Contribute value in communities before ever mentioning your product to avoid spam label
Most communities ban self-promotion, and direct pitches ('Hi, I've got this tool, please use it') make you look like spam. Instead, build rapport by genuinely helping people solve problems—even using your tool to do so—without mentioning it's for sale. Let word-of-mouth spread organically as people notice you solving things they struggle with.
When to use
When entering new online communities for distribution, especially those with strict anti-spam rules
Don't do this
Joining a community and immediately posting about your product, which gets you banned and destroys trust before you've built any reputation
10 Founders Who Did This
Helped people find channels they were looking for using his tool without directly selling it; joined voice chats and silently screen-shared rather than pitching
Saved all feature requests from day one, emailed users when their specific request shipped, asked questions to re-engage them, only requested reviews after positive response
Posted on Reddit offering to create free interactive demos for strangers' SaaS products without requiring payment or signup. Created editable links so recipients could modify them. Community members could see the product in action through comments.
Put all valuable content directly in Reddit posts, only casually mentioning full guide or video as optional extra resource, avoiding any promotional tone
Contributed genuine value in developer forums before Reddit was even mentioned, earning organic endorsement
Teaches founders to spend extended time in communities where ICP congregates (Reddit, Discord, newsletters, podcasts) during Incubate phase - observing patterns and gathering authentic customer language without selling
Contributed value in communities for 90 days before ever mentioning products: thoughtful comments, value-adding responses, DMs offering free trials
Engaged in Facebook groups, Slack channels, subreddits, and Indie Hackers by contributing value before ever mentioning his service. Built relationships and meaningful collaborations first.
Grew 30% of IACrea revenue by answering questions about virtual staging in real estate communities and posting product improvements, never directly pitching the product
Joined an existing Facebook community for cold email/sales prospecting, contributed value, then shared his beta when the community leader Jon approved it