Launch in niche community first, then scale to larger communities based on early traction
Start with smaller, highly-targeted communities where your solution is most relevant. If you get strong traction there, use suggestions from engaged community members to identify larger adjacent communities. This two-step approach tests product-market fit in a safe environment before pursuing mass attention.
When to use
When you have a product that serves a specific use case but could appeal to broader audiences. Works especially well on platforms like Reddit where communities are nested by specificity.
Don't do this
Posting directly to the largest possible community without validation. If the product doesn't resonate, you've burned your best distribution channel and can't go back.
1 Founder Who Did This
Posted to r/excel (hundreds of followers) first where it became top post. Someone in comments suggested r/dataisbeautiful. Posted there and got 10K upvotes, thousands of comments, went viral for months.