Anish sent 400 emails to influencers. One replied.
He launched on Product Hunt, Hacker News, Indie Hackers. Traffic spiked—96% bounced immediately.
Most founders pivot to paid ads. Anish spent 3.5 months lurking in credit card subreddits, answering questions without promoting. Then he posted once.
That post generated thousands of users and took SaveWise from zero to $25,000 monthly revenue—97% choosing lifetime plans over subscriptions.
Strategic patience beats launch theater.
🔍 Why Launch Platforms Don't Convert?
SaveWise automates credit card point optimization. The product worked. But Anish launched where founders congregate, not where customers live.
Product Hunt attracts builders. Influencers ignore unproven products. Launch platforms deliver vanity traffic that bounces.
The shift: Stop optimizing for visibility. Start engaging where target users already discuss your exact problem—even if those communities feel too niche for your brand positioning.
Reddit and Facebook groups don't impress investors. But people admit real struggles there they'd never post on LinkedIn. Authenticity converts skeptics better than polished marketing.
⚙️ The Three-Step System
1. Find Your Territory, Then Learn the Language
Before posting anything, identify 10-15 keywords describing your user's problems and interests. Not your product features—their pain points.
Use Reddit Map tool: Enter one relevant subreddit (r/creditcards) and it maps every related community visually. Anish discovered r/churning, r/personalfinance, r/frugal—same users, different problem angles.
For Facebook groups: Search interest keywords, not product categories. Anish searched "Rakuten" and found "Rakuten Stacks: How to Double Dip"—1,500 people manually doing what SaveWise automates.
Join 5-7 communities. Spend two weeks lurking before posting anything.
What to observe: What questions appear repeatedly? What language works—jargon or casual? What gets upvoted vs. downvoted immediately?
Save 10-15 high-engagement posts. Note the format, tone, structure. Anish noticed r/churning members asked specific questions in weekly Q&A threads about stacking offers. That became his entry point—answer those exact questions, skip promotion entirely.
When you finally engage, you'll sound like a member sharing insight, not an outsider hunting leads.
2. Build Authority in Comments Before Posting
Comments are the low-risk testing ground. You're contributing to existing conversations, not demanding attention.
Anish's cadence for 3.5 months:
Answered 3-5 questions weekly in r/churning Q&A threads
Mentioned "I built a tool for this" only when directly relevant (max 1 in 5 comments)
Never posted at top level until month four
What he learned: which features users actually wanted, how to explain SaveWise in community language, which objections surfaced repeatedly.
By month four, the community recognized him as someone who contributed before asking. That credibility converted when he finally posted.
Set up F5Bot alerts (free tool) for keyword monitoring. Anish tracked "credit card points," "Rakuten offers," "cash back stacking." Every alert = conversation where someone actively discusses your solution space.
First helpful comment in a thread often gets most visibility. Don't drop product links immediately—read full context, give genuine advice first, mention your product only if it directly solves their stated problem.
3. Give Away the Answer, Charge for Automation
Most founders hide value to protect their product. Anish did the opposite.
He posted a free Google Sheet in "Rakuten Stacks" Facebook group listing stores with double offers (Rakuten + Amex). He wrote a SQL query, compiled the data, shared it completely free.
1,500 members opened the sheet.
The mechanic: Sheet footer said "Data from SaveWise.io" with link. Members who wanted real-time data (not static spreadsheet) naturally clicked through. 1,500 website visits from one post. Zero promotional copy.
The pattern: Give away 80% of value in a format people use immediately (spreadsheet, guide, manual process breakdown). Reserve 20% behind your product (automation, real-time updates, advanced features).
After 3.5 months commenting weekly in r/churning, Anish messaged the mods: "I've been contributing to threads. Can I post asking for feedback on a tool?" They said yes because he'd proven he wasn't there to spam.
His post structure: Led with the problem (manually tracking offers across programs). Explained what he built based on community feedback. Asked for specific feedback, not "check out my product." Showed functionality screenshots.
Thousands of users arrived. The community gave attention because he'd given value first for months.
People share genuinely useful resources. They ignore product pitches.
💡 Your Turn Search "[your problem] + Reddit" right now. Find one active thread from this week. Reply to one person with genuinely helpful advice—no product mention. Set a calendar reminder to repeat this Friday. In 90 days, you'll know if this channel converts for you.