How do I find Reddit posts from people who need what I sell?
Search Reddit for the phrases people use when they have the problem you solve, such as "looking for a tool that" or "alternative to", sort by new, and reply only where someone asked a question you can answer, saying you built the product. GrowFast automates the searching and drafting; you read each match and post it yourself.
Published by GrowFast. Last updated 2026-11-13. We make GrowFast, so weigh our side accordingly. Markdown version: /solutions/find-reddit-posts-from-people-who-need-your-product.md.
Why it happens
People rarely name your product. They describe a pain: "how do I stop invoices going to spam", "anyone know a cheaper way to do X". Searching for your own brand finds nothing; searching for the problem finds the buyers, but Reddit search is noisy and the useful threads are buried among rants and discussions where nobody is asking for anything.
The second difficulty is etiquette. Reddit treats repeated or unsolicited promotion as spam, and individual communities add their own rules. A founder who drops a link into every thread loses the account, and with it the one channel that was working.
The fix that works without GrowFast
- List ten problem phrases. Write what a customer would type before they know you exist: the pain, the workaround, "alternative to <competitor>", "how do I" questions. Avoid your own product name.
- Search each phrase in quotes and sort by new. Use reddit.com/search with the phrase in quotes, sort by New and limit to the past week or month. Skim titles; open only threads where someone states a need.
- Add the competitor angle. Search "<competitor> alternative" and "<competitor> too expensive". These are the highest-intent threads because the person is already shopping.
- Read the community's rules first. Each subreddit's sidebar lists what is allowed. Reddit says moderators decide what counts as spam in their community, so a reply that is fine in one is removed in another.
- Answer the question, then disclose. Give the useful answer in a few sentences. If your product is relevant, say you built it. Add a link only if the thread or the rules allow it.
- Track and repeat weekly. Keep a sheet of thread, date, what you said and whether anyone replied. A saved search checked once a week beats an hour of scrolling once a month.
| Behaviour | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Programming a bot that continuously promotes products across communities | Listed as an example of a policy violation |
| Sending large amounts of unsolicited private messages | Listed among things that may violate the policy |
| Posting content where you have a personal interest | The advice for avoiding being labelled a spammer |
| Contributions that are mostly links to a business you run | Be thoughtful about frequency, or consider Reddit's advertising |
| Community-specific rules | Moderators adjudicate what is unwanted in their community |
Feeds and rate limits
Reddit search pages can also be read as RSS by adding .rss to the search URL, which lets a feed reader watch a query. Reddit rate-limits unauthenticated requests: when we tried this on 2026-11-13 it returned HTTP 429, and it may return 429 or 403. Poll slowly, one query at a time, and stop when you are limited.
When to use GrowFast
set_reddit_monitor stores up to six keywords for a product; GrowFast searches Reddit for them and list_reddit_matches returns the posts, best first, each with a drafted reply and DM. Only posts scored 8 out of 10 or higher for intent, and that state a need rather than start a discussion, are kept, and drafts avoid links and list formatting.
GrowFast never votes, never posts on its own and never uses an account but yours. After you connect your own Reddit account, each reply or DM is sent from it with one confirmed click, at most 10 a day. Without the connection, you copy the draft and post it.
When it is not the right tool. If your buyers do not use Reddit, matches will be thin and the time is better spent elsewhere. And if you want something that posts for you at scale, that is not something we build; Reddit's policy names bots that continuously promote products as a violation.
Plans and limits are on the pricing page.
Ask your AI assistant
Paste this into an assistant that has the GrowFast MCP server connected. The tools it uses are on the ChatGPT and Claude connectors, which research and draft but cannot send.
Assign to GrowFast: listen on Reddit for people who need a tool like mynewsletter.com (keywords: newsletter tool, grow newsletter, find subscribers). Don't post anything. Show me the matches with drafted replies so I can approve each one.
Tools used: set_reddit_monitor, list_reddit_matches
FAQ
Is it allowed to promote my product on Reddit?
Reddit's policy targets repeated or unsolicited mass engagement, and says moderators decide what is spam in their community. Answering a real question, disclosing that you built the product and following the community's rules is the safe pattern.
Can GrowFast post replies for me automatically?
No. It drafts, and after you connect your own Reddit account it sends a reply only after you confirm that single reply, at most 10 a day.
Does it watch other platforms?
No. Reddit is the only social channel; outreach is by email.
How many keywords can I track?
Up to six per product with set_reddit_monitor. Setting it again replaces the product's earlier settings.
Sources
- Reddit Help, Spam (page updated 2026-10-30) (read 2026-11-13)