Reddit and Hacker News are two of the places where people most openly ask other people for software advice. That makes them useful for founders looking for early users, and also easy to misuse. This guide covers how to find the right conversations and how to decide whether to join them.
What a real request looks like
The strongest signals are written in the first person and describe a specific need. Phrases worth searching for include:
- "Is there a tool that..." or "What do you use for..."
- "Looking for an alternative to..." followed by a reason (price, missing feature, reliability)
- "How do you handle..." describing a manual process that your product automates
- "We tried X and Y, neither does Z"
Weaker signals include general discussion of a category, news about a competitor, or someone sharing their own product. These can still be interesting, but they are not people asking for help.
Where to look
Search within the subreddits where your users actually spend time, not only the large general ones. Niche communities about a specific job, tool or stack often have the most precise questions. Before replying anywhere, read the subreddit's rules: many restrict self-promotion or links, and some allow it only in designated threads. More detail is in our Reddit channel guide.
Hacker News
Ask HN threads are where people request recommendations directly. Comment threads under launches and technical articles also contain specific complaints and comparisons. The audience is technical and tends to reward substance over pitch. See the Hacker News channel guide.
Judging fit before you reply
Before you write anything, check:
- Is the problem the one you solve? Not a nearby one.
- Is the person in your audience? A hobbyist and a team lead with the same question may need different answers.
- Is the thread recent and still open? An old thread can still be worth answering for future readers, but say so honestly.
- Can you help without mentioning your product? If yes, lead with that help.
Doing it by hand versus with Distrarc
You can do all of this manually with search and a spreadsheet. It works, but it is repetitive and easy to drop when you are busy. Distrarc automates the searching and the first pass at judging fit: it reads your site, searches sources that suit your audience (such as Hacker News and Reddit, and others like Stack Overflow, GitHub and Bluesky where they fit), and returns conversations with a link to the source, the date and the reason they match. It can draft a reply for each, which you edit and post yourself.
Next: how to reply without spamming. Or see what Distrarc finds for your product with a free first report, and compare plans.