How to Use Reddit Search on Okara to Get Your First 100 Customers

Frustrated Reddit posts about competitors can represent a golden opportunity for savvy founders.

Every day, Reddit users openly vent about product issues and shortcomings, giving raw, unfiltered feedback that’s “pure gold” for anyone looking to solve a problem. If you can offer a helpful solution and chime in authentically, those threads can lead directly to your first customers.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk through how to use Okara Reddit search tool to find these discussions and turn them into your early user base. Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Navigate to Okara’s Reddit Search Tool

First, head over to Okara.ai and sign up. Once you’re logged in, access the main AI chat interface. Okara’s chat lets you search the web and even specific platforms like reddit, twitter, and youtube right alongside an AI model.

Look for the search options or icons – you should see choices for Web, Twitter, YouTube, and importantly Reddit. Select the Reddit search mode to tell Okara you want to focus on Reddit discussions.

Now you’re ready to query Reddit. You have two ways to use Okara’s Reddit search tool:

• Keyword Search: In the chat input, type keywords related to your niche or competitor. For example: “Slack alternative”, “Mailchimp pricing issues”, or “Notion vs Evernote”. Okara will fetch relevant Reddit posts matching those terms, just like a normal Reddit search would.
• Natural Language Prompt: You can also ask Okara in plain English. For instance, you might prompt: “Find me Reddit posts where people complain about Mailchimp’s limitations.” The AI will interpret that request and pull up discussions from Reddit that fit. This is super handy – it’s like having an AI research assistant comb through Reddit for you.

Give it a try with a straightforward query about a competitor or problem in your domain. Okara will return a list of Reddit threads that match your search, right inside the chat. Now the real work begins!

Step 2: Search for Posts Where Competitor’s Users Are Frustrated

The goal is to find posts on Reddit where users are unhappy with your larger competitor or current solutions in your market. These frustrated folks are potential early adopters for your product. Think about the big player you’re up against (or the common workaround people use). What do people complain about regarding that solution? Use Okara to hunt those posts down.

Come up with search terms that capture frustration. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• “[Competitor Name] sucks” – Blunt, but you’d be surprised how many threads have titles like this.
• “[Competitor] alternatives” – People explicitly looking for other options (a great sign!).
• “Frustrated with [Competitor]” or “[Competitor] not working” – Users venting about issues.
• “Hate [Competitor]” or “[Competitor] is so slow/expensive/etc.” – Rants that reveal pain points.
• “Looking for a replacement for [Competitor]” – Clear intent to switch if a better product is found.

Why this step matters: You’re essentially doing social listening on Reddit for pain points in your market. Reddit’s honesty means people will openly discuss what’s wrong with existing tools. Those discussions are a treasure trove for understanding your potential customers’ frustrations.

Step 3: Identify High-Opportunity Threads from the Results

Once Okara presents you with a list of Reddit posts, you’ll need to analyze which threads are worth your time. Not every result will be a winner. We’re looking for the golden opportunities – threads where a thoughtful reply can make a real splash (and not get buried or removed). Here’s how to filter the results:

• Relevance: Click on a few promising posts to read the full context. Is the user’s problem directly related to what your product solves? If a thread is only tangentially related, you might skip it. Focus on those where the pain point aligns with your solution’s strengths.
• Recency: Check the date. Recent posts (say, within the last few weeks or months) are ideal. The original poster (OP) is more likely still looking for answers, and other users are likely to see a new comment. An older thread (e.g. 2 years old) might have stale info or an OP who’s moved on. Prioritize fresh discussions unless the complaint is exactly in your wheelhouse and still unresolved.
• Engagement: Look at the number of upvotes and comments. A complaint post with lots of upvotes or “me too” comments signals that many people share this pain. That means a bigger potential audience if you chime in. Conversely, a post with 0 points and no comments might indicate a one-off issue or something people aren’t that interested in. (Not always, but it’s a useful signal.)
• Context & Tone: Read the OP’s question or rant carefully. Are they asking for help or alternatives, or just blowing off steam? If someone explicitly asks “Anyone know a better tool than X?” – jackpot, they’re actively seeking a solution. If it’s just “Ugh, X crashed again, I hate it,” you can still reply, but frame it as empathy + a helpful suggestion (more on that soon). Also, gauge the tone of the community: is it generally open to advice, or do they shun any self-promotion? This leads to the next point…
• Subreddit Rules: Quickly check the rules of the subreddit or the vibe. Some subreddits (like r/Entrepreneur or r/SaaS) often allow helpful sharing of your own product in comments if it’s genuinely relevant. Others might have strict rules against self-promotion. Make sure you won’t get immediately banned. If rules say “no self-promo,” you might need to be extra careful (e.g. don’t include a link, maybe just mention name, or even DM the user politely after commenting something useful publicly).

After reviewing, pick a handful of high-opportunity threads – those where you feel “I can genuinely help this person (and others reading) with my insight and my product.” These are the ones where you’ll be engaging.

