Do you want your writing to garner reactions or respect? Because most of the writing advice du jour is all about the former.

Build something nice to have, and people will drop it when the budget's tight. Build something people have to have, and they'll keep using it as long as it fits their needs.

The social network for startups and developers might be your best place to build an audience for your startup. It's also a tough, skeptical crowd where it can be hard to get attention. Here's what we've found to work—from a team that's hit the Hacker News homepage over a dozen times.