How to find customers online (where they're already asking)
Updated · ThreeCommas
Short answer
The fastest way to find customers online is to answer people who are already asking for what you sell. Search Reddit, industry forums, Q&A sites and social media for phrases like "can anyone recommend", "looking for" and "alternative to", reply helpfully and say who you are, and do it every day. A tool like ThreeCommas does the searching and sorting for you.
1. Recommendation threads on Reddit
Reddit is the largest public place where people ask "what should I use?". Look in general business subreddits (r/smallbusiness, r/Entrepreneur, r/startups) and the niche ones for your trade or industry.
Search inside a subreddit for phrases buyers use, sort by new, and reply to posts from the last day or two. See our guide to Reddit marketing without getting banned.
2. Industry forums
Trade and professional forums (contractors, accountants, developers, marketers) are full of "what do you use for…" threads with high intent and little competition. Most have RSS feeds you can watch.
3. Q&A sites
Stack Exchange (including Software Recommendations), Quora and Hacker News's Ask HN. Answers there keep bringing visitors for years.
4. Social media searches
On Bluesky, X and Threads, search phrases like "anyone recommend a [thing]" and "looking for a [service]". Replies work better than cold DMs.
5. Competitor complaints
People unhappy with a competitor are your warmest leads. Search "[competitor] alternative", "switching from [competitor]" and "[competitor] too expensive".
6. Groups you can't search
Facebook groups, LinkedIn and WhatsApp communities can't be searched by tools. Join the ones your buyers use and check them by hand; ThreeCommas lets you paste a post in to score it and draft a reply.
7. Make it a daily habit, or automate it
The work is finding the few real requests among thousands of posts. ThreeCommas watches these places every hour, uses AI to pick out buyers and conversations worth joining, and sends them to you with a reply ready.
| Where | What to search | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| "recommend", "looking for", "alternative to" | Most products and services | |
| Industry forums | "what do you use for" | Trades, B2B, professional services |
| Stack Exchange, Hacker News | "is there a tool that" | Software and developer tools |
| Bluesky, X, Threads | "anyone recommend a" | Consumer and creator products |
Questions
What is the best free way to find customers online?
Reply to people asking for what you sell on Reddit, forums and Q&A sites. It's free and the leads are warm; it just takes time, which a tool can cut down.
How do I find customers without spamming?
Only reply where someone asked, answer their question properly, say who you are, and follow each community's rules.
How long does it take to get the first customer?
Many businesses find relevant posts on day one. Turning a reply into a customer depends on how helpful the reply is and how well your offer fits.