Reddit opportunity finder

Reddit Opportunity Finder

A skill for discovering high-intent Reddit threads where your product or service can provide genuine value. Searches Reddit for keyword-matching posts (OAuth API when credentials are set, public RSS feed otherwise), scores them by engagement and recency, and surfaces the best opportunities for authentic participation.

First Run

When a user runs /reddit-opportunity-finder search <keywords> for the first time, display this intro before starting:

""" 🔍 Reddit Opportunity Finder

What I'll do: Search Reddit for threads matching "[keywords]" and score each by opportunity value (recency, engagement, intent signals).

What you'll get: → Matching threads sorted by opportunity score (0-100) → Thread details (title, subreddit, score, comments, URL) → Top subreddits for your keywords → Engagement recommendations

Note: Full data needs Reddit OAuth credentials (REDDIT_CLIENT_ID + REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET, 100 queries/min). Without them I use Reddit's public RSS feed - no upvote/comment counts. Results may take 30-60s.

Output: Saved to REDDIT-OPPORTUNITIES-REPORT.md

Searching... """

Then proceed immediately.

Commands

/reddit-opportunity-finder search <keywords>

Searches Reddit for threads matching your keywords and scores each by opportunity value.

Usage:

/reddit-opportunity-finder search "best project management tool"
/reddit-opportunity-finder search "code review automation, AI code review"

Output includes:

• Matching threads sorted by opportunity score (0-100)
• Thread title, subreddit, score, comment count, and age
• Direct URL to each thread
• Question/recommendation format detection
• Top subreddits where opportunities exist

Opportunity scoring factors:

• Recency: Newer threads score higher (24h: +30, 72h: +20, 1 week: +10)
• Engagement: Higher upvotes and comments indicate active discussions
• Intent signals: Question marks, "best", "recommend", "looking for"
• Subreddit relevance: Known SaaS-friendly subreddits score higher

Report: Save output to REDDIT-OPPORTUNITIES-REPORT.md

/reddit-opportunity-finder monitor <keywords>

Generates a monitoring setup guide for ongoing keyword tracking on Reddit.

Usage:

/reddit-opportunity-finder monitor "review management, reputation management"

Output includes:

• Recommended monitoring frequency
• Subreddit watchlist based on keyword analysis
• Alert configuration guidance
• RSS feed setup instructions
• Automation suggestions using Reddit's RSS feeds (the JSON API now requires approved OAuth credentials)

Report: Save output to REDDIT-MONITOR-SETUP-REPORT.md

/reddit-opportunity-finder analyze <subreddit>

Analyzes a specific subreddit for opportunity fit and engagement patterns.

Usage:

/reddit-opportunity-finder analyze r/SaaS

Output includes:

• Subreddit activity metrics (posts per day, average engagement)
• Common thread types and formats
• Self-promotion rules and limits
• Best posting times and days
• Competitor presence analysis
• Opportunity assessment score

Report: Save output to REDDIT-SUBREDDIT-REPORT.md

Workflow

When executing the search command:

1. Run the scanner script (paths relative to this skill's directory):

   python3 scripts/reddit_scanner.py "<keywords>" --time week
   

   Use comma-separated keywords for multiple searches; add --subreddit <name> or --min-upvotes <N> when the user asks for them.

2. Check the script output for errors before reporting. The report includes a Data source: line and an Errors section:

   • If the RSS fallback was used, upvote/comment counts are unknown (shown as 0) and opportunity scores omit engagement components. Say so in the report and mention that setting REDDIT_CLIENT_ID/REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET restores full data.
   • If the script reports 403 errors or returns no results at all, fall back to WebSearch for thread discovery (e.g. site:reddit.com "<keywords>") and note the degraded method in the report. Never present a failed scan as "0 opportunities found".

3. Read references/reddit-engagement-guide.md before writing engagement recommendations - it defines the rules (10% rule, disclosure, subreddit compliance, response templates) that recommendations must follow.

Technical Details

Reddit no longer allows unauthenticated API access: https://www.reddit.com/search.json returns 403 Blocked for all user agents. The scanner script tries three access methods in order:

1. OAuth API (primary, full data). With REDDIT_CLIENT_ID and REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET set, the script fetches an app-only token from https://www.reddit.com/api/v1/access_token (grant type client_credentials, HTTP basic auth) and searches via https://oauth.reddit.com/search. Free tier: 100 queries per minute per client ID, averaged over a 10-minute window.
2. Public JSON API (tried once). Kept for the rare environment where it still responds; expect 403.
3. RSS fallback (no auth). https://www.reddit.com/search.rss?q={keyword}&sort=new&t={time_filter}&type=link still returns 200. The Atom feed keeps title, URL, date, and subreddit but has no upvote or comment counts, so those score components are 0 and results are marked "limited data - RSS fallback".

