HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Lead With Value and Hide the Pitch

Lead With Value and Hide the Pitch is a reddit & forums tactic for getting your first users: The core anti-ban move is writing value-first posts with no sales pitch up front; the product surfaces only after the post has genuinely helped readers.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for founders marketing in strict communities. 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?

Reddit punishes link-dropping but rewards contributors, so value-first posts stay up and reach the right people.

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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Sources

Works for
Any / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "Lead With Value and Hide the Pitch" 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.

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