Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#1

Post by wirtzdan » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 2:53 PM UTC

Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article
danielwirtz.com

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#2

Post by uhoh-itsmaciek » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 8:34 PM UTC

Nice analysis. The point about titles is interesting: given how content spreads on the Internet, it's really an invitation to potential readers. If you take that too far, it can devolve into tacky link-bait, but it's worth thinking about how to summarize your post into a handful of compelling words.

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#3

Post by valtlfelipe » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 8:39 PM UTC

And you made it again! :D Nice writeup. Very interesting analysis.

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#4

Post by stevage » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 8:59 PM UTC

I'm torn between "nice writeup" and "ugh, a guide to making viral content on HN?"

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#5

Post by Liquix » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 9:11 PM UTC

something not mentioned is the importance of timing. for example a link posted on saturday 11:00PM pacific will not receive nearly as much attention as the same link posted on a friday at 7:00AM pacific.

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#6

Post by SethMLarson » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

Love it, having an "aha-moment" is always a great indicator that it's something worth sharing! I encourage others to share their ahas so we can all learn together.

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#7

Post by qianli_cs » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 9:24 PM UTC

Liquix wrote: post #5

something not mentioned is the importance of timing. for example a link posted on saturday 11:00PM pacific will not receive nearly as much attention as the same link posted on a friday at 7:00AM pacific.

I’ve seen several blog posts trying to analyze HN data on the best time to post. However, the results are all over the place. For example, the below ones have different recommendations (weekend vs weekday).

- https://blog.rmotr.com/the-best-time-to-post-on-hacker-news-...

- https://medium.com/@mi.schaefer/what-is-the-best-time-to-pos...

But the precondition is that you’re submitting high quality content.

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#8

Post by block_dagger » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 9:26 PM UTC

The "try-it-yourself element" was what got me. Very close to the top of the article was a simple exercise that the reader could perform themselves, and when it "clicked," it was magical. I upvoted it for this reason.

EDIT: Typo

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#9

Post by wirtzdan » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 9:33 PM UTC

stevage wrote: post #4

I'm torn between "nice writeup" and "ugh, a guide to making viral content on HN?"

Yes, fair point!

I tried to reflect on some lessons from this, because I learned from the experience that small things (e.g. the title) can make large differences.

Which means that often good ideas or nice articles might get unrecognized, because they lack a good "packaging".

Making sure those things are on point helps.

But that should be it.

Re: Reverse engineering my #1 Hacker News article

#10

Post by wirtzdan » Mon, Jan 20, 2025, 9:35 PM UTC

SethMLarson wrote: post #6

Love it, having an "aha-moment" is always a great indicator that it's something worth sharing! I encourage others to share their ahas so we can all learn together.

100%!