Stake Out a Subreddit for Two Weeks Before You Post

Stake Out a Subreddit for Two Weeks Before You Post is a reddit & forums tactic for getting your first users: Before launching, deeply research the target subreddit by reading its rules, sorting top posts of the year, and lurking the 'new' feed for a couple of weeks to learn exactly what the community rewards.

It's a strong fit for Consumer / mobile apps teams, and works especially well for B2C products that already have a niche subreddit. As a reddit & forums play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Reddit & forumsMedium effortSlow

Why does reddit & forums work for this?

Learning the community's norms and language first lets your post read as native value instead of an outsider's pitch.

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

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Stake Out a Subreddit for Two Weeks Before You Post" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Consumer / mobile apps — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Stake Out a Subreddit for Two Weeks Before You Post" 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 slow.
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

Earn the Upvote First, Drop the Link Second

A two-step commenting move: post a helpful, link-free top comment, then add the link in a self-reply underneath it once the first comment earns goodwill.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsLow effort· Fast

Submit to a Perfectly-Matched Niche Subreddit

Post a simple, fun project to a subreddit whose theme exactly fits it (/r/InternetIsBeautiful for a quirky web toy), which drove over 20,000 users in a single day.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsLow effort· Medium

Target Subreddits Where the Pain Is Felt, Not Where the Solution Lives

He realized his budgeting app converted better in adjacent-pain subs (r/MiddleClassFinance, r/Frugal, r/povertyfinance, r/jobs, r/college) than in the obvious r/personalfinance, because his real users don't identify as budgeters yet.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsMedium effort· Fast

Post from an Aged, High-Karma Reddit Account

Drive most of your launch traffic from Reddit using an established account with genuine karma, posting only occasionally so you avoid spam filters and mod bans.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsLow effort· Slow

Hunt Where People Use Products, Not Build Them

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.

Read the steps →
Reddit & forumsLow effort· Fast

Hide Your Promo Behind a Reddit Spoiler Tag

A gray-hat hack that pulled 48k+ views on r/SideProject: deliver a valuable post, then put your promo at the very end and mark it as a spoiler so readers must deliberately click to reveal it.

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.