being instrumentalized.

But if you honestly go up saying, hey, I'm thinking about building this sort of thing, do you think there's a niche for that, right? That's that's fine. That's great. People are really helpful around this, especially if you're sort of a newbie and you try to get a foot into the door," Wolfram explained.

Maximizing Traffic from HackerNews

If you manage to get a post on the front page of HackerNews, you can expect a significant bump in traffic. Wolfram advised against direct calls to action within the post itself. Instead, embed your product in a way that adds value to the content. For example, Hivekit successfully embedded a 3D viewer in their blog posts, which allowed users to interact with the product directly.

"When it comes to actually converting links, again resist as much as you can the temptation to have a direct call to action to sign up for your product in the end because it will just tank your post. Instead have it on your site. Have it on your site that ends in like slash blog. Don't have your blog on a sub domain because for search engine reasons that doesn't count as much towards your domain as just having slash blog.

Although this might have changed now like search engine is an endless catch and mouse and I tend to be behind there. But have it on your page. Have an easy way, like have your logo in the top left that links to your home page so people can find out what you do and sign up from there," Wolfram said.

Here's a visual summary of Wolfram's advice on maximizing traffic from HackerNews:

Conclusion

HackerNews remains a powerful platform for technologists to share ideas, seek feedback, and engage with a highly informed community. Wolfram's insights underscore the importance of authenticity, providing value, and being prepared for candid feedback. Whether you're looking to market a new product or gather insights for your next venture, HackerNews offers a unique opportunity to connect with the tech community.

Thank you, Wolfram, for sharing your experiences and insights. Your journey and advice are invaluable for anyone looking to leverage HackerNews effectively.