Indie hacker keyword pack: 10 Reddit keywords for finding your first 100 users

The 10 keywords in this pack

Copy the keyword templates below into RedNudge — replace anything in [brackets] with your specifics (your category, your brand, your competitors).

1. 1

   [problem you solve, said in plain language]Question

   Suggested scope: r/IndieHackers, r/SaaS, r/Entrepreneur, your category subs

   Not "AI scheduling tool" — "anyone know a way to auto-schedule meetings without back-and-forth". Use the user's words, not your marketing words.

2. 2

   is there a tool for [your job-to-be-done]Question

   Suggested scope: r/IndieHackers, r/SaaS, r/productivity, your category subs

   High intent. They're shopping for a tool that does exactly what you built. Reply with one specific helpful suggestion (yours or not).

3. 3

   how do I [job-to-be-done]Question

   Suggested scope: r/SaaS, r/Entrepreneur, your category subs

   Catches the "I don't know there's a tool for this" moment — a meaningful slice of your early adopters.

4. 4

   launched my [product type]Mixed

   Suggested scope: r/SideProject, r/IndieHackers, r/SaaS

   Watch other indies in your space. You learn what's shipping, who's getting traction, and what positioning works.

5. 5

   [adjacent tool name]Competitor mention

   Suggested scope: all of Reddit

   Pick 2–3 tools your prospects already use. Mentions of those tools are mentions of your ICP — the closest you'll get to brand watch pre-PMF.

6. 6

   [adjacent tool] alternativeBuy intent

   Suggested scope: r/SaaS, r/IndieHackers, r/Entrepreneur, all of Reddit

   Pre-PMF indies often win on a single dimension (price, simplicity, niche fit). "Alternative" searches are where that wedge converts.

7. 7

   [adjacent tool] is too [pain point]Complaint

   Suggested scope: all of Reddit

   "Calendly is too expensive", "Notion is too cluttered". The user is articulating the exact pain your product solves.

8. 8

   I wish [your category] had [feature you have]Question

   Suggested scope: r/IndieHackers, r/SaaS, your category subs

   Highest-converting indie hacker pattern. Someone publicly wishing for what you built is your top lead — period.

9. 9

   Show HN: [your category]Mixed

   Suggested scope: all of Reddit

   Catches when HN launches in your category get reposted to Reddit. Free competitive intel + comments showing user objections.

10. 10

    [your product name]Brand mention

    Suggested scope: all of Reddit

    Add this once you ship. AI scoring filters the off-topic mentions; even pre-PMF you'll catch the rare unprompted mention — invaluable for understanding word-of-mouth velocity.

How to use this pack pre-PMF

Indie hacker monitoring is about conversations, not conversions. Most threads this pack surfaces won't become customers immediately — they'll become research, validation, or a single reply that compounds later. The job of the first 30 days: dismiss aggressively, find the 1–2 keyword patterns that produce real signal for your specific problem space, and use the AI-scored matches to refine your positioning. If you find yourself writing the same reply 5 times, that's your landing page headline. If a specific complaint about an incumbent tool keeps surfacing, that's your differentiation slide. Replies matter more than they do at later stages. Pre-PMF, the relationship matters more than the click — you're building the muscle to talk to your ICP daily, in their words, in their venue. That's worth more than the first 20 users.

Using Reddit signals to refine your positioning

The AI-scored digest gives you two assets indie hackers usually pay for: (1) actual user language describing your problem, and (2) the objection set against incumbent tools. User language: every "I wish there was a way to X" thread is a candidate landing page headline. Copy them into a doc. After 2–3 weeks you'll have 10+ candidates — pick the one that appears most often. The headline that matches user language outconverts the cleverest copywriting you can do. Objection set: every "[incumbent] is too [pain]" thread tells you what NOT to be. Build the inverse into your positioning. If "Notion is too cluttered" surfaces 5 times in a week, your product is "the un-cluttered Notion alternative" — and that copy will outperform abstract benefit language.

Posting in r/SideProject vs r/IndieHackers

Pre-PMF indies often post their own launches to these subs. The monitoring side of this pack catches OTHER indies' launches — usually more useful for benchmarking than for direct lead-gen. When you do post your own launch: r/SideProject is more forgiving of early-stage products; r/IndieHackers expects more polish. Both have weekly or recurring "share what you're building" threads — those convert better than standalone posts because the audience is in discovery mode. When replying to others' launches: helpful feedback compounds. Indies you help today launch their next thing in 6 months and remember you. That's the long-tail bet of replying in r/SideProject.

When to upgrade beyond this pack

Three signals that you've outgrown the indie hacker pack and should switch to the SaaS founder pack: 1. You have 50+ paying customers and brand mentions are starting to appear unprompted. 2. You have at least one direct competitor you can name (not just adjacent tools). 3. You're replying to buyer-intent threads more than research threads. At that point, swap to the SaaS founder pack — it adds the brand-watch and competitor-displacement patterns that matter once you have something to displace and a brand worth watching.