HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Keyword-Search Reddit, Then DM the People With the Problem

Keyword-Search Reddit, Then DM the People With the Problem is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: Instead of broadcasting promo posts, you hunt down individual threads where users are actively asking for a solution like yours and DM them one by one.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for Early-stage products with a clear pain point. As a cold outreach play, plan for high effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Cold outreachHigh effortMedium

Why does cold outreach work for this?

People who already voiced the exact problem are pre-qualified and convert far better than a cold audience.

The exact steps (6)

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 "Keyword-Search Reddit, Then DM the People With the Problem" 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 high 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

Cold outreachHigh effort· Fast

Scrape New Listings Hourly and Auto-DM to Be First in Line

Build a bot that scrapes a target source for fresh matches and instantly fires a personalized message to each new contact, so you're always the first to reach out (he used it on landlords; the technique maps to any first-contact game).

Read the steps →
Cold outreachLow effort· Medium

Narrow the Subject Line From Broad to Uncomfortably Specific

Rewrite cold-email subject lines from a generic problem statement to an almost uncomfortably specific one so the message feels relevant enough to open and reply to.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachMedium effort· Fast

DM Competitor Users to Pitch Switching

Find people openly using a paid competitor on Reddit and DM them that they could save money by moving to you.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachMedium effort· Medium

Pitch Authors Who Already Wrote About Your Competitors

Searching for articles and blog posts covering similar or competing programs, then emailing those specific authors with a few tailored talking points suggesting they take a look at your app.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachHigh effort· Medium

Make the Cold Email Itself a Tailored Mini-Demo

Instead of pitching, build a tiny custom demo for each prospect using their actual policies/data to answer a few of their real customer questions, and send that as the message.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachMedium effort· Medium

Mine the Attendee List and Cold-DM Targets Before the Conference

Instead of paying for a booth, use the event's attendee app or roster to identify worthwhile people and reach out individually before the event proposing to meet up.

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.

Unlock for $29 onceBrowse by channel