How to find the questions your customers ask on Reddit

The best thing you can do on Reddit is answer questions that real people are asking. But first you have to find them. This is a skill, and it gets quick with practice.

Here’s a method that works.

Start from what you already know

You probably already know some customer questions. They come up on calls, in emails and in reviews. Start there.

Write down:

The five questions you get asked most.
The three things people are confused about when they first use your product.
The reasons people give for not buying.
The words they use to describe their problem. This one matters a lot.

Use their words, not yours. If you call it “workflow automation” and they call it “stopping my spreadsheets from breaking”, search for the second.

Search Reddit directly

Go to Reddit’s search and try your phrases. Then use these patterns, which tend to find buying questions.

best [thing] for [type of person]
[competitor] alternative
[competitor] vs [other competitor]
is [product] worth it
anyone use [product]
how do I [problem]
[problem] help
recommend [thing]

Sort by New to find fresh threads you can still answer. Sort by Top for the year to learn what questions matter most.

Search Google too

Google often finds Reddit threads better than Reddit’s own search. Add the word “reddit” to a search.

best crm for small teams reddit
[your competitor] review reddit
site:reddit.com [your topic] recommendations

The site: trick limits results to Reddit. The threads that appear here are also the ones that tend to rank for your buyers, which makes them worth the effort.

Look in the right places

Once you find a few good threads, note which communities they’re in. Those are the places your buyers ask. Visit each one and read the recent posts. Our guide to finding the right subreddits goes deeper.

Also look at:

Communities about the problem, not just the product.
Communities about the type of person who buys, like a profession.
Competitor communities and threads about competitors.

Read the comments, not just the titles

The title is the question. The comments are the real research. Read them for:

What people say they actually bought and why.
The things people complain about.
The phrases that come up again and again.
Follow-up questions. These show what people really want.

Keep a simple sheet

You don’t need software. A spreadsheet with these columns is enough.

Thread link	Community	Question in one line	Date	Open?	Our answer ideas	Done?

Add every good thread you find. Once a week, go through it and answer the ones that are still open.

Spot the questions worth answering

Not every question deserves a reply. Pick the ones where:

You really know the answer.
The question is recent enough that it’s still being read.
The existing answers are weak, out of date or missing something.
The community’s rules allow your kind of answer.
The person asking is the kind of person you can help.

Skip threads where a perfect answer already exists, where the question is a trap, or where the only way to join is by selling.

Find patterns

After a few weeks, group your questions. You’ll see themes.

Price questions: “Is it worth the money?”
Choice questions: “Which one should I pick?”
Trust questions: “Is this safe?”
How-to questions: “How do I do X with it?”

Each theme is something you can write about. A blog post, a page on your site, a better answer on your pricing page. Reddit is a free map of what people want to know. See turning Reddit threads into blog posts for how.

Set up a weekly routine

Here’s a routine that takes about 30 minutes a week.

Run six to eight searches (Reddit and Google).
Add new threads to your sheet.
Pick the three best and answer them properly.
Note any new phrases or themes.
Share what you learned with your team.

Do this for a month and you’ll know your buyers better than you do now.

A word about notifications

Some people set up alerts for keywords so they hear when new threads appear. That’s fine, as long as you still read each thread and answer like a person. Don’t paste the same reply under every alert. People notice, and moderators do too.

If you’d like help setting up a routine like this, get in touch. And for what to do once you’ve found a thread, read how to market your product on Reddit.