Community Outreach

Find relevant Reddit, HN, and ProductHunt threads and draft value-first community responses with launch checklist. Use when user says "find communities", "dr...

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

1. Parse project from $ARGUMENTS.

   • Read PRD/README to understand: problem, solution, ICP, key features.
   • If empty: ask via AskUserQuestion.

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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
   }
   

6. 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
   

7. 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.*
   

8. Output summary — communities found, top 3 threads to engage, PH readiness.

Critical Rules

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

Common Issues

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.