How we scan communities for demand signals

Here's what happens every day before your morning report arrives.

Step 1: Search with demand-signal phrases

We search across 4 platforms using 120+ carefully chosen phrases in 6 categories: unmet needs ("is there a tool"), pain points ("frustrated with"), alternative seeking ("alternative to"), willingness to pay ("would pay for"), DIY workarounds ("built a script"), and market validation ("same here"). These aren't random keywords — they're the exact phrases people use when they have a problem they'd pay to solve.

Step 2: Scan 4 platforms

• **Reddit** — 15+ subreddits where non-technical users discuss their workflows: r/smallbusiness, r/Entrepreneur, r/ecommerce, r/SaaS, r/freelance, r/Productivity, and more.
• **Hacker News** — Ask HN, Show HN, and top stories from the developer community.
• **Product Hunt** — New product launches and their comment sections, revealing gaps and feature requests.
• **YouTube** — Tool review and tutorial videos, where comment sections surface real user pain points.

For each post, we extract titles, body text, and top comments. The comments are often more valuable than the original post — they contain validation ("I have this problem too"), alternative solutions, and willingness-to-pay signals.

Step 3: Score and classify

Before AI analysis, every post is scored on three axes: demand signal strength (35%), engagement metrics (30%), and recency (20%), with a cross-platform bonus (15%) when the same need appears on multiple platforms. Posts are classified into demand categories and ranked. Only the highest-quality signals make it to analysis.

Step 4: AI analysis

Top-scoring posts are sent to Claude for structured analysis. The prompt asks for: - The unmet need (one sentence) - Target user (who has this problem) - Pain level (high/medium/low) - What's missing from existing solutions - A concrete product idea - Monetization model - Build difficulty

The result is a structured opportunity report — not a list of links.

Step 5: Delivery

Reports are stored in our database and delivered via email based on your subscription plan. Pro users also get access to the web dashboard with history, saved opportunities, and trend tracking.

That's it. No magic. Just systematic scanning, structured scoring, AI analysis, and daily delivery.