Part 4: Find a Plan B
Have a plan B
- If your only bet is HN, you’re going to be disappointed a lot
- Plan multiple channels where you can win
Plan distribution before you write
- Investigate where you can share your article
reddit
- Are there subreddits for this topic?
- Do they accept external submissions?
- Do any articles like yours succeed there?
- Is the subreddit still active?
Will your post really work on this subreddit?
GreenPiThumb on reddit
Subreddits predict HN potential
- Many matching subreddits
- Many prospective readers on HN
- Articles that succeed on HN could succeed on reddit
Google search
- The “catchall” plan B
- Extend the lifetime of your content
Remember my blog editor post?
A few years later…
Google search
- Do you have any chance of bubbling to the top?
- Use Ahrefs or Moz to check existing top results
- Does anyone search for keywords related to this?
Google search
Conferences
- Translate a 2,000 word blog post into a 25-40 minute conference presentation
- Look at PaperCall and confs.tech to find conferences that match your topic
Conferences
- Reach out before publishing
Niche forums
Finding other sites
- Pick an article similar to your idea
Other sites
- Indie Hackers
- Facebook groups
- LinkedIn
Keep it fun
- Don’t plan so much that it kills joy
- Research enough to meet your goals
