Grow Through Comments, Not Posts, to Dodge Mods

Grow Through Comments, Not Posts, to Dodge Mods is a reddit & forums tactic for getting your first users: Drive signups by leaving helpful comments instead of self-promo posts, since comments blend in, rarely get removed, and need no audience of your own.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for Founders with no existing social audience. As a reddit & forums play, plan for medium effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Reddit & forumsMedium effortMedium

Why does reddit & forums work for this?

The flood of daily comments means quality policing is light and removal risk is minimal.

The exact steps (5)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

Unlock the steps · $29 oncePlus all 3,000+ tactics and the new ones we add weekly.

Sources

Works for
Any / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "Grow Through Comments, Not Posts, to Dodge Mods" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be medium.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

Related tactics

Reddit & forumsLow effort· Fast

Map the Subreddit Galaxy Before You Post

A discovery pass that turns one obvious subreddit into a full map of every adjacent community your buyers actually inhabit, including the tiny hidden ones you'd never guess by searching.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Slow

Join Existing Reddit Threads Instead of Only Posting New Ones

A tactic praised in the comments as underrated: rather than only publishing fresh self-promo posts, find relevant existing posts and comments from other people and get genuinely involved in those threads (a tool like Surfkey.io helps surface them).

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Slow

Warm Your Reddit Account and Farm Subreddit Karma First

A long-time Reddit mod advises never posting from a brand-new account; instead build positive karma and genuinely participate in each target subreddit first, or your post gets silently shadowbanned.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Medium

Clone Top Subreddit Posts and Bury the CTA at the Bottom

Repackage your own free content into a clickbait-titled value post that mimics the subreddit's all-time top posts, and slip the subscribe link only at the very end or in a comment.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Medium

Ladder From Small Subreddits to Big Ones

Seed your launch in small niche subreddits for first users and feedback, then move to large subs for scale once the pitch is tuned.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsLow effort· Fast

Check Your Profile in Incognito to Catch Silent Shadowbans

Platforms shadowban without notifying you, so periodically view your own profile while logged out to confirm your posts and comments are actually visible to other people.

Read the steps →

Get all 3,000+ tactics in one place

Filter by your product and channel, follow the exact steps, and get the new tactics we add every week. One payment, yours for good.