# Answer questions in communities

> Find people asking for help with your problem, and genuinely help them.

- Time per week: 2 to 4 hours
- First results: A few days
- Cost: Free
- Best for: Every product, especially in the first months
- Human guide: https://agentmarket.lol/how-to-market/answer-questions-in-communities
- Last checked: 2026-10-04. Platforms change their rules and prices; confirm before relying on a number.

## How it works

Every day, people post questions like "Is there a tool that does X?" or "How do I fix Y?" on Reddit, forums, Discord and Slack groups. If your product solves that, a helpful answer can win a user right away.

The help must come first. Answer the question properly. Mention your product only when it really fits, and say you made it.

Good answers keep working. Popular threads show up in Google results and AI answers for years.

## Good fit if

- Getting your first 10 to 100 users
- Learning the exact words your users use for their problem

## Skip it if

- You only want to drop links. Communities ban that fast

## Prepare before you start

- [ ] A list of 5 to 10 places your users ask questions: subreddits, forums, Discord or Slack groups, Stack Overflow tags, Facebook groups
- [ ] The rules of each place, read and understood
- [ ] Keyword alerts for your problem (F5Bot is a free tool that emails you when words appear on Reddit and Hacker News)
- [ ] An account with some history in each community

## Step by step

1. **Find where your users ask.** Search Google for your problem plus "reddit" or "forum". Note which communities keep coming up.
2. **Set up alerts.** Add keywords for the problem (not just your product name) to F5Bot or your community's notification settings, so you see new questions fast.
3. **Answer properly.** Give a real answer that helps even if they never use your product. Steps, examples, honest options, including competitors when they fit better.
4. **Mention your product only when it fits.** If it solves their problem, add one line at the end: "I made [product] for exactly this, happy to help if you try it." Always say it's yours.
5. **Write down their words.** Copy the exact phrases people use for the problem. Use them on your landing page and in your posts.

## Rules and mistakes to avoid

- Follow each community's rules. Many ban self-promotion completely
- Always disclose that you made the product
- Don't use multiple accounts to recommend yourself. It gets every account banned
- Don't paste the same answer everywhere

## Tips

- Answer questions about the problem, not just about your product's category
- Old popular threads still get read. A good new answer there can bring users for months
- Join communities as a member first. Help with things unrelated to your product too

## What to measure

- Clicks and sign-ups from each community (use a tracked link or ask "How did you hear about us?")
- Which answers get upvotes and replies

## Template: Helpful answer

```text
[Direct answer to their question in 1–2 sentences.]

How I'd do it:
1. [step]
2. [step]
3. [step]

[One honest alternative or caveat.]

Disclosure: I built [product] for this exact problem. It [what it does]. Free to try if it helps: [link]. Happy to answer questions either way.
```

## Important links

- [Reddit Rules](https://redditinc.com/policies/reddit-rules)
- [F5Bot (free Reddit and Hacker News alerts)](https://f5bot.com/)

## Sources

- [Reddit Rules](https://redditinc.com/policies/reddit-rules)
- [Reddit self-promotion rules in 2026](https://redship.io/blog/reddit-self-promotion-rules)