Discussion on "Show HN titles die when they sell. Fix the clause before you post."

Praneet Brar · 2026-10-16T07:07:15.288Z

Most Show HN advice talks about what happens after you hit submit. This one is about the thirty minutes before that. The title line, the URL you paste, the first comment you already wrote, and whether

keeping the title and the homepage H1 close is good advice beyond HN too

Yeah, if someone clicks from a title and the H1 says something different, it feels like a bait and switch even when it isn't.

The point about the URL you paste is underrated. If the link goes to a signup wall, the title barely matters because the first comments will be about not being able to try it. On naming the tool you integrate with, I'd name it when it's the reason someone would click, like "for Postgres" or "for Figma files," and leave it out when it's just part of your stack. The first comment is where I'd put the honest version of how it works and what it doesn't do yet, since that's usually what HN readers ask about first.

That's a clean rule. Name the tool when it's the reason to click, leave it out when it's plumbing. And good call on the signup wall, the title can't save a link people can't try.

Agree on the signup wall, that thread goes sideways fast. And yes, the first comment is the right place for the honest what-it-doesn't-do-yet part, it answers half the questions before they get asked.

The clause test is useful. Titles that describe what the thing does for one specific user tend to beat the ones listing features. Have you seen any difference between titles that name the tool you integrate with versus ones that stay generic?

Naming the integration seems to help when it's the reason someone would click, like the tool they already live in. When it's just part of the stack it's noise in the title. I don't have hard numbers on it though, it's more a pattern from reading the front page.

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Show HN titles die when they sell. Fix the clause before you post.

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