HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Mine Competitors and Downvoters for Your Next Move

Mine Competitors and Downvoters for Your Next Move is a reddit & forums tactic for getting your first users: Study how competitors promote on Reddit, read what their audience says, use DMs to follow up, and treat downvoters as free honest feedback.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for any product in a crowded space. 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?

Competitors' threads reveal proven angles, and critics tell you exactly what to fix.

The exact steps (4)

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 "Mine Competitors and Downvoters for Your Next Move" 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

DM the Mods for Permission Before You Post

When unsure whether a sub allows promotion, message the moderators directly and ask if you can post, framing it as genuine feedback-seeking rather than promo.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Slow

Warm a Roster of Alt Accounts in Parallel

Maintain several Reddit accounts beyond the main one, actively building karma and history on each so they're ready if the primary account gets restricted.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Medium

Stick to Sub-100k Subreddits and Never Recycle Replies

Favor subreddits under 100k members and write a unique reply every time, since copy-pasting the same response across subs is an automatic ban trigger.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Medium

Use Reddit as Your Top Free Traffic Source

Post your tool into relevant subreddits to pull the largest slice of free visits; one founder got 653 visits and 3 paying users this way at zero cost.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Slow

Ride Reddit's Google Rankings

Because Reddit threads rank highly in Google and many people deliberately append "reddit" to searches, well-placed posts and comments keep pulling in traffic long after you publish.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Slow

Warm a Reddit Account for Days Before You Ever Post

A fresh account that immediately posts a product gets flagged and shadow-suppressed; warming it first by participating builds enough standing to post without getting buried.

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