| name | channels-community-forum |
| description | When the user wants to promote via forums, communities, or invite users to join a community. Also use when the user mentions "forum promotion," "Indie Hacker," "Hacker News," "community growth," "Discord promotion," "vertical community," "brand encyclopedia," "Wikipedia," or "Quora." |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0"} |
Channels: Community & Forum Promotion
Guides forum promotion, community invitation, and vertical community marketing. Community-led growth (CLG) costs ~90% less than paid acquisition with ~3.2x higher customer LTV. Indie Hackers delivers ~23% conversion vs Product Hunt ~3%; HN and Reddit require sustained engagement.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Initial Assessment
Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-context.md exists, read it for product, audience, and brand voice.
Identify:
- Goal: Leads, community growth, brand awareness
- Platform fit: Indie Hacker, HN, Reddit, Discord, vertical forums
- Timeline: One-time launch vs sustained (4-6 months for Indie Hackers)
Forum Types
| Platform | Audience | Use |
|---|
| Indie Hacker | Indie makers, founders | Sustained engagement; authentic journey posts; ~23% conversion vs PH 3% |
| Hacker News | Tech, startups | Show HN launch; ~1,300 posts/day; front page = luck + timing |
| Hackernoon | Dev, tech readers | Content distribution |
| Industry forums | Niche verticals | Discount codes, leads; search "[industry] forum" |
| Reddit | Subreddit-specific | See platforms-reddit; 90/10 rule; 29+ posts for traction |
Hacker News Launch
| Practice | Guideline |
|---|
| Title | "Show HN: [Product] - [specific problem solved]"; honest, no clickbait |
| Timing | Tue-Thu; peak US hours; avoid weekends, Mon, Fri |
| First comment | Invitation to engage; product status (beta/MVP); differentiated solution; try-it link |
| Assets | Live demo, GIFs, screenshots, 30-60s demo video |
| Expectation | Traffic spike, not sustained growth; partly luck-dependent |
Indie Hackers Best Practices
- Sustained engagement: 4-6 months; not a one-time launch
- Content: Authentic journey posts, small wins, lessons learned, relatable struggles
- Promotion: Product "sprinkled within" content; avoid heavy promotion
- Result: Organic traffic; documented 12.5% conversion from authentic sharing
Community Invitation Tactics
| Channel | Method |
|---|
| Welcome email | Post-signup automation; 4x open, 5x CTR vs regular campaigns |
| Homepage CTA | Button, popup, banner; above-the-fold upgrade CTA |
| In-site placement | High-visibility areas; user-focused sections (e.g. dashboard, settings) |
| Banner | Homepage, carousel below hero |
| Registration emails | Success/confirmation email with community link |
| EDM campaign | Newsletter + banner, interview-for-membership |
| Discord | Post event/community info; founder engagement 2-3h/day |
| Vertical forums | Search "[industry] forum"; post event/activity promotion |
| Post-login form | In-app signup form shown after login; high-intent placement |
Welcome email best practices: One clear CTA per email; front-load value in subject; personalize (signup source, interests); link to best content, events; ask questions (~75% reply rate). Automated 2-4 email sequence.
Vertical Community Channels
| Principle | Guideline |
|---|
| Target | Find channels where target audience gathers |
| Niche over broad | Industry-specific subgroups; avoid mass posting |
| Caution | Mass posting risks removal; match community tone |
| Examples | Reddit subreddits, Discord servers, Quora, Stack Overflow, niche B2B communities; regional: Zhihu, Douban, Tieba (China) |
Community-led growth: Engage before promoting; build trust; contribute value first.
Natural Traffic (Complementary)
| Channel | Use |
|---|
| Hashtags | Social tag optimization |
| Facebook groups | Indirect referral |
| Giveaways | Attention and conversion |
Brand Basics (Encyclopedia, Q&A)
| Platform | Use |
|---|
| Wikipedia | Global; neutral, cited content; brand credibility |
| Quora | Q&A; brand discussion, thought leadership, long-term SEO |
| Stack Overflow | Tech/dev; expertise signals, backlinks |
| Regional | Baidu Baike, Sogou (China); see strategies-localization |
Wikipedia: Neutral language, credible references, no promotional content. Regional encyclopedias (e.g. Baidu Baike in China) require verified credentials; prioritize local search share. Free and sustainable; supports long-term conversion while search habits persist.
Output Format
- Forum selection and approach (HN vs IH vs industry)
- Community invitation plan (welcome email, CTA, banner, EDM, Discord)
- Vertical channel targeting
- Content strategy (authentic vs promotional mix)
- Timeline (launch vs sustained)
Related Skills
- platforms-reddit: Reddit post copy, subreddit rules
- channels-directories: Product Hunt, Taaft; different from forum community
- channels-affiliate: Communities as recruitment channel
- components-top-banner, components-popup: Homepage CTA, banner
- components-newsletter-signup: EDM, welcome email
- strategies-localization: Regional markets (Baidu Baike, Zhihu, etc.)
References
