SaaS Reddit Marketing: How We Got Our First 1,000 Users From Reddit (Free)

When I launched MediaFast, I had $0 for marketing. Literally zero. So I did what every broke founder does: I went to Reddit and tried to get attention.

First attempt: posted a link to my landing page in r/SaaS. Got 2 upvotes and a comment calling me a spammer. Second attempt: wrote a long post about our features. 4 upvotes. Third attempt: shared our pricing. Removed by mods.

Then I figured it out. The next post got 847 upvotes and our first 200 signups. Here's exactly what changed.

Not all subreddits are equal for SaaS. Here's where we found our users:

• r/SaaS (95K members): Friendly to founders, tolerates self-promo if valuable
• r/startups (1.2M): Strict rules but huge reach. Share Saturday is your friend.
• r/Entrepreneur (3M+): Massive but noisy. Need strong hooks to stand out.
• r/InternetIsBeautiful (17M): If your product is visually impressive
• Niche subs: r/webdev, r/marketing, r/smallbusiness—wherever your users actually are

Here's the exact structure of the post that got us 847 upvotes:

1. Hook: 'After getting banned 3 times, I finally figured out Reddit marketing'
2. Personal story: How I struggled, what I tried, why I built this
3. The insight: What I learned that others don't know
4. The proof: Screenshots, data, specific numbers
5. The subtle CTA: 'I built a tool to automate this—happy to share if anyone's interested'

Notice: I didn't lead with the product. I led with the STORY. The product was almost an afterthought.

Same post, different times—wildly different results:

• Tuesday 9 AM EST: 847 upvotes, 200 signups
• Saturday 2 PM EST: 23 upvotes, 4 signups
• Friday 5 PM EST: 67 upvotes, 12 signups

Timing isn't a minor optimization. It's make-or-break.

The post was only half the battle. Here's what I did in comments:

• Replied to every single comment within 30 minutes for the first 3 hours
• Answered objections publicly so everyone could see
• Dropped extra value in replies (screenshots, tips, resources)
• Never got defensive when people criticized—thanked them for feedback

Active commenting kept the post alive longer. Reddit rewards engagement.

One post got us 200. Here's how we hit 1,000:

• Replicated the format in 5 different subreddits (different angles, same story)
• Started answering questions in relevant threads (helpful comments with no links)
• Built karma to 500+ which unlocked higher-restriction subs
• Posted a "lessons learned" follow-up 2 weeks later

Total time: about 3 weeks of focused effort. Total cost: $0.

• Offer extended trials for Redditors: 'Use code REDDIT for 60 days free' works great
• Share your revenue/metrics: Redditors love transparency. Indie Hackers vibes.
• Ask for feedback, not sales: 'Would love your thoughts' > 'Please sign up'
• Do AMAs: Even small ones. Answer everything honestly.

Ready to try? Start with MediaFast for the scheduling and tracking, or read the full launch checklist.