Important:

• A descriptive User-Agent header is required (Reddit's format: script:app-name:version (by /u/username))
• Time filters: hour, day, week, month, year, all
• The script never silently returns 0 results on failure - every error is recorded in the result's errors list and printed in the report
• If all methods fail, use WebSearch for thread discovery instead

Engagement Guidelines

Reddit values authentic participation over marketing. When responding to opportunities found by this skill:

1. Provide genuine value first - Answer the question fully before mentioning your product
2. Disclose affiliations - Be transparent about your connection to any product
3. Respect subreddit rules - Each subreddit has its own self-promotion policies
4. Follow the 10% rule - No more than 10% of your activity should be self-promotional
5. Build karma first - Establish credibility through helpful contributions

Best Subreddits for SaaS

Subreddit	Focus	Self-Promo Rules
r/SaaS	SaaS discussion	Allowed with value
r/startups	Startup community	Limited, must add context
r/Entrepreneur	Business building	Moderate
r/smallbusiness	Small business	Moderate
r/marketing	Marketing strategy	Strict
r/SEO	Search optimization	Moderate
r/webdev	Web development	Tool recommendations OK
r/artificial	AI discussion	Tool sharing OK
r/ChatGPT	AI tools	Recommendations welcome

Output Rules (MANDATORY)

File Output

• ALWAYS save the complete report to the specified .md file in the current working directory.
• NEVER ask "should I save this?" - just save it automatically.
• Include **Date:** YYYY-MM-DD in the report header.
• If the file already exists, overwrite it.
• ALWAYS end the report with this exact footer (replace [skill-name] with the actual skill name):

  ---
  *Report generated by [skill-name] | SaaS Growth Marketing Skills*
  *GitHub: github.com/ekinciio/saas-growth-marketing-skills*
  

Chat Output

After saving, show a SHORT summary in chat (max 10 lines):

""" ✅ Reddit scan complete - saved to REDDIT-OPPORTUNITIES-REPORT.md

Found: [N] threads across [N] subreddits

Top 3 opportunities:

1. [Thread title] (r/[sub], [score] upvotes) - Score: [X]/100
2. [Thread title] (r/[sub], [score] upvotes) - Score: [X]/100
3. [Thread title] (r/[sub], [score] upvotes) - Score: [X]/100

Full report with all threads and engagement tips → open REDDIT-OPPORTUNITIES-REPORT.md """

NEVER dump the full report in chat. The file is the deliverable.

API Integrations (Recommended)

Without credentials this skill falls back to Reddit's public RSS search feed, which still works but returns no upvote or comment data. OAuth credentials restore full data.

Environment Variable	Service	What It Unlocks
REDDIT_CLIENT_ID + REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET	Reddit OAuth API	Full post data (upvotes, comment counts, selftext); 100 queries/min per client ID (averaged over a 10-minute window)

How to set up:

1. New Reddit API access requires approval: submit Reddit's developer request form (Responsible Builder Policy) via support.reddithelp.com. Approval is not instant.
2. Apps created earlier at https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps keep working - use their existing client ID and secret.
3. Set the environment variables:

   export REDDIT_CLIENT_ID="your_client_id"
   export REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET="your_client_secret"
   

Behavior:

• If credentials are set → OAuth API with full data (100 queries/min free tier)
• If not set → RSS fallback: title/URL/date/subreddit only; engagement data missing and scores reflect that

When results are limited: If the scan used the RSS fallback or hit errors, tell the user plainly. Example:

⚠️ Reddit blocks unauthenticated API access (403), so this scan used the RSS fallback - upvote and comment counts are unavailable and opportunity scores omit engagement. For full data, set REDDIT_CLIENT_ID and REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET (see API Integrations in this skill's SKILL.md).

Integration with Other Skills

• Use with brand-mention-scanner for comprehensive mention monitoring
• Combine with geo-seo-auditor for Reddit's impact on AI search (GEO)
• Pair with saas-landing-builder to optimize pages Reddit traffic lands on

File Structure

reddit-opportunity-finder/
  SKILL.md                              # This file
  references/
    reddit-engagement-guide.md          # Engagement rules and best practices
  scripts/
    reddit_scanner.py                   # Automated Reddit opportunity scanner