PainScout
Guide

Reddit search operators for finding customers (plus Hacker News and Google)

The fastest customer research is reading people who already describe their problem in public. These are the operators that find them, and the phrases worth searching for.

1. Search for how people ask, not for your category

Nobody writes “I need invoicing software for freelancers”. They write “is there an app that sends invoices when a project ends?” or “how do you handle late-paying clients?”. Pair your niche with buyer phrases:

  • Is there a tool / app that (“is there a tool”, “is there an app”, “is there a way to”): People asking out loud whether a product exists: the clearest sign of an unmet need.
  • Looking for a tool (“looking for a tool”, “looking for an app”, “looking for software”): Active buyers describing what they want, often with budget and must-have features.
  • Alternative to (“alternative to”, “alternatives to”, “switching from”): Users leaving an existing product: they already pay, and they tell you what is wrong with it.
  • I hate when / frustrated with (“frustrated with”, “i hate when”, “so annoying”): Raw complaints. The pain is described in the user's own words, which is great landing-page copy.
  • How do you handle (“how do you handle”, “how do you manage”, “how do you deal with”): People comparing workarounds (spreadsheets, scripts, manual steps) that a product could replace.
  • Would pay for (“would pay for”, “i would pay”, “shut up and take my money”): Explicit willingness to pay, the strongest signal you can find in public.
  • Recommend a tool (“recommend a tool”, “any recommendations”, “what do you use for”): Shortlists in the making: see which products get named and which needs nobody answers well.

2. Google operators

  • site:reddit.com limits results to one site. Works for site:news.ycombinator.com and site:indiehackers.com too.
  • "exact phrase" keeps the words together and in order.
  • OR (capital letters) matches either phrase: ("is there a tool" OR "is there an app").
  • -word removes noise, for example -hiring or -job.
  • intitle: requires a word in the page title, useful for “Ask HN” threads: site:news.ycombinator.com intitle:"ask hn" invoicing.
  • after:2025-01-01 keeps only recent pages.
site:reddit.com ("is there a tool" OR "is there an app") invoicing freelancers

3. Reddit’s own search

  • Quotes and OR work the same way: "alternative to" OR "switching from" quickbooks.
  • subreddit:freelance stays inside one community; title: searches titles only; selftext: searches the post body.
  • Sort by New to see what people ask this week; sort by Comments to find the threads where many people share the same pain.
title:"is there" subreddit:freelance invoice

4. Hacker News (Algolia search)

  • hn.algolia.com searches every story and comment. Put phrases in quotes and pick “Past year” and “Date” to see recent threads first.
  • Choose “Comments” as the type to find people describing their workflow in replies, often more candid than the posts.
  • Ask HN threads like “What tool do you wish existed?” are worth reading in full.

5. What to do with what you find

  1. Copy the exact words people use. They are your landing-page headline.
  2. Count repeats. One complaint is an anecdote; ten in a year is a market.
  3. Note what they use today (spreadsheets, a competitor, nothing). That is your real competition and your price anchor.
  4. Reply only when you can genuinely help, follow each community’s rules on self-promotion, and say you are the maker.

Skip the typing

PainScout writes all of these searches for you: 7 buyer-intent groups × 5 places = 35 links for any niche, free. See them for “invoicing for freelancers”.

By Ricardo Machado, SaaSCron. Published Nov 9, 2026.