Is it possible that time of posting matters? When there are increased number of high trending posts on first page, it is very less likely that a new post gets any attention irrespective of quality of content.
I’ve tried experimenting at all times of day. I like around 8am pacific. That’s almost lunchtime on the east coast, but Europe is still up to. It takes time to rise. If you take off then you’ll be placed high from east coast dinner time and hopefully through west coast evening.
Getting more than 10 clicks on HN is a complete and total dice roll. As best I can tell there is no rhyme or reason. Not for my content at least. r/programming r/cpp and r/rust have been highly reliable for me. Consistent top 5 placement.
For context here’s my archive. https://www.forrestthewoods.com/blog/