# Get GitHub Stars Fast — 14-Day Growth Sprint

Stop waiting for organic discovery. This is the 14-day blitz to hit GitHub Trending. Based on growing AFFiNE from 0 to 60k+ stars and consulting for 50+ OSS projects.

## The 14-Day Plan

### Phase 1: Foundation (Days 1-3)
| Day | Action | Channel | Goal |
|-----|--------|---------|------|
| 1 | Polish README (hero, GIF, quick start) | GitHub | Professional first impression |
| 2 | Write "Show HN" post + Twitter thread | Draft | Ready to publish |
| 3 | Identify 5 subreddits + draft posts | Draft | Targeted content |

### Phase 2: Ignition (Days 4-7)
| Day | Action | Channel | Goal |
|-----|--------|---------|------|
| 4 | Post Show HN (10 AM EST Tuesday) | Hacker News | 50+ points |
| 5 | Twitter/X launch thread (10 tweets) | Twitter | 100+ retweets |
| 6 | Reddit posts (staggered, 3 subs) | Reddit | 200+ upvotes total |
| 7 | Dev.to + Hashnode cross-post | Blogs | SEO + backlinks |

### Phase 3: Amplification (Days 8-11)
| Day | Action | Channel | Goal |
|-----|--------|---------|------|
| 8 | Reach out to 5 tech newsletters | Email | 2+ features |
| 9 | Post in 3 Discord/Slack communities | Community | 50+ clicks |
| 10 | Create comparison post (vs alternatives) | Blog + Reddit | High engagement |
| 11 | Twitter Spaces or Podcast appearance | Audio | Audience exposure |

### Phase 4: Sustain (Days 12-14)
| Day | Action | Channel | Goal |
|-----|--------|---------|------|
| 12 | Share metrics publicly ("Day 12 update") | Twitter | Social proof |
| 13 | Thank contributors + community recap | GitHub + Discord | Retention |
| 14 | Plan next sprint / set up automation | Internal | Compound growth |

## Show HN Strategy

### Title Formulas That Work
- "Show HN: [Product] – [One benefit in ≤8 words]"
- "Show HN: I built [X] because [relatable frustration]"
- "Show HN: [X] — open-source alternative to [known product]"

### Timing
- Best: Tuesday–Thursday, 10 AM EST
- Avoid: Weekends, Monday mornings, Friday afternoons
- Resubmit once if first attempt gets <5 points in 1 hour

## Reddit Playbook

### Best Subreddits for OSS
| Subreddit | Audience | Format |
|-----------|----------|--------|
| r/programming | General devs | Technical post |
| r/opensource | OSS enthusiasts | Project showcase |
| r/selfhosted | Privacy-focused | "I made this" |
| r/[language] | Language-specific | Tutorial/demo |
| r/sideproject | Indie makers | Build story |

### Anti-Ban Rules
- No direct "please star my repo" asks
- Lead with value, link at the end
- Don't post to multiple subs within 1 hour
- Engage in comments genuinely

## Star Velocity Science
- GitHub Trending (daily): ~50-100 stars/day
- GitHub Trending (weekly): ~200 stars over 3 days
- The algorithm weighs recent velocity over total count
- A burst of 100 stars in 6 hours > 100 stars in 7 days

## Post-Sprint Compounding
- Set up weekly content cadence (1 post/week minimum)
- Create "good first issue" pipeline for contributors
- Run monthly community events (hackathons, AMAs)
- Track star velocity weekly and optimize channels

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