Finding Viable Product Ideas on Reddit
Finding good product ideas on Reddit can be a challenge, as most posts on the topic simply suggest finding a specific subreddit and monitoring the activity or discussions related to a particular topic. However, they often neglect to explain the best practices for analyzing the information and avoiding pitfalls. This article will aim to provide answers to these questions.
1. Look for links in subreddit comments
The idea behind this strategy is that people in a particular niche often use certain websites, SaaS, or web tools, and will frequently mention these tools in their discussions, which are usually found in comments due to the restriction of posting links by most Reddit moderators. For example, the FIFA subreddit is known to contain many mentions of FUTBin, a website that enables players to compare players, build squads, and more. According to SimilarWeb, FUTBin is a popular website.
Another subreddit, /r/entrepreneur, is a rich source of links and information. Here are some of the products that were discovered on this subreddit:
- FounderCafe, mentioned here, here, here, and in many other posts.
- PitchGround, mentioned here and here
- Stylized.ai, mentioned here and here
When analyzing the popularity of these comments, it is important to consider the number of upvotes, as these can be an indication of the usefulness of the tool to the community. Furthermore, it is important to evaluate the popularity of the tools themselves by using SimilarWeb. For example, PitchGround is already a popular platform for software lifetime deals, while Stylized.ai is starting to gain traction.
2. Look for mentions of popular products
The theory is that popular products in a particular niche have app stores, app exchanges, or APIs that can be built on. Building extensions for popular platforms can be a great starting point for bootstrapped founders, as they typically handle user acquisition. As an example, while browsing through the most popular posts on /r/startups, the discovery of a post on how LinkedIn works for B2B startups highlights the potential of building software tools specifically for software startups in the vast ecosystem of tools around LinkedIn.
3. Automate "how-to" posts
Many subreddits contain "how-to" posts that can be automated. For example, a post on dropshipping that discusses using videos to market products suggests that a video ad spy tool for drop-shippers may be a profitable product idea, as videos are known to increase sales for drop-shippers. However, this approach is the trickiest, as there are many product ideas that can be derived from "how-to" posts.
4. Beware of the recency bias
The recency bias refers to our tendency to place more weight on current events than earlier events. For example, five years ago, net neutrality was a hot topic and a popular post on /r/entrepreneur was on the topic of net neutrality. However, a search for similar popular posts on the topic now shows zero results. To avoid this bias, it is important to look for multiple posts on the same topic. For instance, on /r/entrepreneur, the recurring need for good business ideas is evident in the many posts about business ideas, which suggests that building a product to come up with good business ideas may be a viable product idea.
In conclusion, finding good product ideas on Reddit requires a systematic approach that involves analyzing comments, evaluating the popularity of tools, building on popular products, automating "how-to" posts, and avoiding the recency bias. With these tips, you will be well on your way to discovering valuable product ideas on Reddit.