Step 4: Craft a Helpful, Non‑Spammy Reply (and Mention Your Product Casually)

Now for the most important part: writing your reply. The golden rule is to be helpful first and foremost. You’re not dropping an ad, you’re joining a conversation to add value. If you nail this, you can mention your product and people will appreciate it rather than flag it. Here’s how to approach your comment:

1. Lead with real value: Address the OP’s issue sincerely. Share a useful tip, insight, or solution from your own experience. For instance: “I’ve been through the same pain with Mailchimp’s pricing. One trick I found was cleaning my list regularly to avoid hitting their higher pricing tier…” By providing a nugget of helpful info, you establish yourself as a credible, contributing member of the community, not just a drive-by market. People can tell when advice is genuine versus generic marketing fluff. Focus on your actual experience or knowledge related to the problem – this authenticity stands out.
2. Mention your product as a friendly suggestion: Once you’ve addressed the problem, you can mention your product as a potential solution in a very natural, non-pushy way. Think of it like recommending a tool – which just happens to be yours. For example: “...Honestly, that frustration with Mailchimp is exactly why I ended up building EmailBlaster – I needed a simpler, cheaper alternative for my own projects. It might be up your alley if you’re fed up with MC.” Notice a few things in that phrasing:You transparently note that you built something (so readers understand your affiliation).You frame it as solving the same problem the OP has (making it relevant, not random).The tone is helpful and humble – “might be up your alley” is low-pressure, as opposed to “You must try my amazing product!!!”.It’s often wise not to include a direct link at first. Reddit users are wary of new accounts dropping links, and some subs auto-remove comments with links. Instead, just naming your product can be enough; people will Google it if they’re interested. If the subreddit is okay with links and the context truly warrants it (say you’re linking to a relevant how-to article on your site), you can consider it, but when in doubt, leave it out.
3. Keep it personal and concise: Write as one human to another. Maybe empathize with their frustration (“I know how annoying that is, I dealt with it for months at my last job”). Use a friendly tone, and avoid corporate-speak or overly salesy language. Also, don’t write a novel – a few sentences or a short paragraph is usually perfect. Long-winded comments get skipped. Aim to be concise yet helpful.
4. No copy-pasta, tailor each reply: It might be tempting to reuse parts of your comment for multiple threads – after all, many people have similar complaints. But resist the urge to copy-paste the same reply everywhere. Reddit moderators and bots are pretty sharp at catching duplicate comments, and you risk getting auto-removed or banned. Plus, each thread is a unique context; a one-size-fits-all answer will feel out of place.
5. Don’t oversell – keep it 80/20: A good rule of thumb is suggested by a founder who learned from experience: keep direct promotion to no more than ~20% of what you do on Reddit. That means, out of 5 comments you make, maybe 1 can mention your product, and the other 4 should be pure helpfulness with no self mention.

Before hitting “post,” double-check your tone and content: Are you comfortable having this comment associated with your startup publicly? Does it read as genuinely trying to help (good) or like an ad (bad)? If you were the OP, would you find this comment valuable? Tweak as needed, then go for it!

Step 5: Engage Authentically with the Reddit Community

After posting your replies, remember that this isn’t a hit-and-run. To really leverage Reddit for customer acquisition, you should engage with the community long-term. Here’s how to do it authentically:

• Be a community member first, founder second. If you create a brand-new Reddit account just to promote your startup, people will see right through it. Ideally, use an account that has some genuine activity (or build one) by participating in discussions unrelated to your product too. Join conversations in your niche, answer questions, share advice, earn some karma and good will.
• Follow up and be responsive. When you do leave a suggestion or mention your product, stick around that thread. If the OP or someone else replies with a question or even skepticism (“Is your tool open source?” or “How does it compare to X?”), respond promptly and helpfully. This is where you turn a one-time comment into an actual engaged conversation – which is how you convert an interested Redditor into a user. By showing that you’re responsive and care, you build rapport.
• Be transparent and humble. When engaging, always disclose your affiliation naturally (“I’m the founder of X, happy to help”). Redditors appreciate honesty. Also, if someone critiques your product in a thread, don’t get defensive or go silent – politely acknowledge it and consider offering to chat further. Authenticity means taking the good and bad in stride.
• Make it a routine, not a one-off. Getting 100 customers from Reddit won’t happen from a single comment or even a single day. You’re playing the long game of building reputation and relationships. Set aside a little time each week to search for new discussions (using Okara to streamline it), contribute to threads, and keep your ear to the ground on what people are saying in your industry. Over time, you might even become “known” in certain communities as the person who’s knowledgeable about X problem (and oh yeah, runs that new product Y which folks are trying out). That kind of word-of-mouth is powerful and costs only your time.

Finally, keep it real. Redditors can spot fake enthusiasm or marketing a mile away.

By consistently being a genuine part of the community, you’ll build trust. And trust is what turns a random Redditor reading your comment into a person willing to click on your profile, learn about your product, and become one of your first 100 customers.

Example: How One Founder Got 30 Users in a Week from Reddit

To see this strategy in action, let’s look at a real-world example.

A bootstrapped SaaS founder recently shared how they landed about 30 new users in 7 days by leveraging Reddit. Initially, they admitted, Reddit was “one of the harshest” channels – their early attempts at promotion got four of their accounts banned. That painful trial and error forced them to rethink their approach. Instead of blasting self-promotional posts, they switched to joining conversations where their target audience hangs out and genuinely trying to help.

They laid out a few rules that made all the difference in finally “getting it right” on Reddit:

• Provide real value first.
• Promote sparingly.
• No spammy links.
• Build karma and credibility.

Now, imagine scaling that approach. 30 users from a handful of threads in one week is impressive; if you consistently participate over a few months, you could very well accumulate your first 100 customers from Reddit – all for free, using just your time and expertise. Okara AI simply helps you do this more efficiently, by pinpointing the right conversations faster and even assisting you in formulating responses.

Using Reddit search on Okara is like having a cheat code for startup customer research and outreach. You find exactly where your potential users are complaining or asking for solutions, and you jump in with genuine help.

Give this strategy a try for your startup. Fire up Okara, search out those frustrated posts, and start talking to your future customers. With a friendly, helpful approach, you’ll be on your way to the coveted first 100 users, one Reddit thread at a time. Good luck, and happy hunting! 🚀