Hunt Where People Use Products, Not Build Them

Hunt Where People Use Products, Not Build Them is a reddit & forums tactic for getting your first users: A positioning shift away from the obvious founder and startup subreddits toward the communities where your actual end users gather around their hobby, job, or problem.

It's a strong fit for Consumer / mobile apps and Marketplaces teams, and works especially well for consumer apps, marketplaces, prosumer tools. As a reddit & forums play, plan for low effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 2 linked primary sources.

Reddit & forumsLow effortSlow

Why does reddit & forums work for this?

Builder subs are saturated with competitors and people who want to sell, not buy; the communities organized around a real-world activity hold your true customers and convert because the context is theirs, not yours.

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.

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Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Hunt Where People Use Products, Not Build Them" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Consumer / mobile apps and Marketplaces — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Hunt Where People Use Products, Not Build Them" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 2 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is low effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via How I Used Reddit To Build a $25K/Month Business and Show IH: Launched a SaaS with no audience, is in the paid library.

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Post Your App in the Subreddit of the Tech You Built It With

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Hunt Fresh Pain-Phrase Threads in Small Niche Subs

Skip the big launch subreddits and instead search small niche subs for people describing your exact problem in their own words, then reply helpful-first with zero product link in the first comment.

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The "Give Me Feedback" Post

Sharing your product as a sincere request for feedback rather than a sale, often with no price on the page, so the community reads it as a builder seeking input instead of a marketer chasing money.

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Repackage Others' Content With a Killer Title and Borrowed Authority

Creating Reddit posts by summarizing existing articles or videos, wrapped in a strong title, a famous name for social proof, and your own personal story.

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