How to market your SaaS product on Reddit

In this article, we'll dive into how to market your product on Reddit by focusing on helping rather than selling. This approach works well, whether you're offering traditional SaaS solutions or emerging technologies like Gen AI tools or AI-driven products.

What is the goal of marketing?

At its core, marketing is not just about promoting your product. If your first thought is "I'm here to promote my product," you're already on the wrong track. Instead, marketing should be about helping people improve and solve their problems.

Whether you’re marketing AI tools, SaaS platforms, or Gen AI solutions, when you focus on helping, you naturally attract attention and build trust, which eventually leads to conversions.

The problem with "check out my product"

A common mentality among SaaS founders is to think of marketing as simply promoting their product. If your first instinct is to post “Check out my SaaS,” you’re missing the mark. This approach can feel pushy and selfish to Reddit users, who are often skeptical of direct sales pitches.

Instead of engaging potential customers, you're likely to be ignored—or worse, downvoted.

This “I’m here to take” mindset is easy to pick up on, even subconsciously. Users sense that your post is all about you and not about helping them. This is particularly true in discussions around AI tools and AI text generation, where the focus should be on showing how these innovations can solve real-world problems.

To see why this fails, let’s look at an example.

Example of what NOT to do

Here’s a real example of a marketing post:

While this might seem like a valid pitch, it doesn’t add much value to the conversation.

The message boils down to "check out my product," which feels self-serving. As a result, most users would likely skip past it, especially if you’re promoting a new tool like AI text generation without giving proper context or education first.

Three levels of marketing on Reddit

Let’s break down three different levels of marketing on Reddit, each representing varying degrees of helpfulness:

Level 1: Self-Promotion (what NOT to do)

This is where most marketers start. They post about their product without offering much value to the audience. Users feel like they’re being “sold to,” which is a turn-off. The message gets ignored, and trust is never built.

Example:

Level 2: Context and awareness

At this level, you’re starting to offer more context. You demonstrate that you understand your audience’s pain points and challenges. For example, instead of just saying "use my SaaS to solve this problem," you could explain the implications of not addressing the issue. Help them realize why this problem matters and what could happen if they don’t fix it.

Example:

In this case, the message gives the reader more context about why engaging trial users is important. However, it still shifts back to a sales pitch, leaving a sense of "taking."

Level 3: Providing real value

This is the sweet spot. At this level, you give users the tools to solve their problems, even if it means they don’t need your product right away. It’s about genuinely helping them. By sharing a process they can follow manually, you’re educating them and showing you care about their success.

Example:

By giving readers actionable steps, even those related to using Gen AI tools or AI-powered solutions, you’re offering value and building trust. The subtle mention of your product feels less forced because the main focus is on helping the reader.

How to execute level 3 marketing on Reddit

Now that you understand the importance of giving, here’s a step-by-step guide to marketing your SaaS on Reddit effectively:

1. Understand your audience

   Start by researching the subreddit where you want to post. What challenges are users discussing? What questions do they have? Tailor your message to address these specific pain points.

2. Provide a manual solution

   Share valuable insights or a step-by-step guide that helps users solve their problem without needing your product. This builds trust and positions you as an expert in your field.

3. Educate, don’t sell

   Avoid pushing your product too early. Focus on educating the audience and offering genuine solutions. This approach creates intrigue and makes users more likely to check out your SaaS when they’re ready.

4. Mention your SaaS (briefly)

   After providing value, you can briefly mention your product as a way to speed up the process or make things easier. Keep it short and to the point. Your primary focus should still be on helping the community, not selling to them.

Why this approach works

When you focus on giving instead of taking, you create goodwill within the community. People appreciate your honesty and willingness to help, which makes them more likely to trust you.

Whether you're promoting traditional SaaS or the latest AI tools, over time, this trust turns into genuine interest. Users will naturally be drawn to your product when they’re ready for it, especially if they’ve already learned how your solution can help them.

Final thoughts

Marketing your SaaS on Reddit doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle. By shifting your mentality from “promoting your product” to “helping your audience,” you can engage users in a way that feels natural and valuable.

Focus on providing real solutions, educating your audience, and mentioning your product only when it’s relevant. In doing so, you’ll attract genuine interest and build lasting relationships with potential customers.