Here's the thing nobody tells you about building a SaaS product: having a great product means nothing if you can't find the people who need it.
I spent two months with zero customers. Not "low conversions" - actual zero. My landing page bounced everyone. Twitter got me 3 likes (thanks mom). Product Hunt launch disappeared into the void.
Then I accidentally discovered a customer acquisition channel that actually worked.
The Discovery
I was browsing r/Entrepreneur one night, procrastinating instead of coding, when I found a thread asking about tools for the exact problem I'd solved.
42 comments. Real people describing the exact pain point. Six months old.
Six months of people looking for what I'd already built. And I had zero idea they existed.
That's when I realized: my customers weren't missing. They were having conversations without me.
The Framework I Built
After that wake-up call, I built a systematic approach to finding these hidden customers.
Step 1: Search for Problems, Not Products
People don't search for "productivity tools." They search for:
"how do I automate..."
"is there a tool that..."
"frustrated with..."
"looking for recommendations"
Each phrase = someone actively seeking a solution.
Step 2: Map the Subreddits
I identified 15 communities where my target users hung out:
- r/SaaS (obvious)
- r/smallbusiness (gold mine)
- r/Entrepreneur
- r/freelance
- Niche subreddits for specific industries
The more specific, the better the conversations.
Step 3: Build a Tracking System
This is where it got time-consuming. Manually searching Reddit was eating 2-3 hours a day.
I eventually built a tool to help: Wappkit Reddit. Basic desktop app that searches multiple subreddits with filters. Not pretty, but it works.
There are alternatives - GummySearch is popular. Even site:reddit.com Google alerts work for free. Point is: automate this or you'll burn out.
The Engagement Strategy
Here's what I learned about actually converting these conversations into customers:
Don't Sell. Help.
The moment you sound promotional, you're done. I got called a "shill" once with 200 upvotes on the callout. Not my proudest moment.
What works: answer questions genuinely. Share knowledge. Only mention your tool when directly relevant, and frame it as "a thing I built" not "THE SOLUTION."
Example of What Works
Bad:
"Check out my tool [link] - it solves exactly this problem!"
Good:
"Yeah I ran into this too. Ended up building something to
handle it for myself. Nothing fancy but it works."
People DM you asking what it is. That's the goal.
The Numbers
After 3 months of this approach:
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Threads engaged | ~100 |
| DMs received | ~40 |
| Reddit traffic | ~800 |
| Paying customers | 53 |
Not viral growth. But 53 > 0.
More importantly: these were quality customers. They understood the problem. They'd been searching for a solution. Way higher retention than random ad traffic.
Common Mistakes
1. Treating Reddit like Twitter
Reddit isn't a broadcast channel. You participate in conversations, not post and leave.
2. Promoting before contributing
If your first 10 Reddit actions are promotional, you're doing it wrong. Build karma first. Become a regular.
3. Giving up too fast
Month 1: zero customers
Month 3: 15-20/month
It compounds. Don't quit after one week.
Final Thoughts
This isn't a growth hack that'll 10x your MRR overnight. It won't.
What it does: connects you with people who actually need what you're building. In early stage, that matters more than any viral launch.
Your first 50 customers are probably already asking questions on Reddit right now.
Your job is just to find them and show up with something useful to say.
What's your experience with Reddit for customer acquisition? Would love to hear in the comments.
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