Your buyers are already out there, talking. You just need to know where to look. Photo: Pexels
Right now, someone is typing a question that your product answers. Maybe it’s a Reddit post, a Facebook group comment, a Quora question or a frustrated one-star review of a competitor. They’re not hiding. They’re asking in public. Most sellers never see them, because they’re busy broadcasting instead of listening. This guide shows you where those people are and how to find them every day.
Disclosure: Everything here can be done manually and for free. Near the end I mention a tool that automates the searching. Those are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
The 3 Signals That Mean “I’m Looking”
Before you search anywhere, know what you’re searching for. People who are looking for what you sell almost always show one of three signals:
For a full list of the phrases behind these signals, see 50 Buyer Intent Keywords That Reveal People Ready to Buy.
8 Places Buyers Ask in Public
One of the richest sources of buyer intent online. People write detailed posts about their problems, budgets and what they’ve already tried.
How to search: search inside relevant subreddits for phrases likerecommend or alternative to, and sort by New. Full method in my Reddit customer guide.
Quora
A question-and-answer site where people ask “What’s the best…?” and “How do I…?” Good answers there can keep being read for a long time.
How to search: search your topic plus “best”, “recommend” or “how do I”, then follow the topics that keep producing relevant questions.Facebook groups
Niche groups for business owners, hobbies and professions are full of members asking each other for recommendations.
How to search: join active groups in your niche, read the rules, then use the group’s own search bar for phrases like “recommend” or “anyone use”.Niche forums
Many industries still have busy, specialised forums. The audience is smaller, but focused and often very knowledgeable.
How to search: Google[your niche] forum, then use the forum’s search or recent posts to find recommendation threads.
Communities are where people trust each other’s recommendations most. Photo: Pexels
X (Twitter)
People often post quick “anyone know a good…?” questions to their followers. These are short-lived but very fresh.
How to search: search an exact phrase in quotes plus your niche, such as"anyone recommend" email tool, and switch to the Latest tab.
Professionals ask their network for tool and service recommendations, which makes it especially useful for B2B offers.
How to search: search posts for “looking for recommendations” plus your niche, and filter by recent posts.YouTube comments
Comments under product reviews and tutorials are full of viewers asking follow-up questions, or saying what didn’t work for them.
How to search: find recent review and how-to videos in your niche and read the newest comments for questions you can answer helpfully.Competitor reviews
Two- and three-star reviews of competing products on review sites and app stores tell you exactly what buyers wish was better. That’s gold for your content and your pitch.
How to use it: read the reviews for patterns, then create content that answers those exact frustrations. Use reviews for insight. Don’t hunt down reviewers to pitch them.| Place | Best for | Freshness |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed recommendation requests | Very high | |
| Quora | Long-lasting answers | Medium |
| Facebook groups | Niche communities | High |
| Niche forums | Expert, focused audiences | Medium |
| X (Twitter) | Quick, real-time asks | Very high |
| B2B tools and services | High | |
| YouTube comments | Follow-up questions | Medium |
| Competitor reviews | Understanding pain points | Ongoing |
A 20-Minute Daily Routine
You don’t need all eight places. Pick the two or three where your buyers are most active, then follow this routine every day:
Same time, same places, same phrases. After a couple of weeks you’ll have a feel for where your buyers gather and how they talk. That’s when replies get easier and results start to show. This routine fits straight into the plan in How to Get Your First Sale Without Paid Ads.
Twenty focused minutes a day is enough to find your first buyers. Photo: Pexels
How to Track What Works
Keep a simple log in a notes app or spreadsheet. These columns are enough:
| Column | What to note |
|---|---|
| Date | When you replied |
| Place | Reddit, Quora, a Facebook group and so on |
| Signal | Asking, comparing or complaining |
| Phrase used | The search phrase that found it |
| Result | Upvotes, replies, clicks or a sale |
After two weeks, sort by result. You’ll see which places, signals and phrases bring real engagement. Spend more time there and drop the rest.
The Do’s and Don’ts
- Do read and follow each community’s rules before posting.
- Do answer the question fully, even if nobody clicks anything.
- Do disclose any affiliate or business relationship.
- Do come back to answer follow-up questions.
- Don’t send unsolicited private messages with sales pitches.
- Don’t paste the same reply into many threads.
- Don’t contact people from reviews or profiles to pitch them.
- Don’t reply to old threads just to drop a link.
Finding people who are looking isn’t a licence to chase them. Answer in public, in the conversation they started, on their terms. That’s what makes this method both effective and ethical.
Doing It at Scale
The manual routine works, but it has a ceiling. Searching several places with several phrases every day takes time, and the best conversations go stale fast. Many people do well for a few weeks and then quietly stop, because the searching wears them out.
That’s the problem BuyerEngine AI was built to solve. You describe what you sell, and it scans online conversations for people asking, comparing or complaining about the problem your product solves. It then scores the strongest opportunities and explains why each is a match. You skip the searching and go straight to the part that matters: a helpful reply. Its Action Pack adds phone alerts so you can respond while conversations are fresh.
Read my full BuyerEngine AI review and my honest look at whether it’s legit. Then try the manual routine for a week, so you know exactly what you’d be automating.
Buyers are spread across many platforms. Automation helps you keep up. Photo: Pexels
Frequently Asked Questions
Search communities like Reddit, Quora, Facebook groups and niche forums for buyer-intent phrases such as “can anyone recommend”, “alternative to” and “best tool for”, plus your niche. Sort by newest so you find fresh conversations.
It depends on your niche. Reddit is strong for detailed recommendation requests, LinkedIn suits B2B offers, and Facebook groups work well for local and niche communities. Test two or three and track the results.
Reply publicly in the conversation they started, follow the community’s rules and disclose any affiliation. Avoid unsolicited private sales messages.
A focused routine of around 20 minutes a day is enough to search a few places, reply to several fresh conversations and track your results.
Social listening means monitoring online conversations for mentions of a topic, problem or brand. Used for sales, it helps you spot people actively looking for a solution.
Yes. Tools such as BuyerEngine AI scan online conversations for people asking for what you sell and score the best opportunities. You still write the helpful replies yourself.
Let AI Find the People Already Looking
Skip hours of searching and see who’s asking for what you sell right now. Both buttons open in a new tab.
Disclaimer: Finding interested people doesn’t guarantee sales. Results depend on your offer, niche, effort and skill, and on following each platform’s rules. This guide contains affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you buy through them.
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