How I hit the front page of r/OpenAI
Back in December, I started a project with the goal of putting all the jobs from cool AI companies in one place.
So, I built a simple site and launched it on Twitter. It immediately got picked up by the AI community and I received some great feedback to improve the app. Even Robert Scoble shared this project on his Twitter account. So, I could build good traffic from day 01.
Yesterday, I shared this project on r/OpenAI and it got to the front page within 12 hours. I received 100k views from the post. I must confess that I have pretty good experience with Reddit in my indie journey. I have hit 500 upvotes multiple times there for various products.
The usual advice to launch on Reddit is to post on the right sub and read the rules carefully. They are right but not enough, so, I will share some unconventional tips here for getting featured on the front page of a sub.
1. Always use a demo-first approach on Reddit
Don't slap a link directly on Reddit. Redditors don't like it and won't care much to click your link. Record a demo and post it with a relevant title.
Let it sit there until you receive 10 upvotes and then comment the back story of your product with a link to the product
2. Use light mode to record your demo.
When everyone is using dark mode, the bright rectangular demo on their feed will instantly attract their attention. If you have noticed carefully, this is why most popular creators share their writing/ essays on a white background nowadays on Twitter.
This little trick can really make a difference. Try it next time when you post on Reddit.
3. Be attentive to feedback
People love it when they feel they are being heard. This is what I did while I was live on r/openai. People asked for a fuzzy search on my site, so, I shipped it. People loved it.
The mob mentality on Reddit means when others are sharing good feedback on your app, more people will inclined to share good feedback and upvote your post.
Try to follow this simple recipe when posting on Reddit next time. Of course, it is not a bulletproof strategy but it's way better than following old advice and doing what everyone else is doing.
Good luck.
Thanks for reading. I build my products in public on Twitter and here. Please make sure to follow me, so we can grow together.
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Hmm, nice tips
Thanks
Got a link to your reddit post? Wanna see what "Record a demo and post it with a relevant title" looks like 👀🍿
here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenAI/comments/1bvoge6/i_made_a_site_to_find_careers_in_ai/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
post removed feelsbadman
Second this!
Wow you really packed a lot of solid info into a super short post. The light mode tip is a nice cherry on top.
I will definitely try to post a video in a channel but tbh I am a bit skeptical about it. In other subreddits I haven't seen anyone posting a video
Thank you for sharing these tips. Just when I need this. The reddit post was removed, though. Any idea which part may infringe their rule? so that we can be careful about the message in our post.
Invaluable advice! <3
I like the way you write too :) It's clear.
Also...
What's your goal with this product?
How do you plan to grow it even more?
thanks! i just post a link before but it actually has no respond yet, I will record a demo to test if it works.
How have you approached the cold start of filling your site with jobs? Was it just a case of fill it with jobs for free until you get enough traffic and then start charging?
Did you consider the form factor of your demo? Trying to decide whether horizontal or vertical (or something in between?) makes more sense for a demo video since so many users are on mobile
Great story! Thank you for sharing this. As a designer with over 20 years of experience, I can relate to the color contrast to attract the audience. In today's saturated online world, standing out is a real challenge. Here's to embracing uniqueness among the unique – you truly shine when you show your audience you care.
Thank you for sharing! Can you provide an example of "this is why most popular creators share their writing/essays on a white background nowadays on Twitter."? Thank you!
one example: https://twitter.com/dickiebush/status/1752323873742221464/photo/1
that's cooool, thx for sharing bro🫡!
Congratulations, Nithur! Your accomplishment of hitting the front page of r/OpenAI reflects your talent and dedication. Well done!
Thank you for the excellent tips. The demo first approach is brilliant
Thanks for sharing, I believe the core thing here is to give values to the audience, and your post was actually doing that. Congrats !
Thanks for your great advices! Will try to post a demo of my project on reddit soon.
Awesome, good luck.
Thank you :)
@Nithur How do you find communities that allow you to post with commercial intent. Do Redditor's like it and give natural engagement if there is a commercial intent behind the post. Would love to know what has been your success in engagement from users on other social media when doing things with commercial intent.
This is a job site and no commercial intent for the folks I am trying to target i.e job seekers. It's 100% free. And no need to sign up to use the app. So, there is zero friction to try the app and get the value from it. I think it's an important factor when sharing your product on online communities. If you slap a paywall straightaway, that's not going to work.
True I just recently learned from a podcast solve beginner needs for free, charge for intermediate and advanced needs.
Thanks for sharing! I’m building a build in public tool, and your success story and advice was really interesting
Glad you like it
Great overview! I wil definitely keep this in mind when I post on Reddit next time. Thank you.
Awesome, good luck.
I will try that out. Thanks!
Please let me know how that goes, thank you.