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Guides

Customer discovery guides

How to find customers before you build, before launch, and every week after. Core methodology, cross-platform research workflows, and platform-by-platform playbooks for Reddit, Hacker News, Stack Overflow, GitHub, and Bluesky - plus the essays that go deeper.

All guides

Playbooks

Evergreen reference guides on this topic - methodology first, platforms second.

Deeper reading

Timely essays, case studies, and workflow breakdowns from the blog.

Comparisons

Needle vs GummySearch, Brand24, Mention, and intent tools.

Frequently asked questions

What is customer discovery?
Customer discovery is the process of researching who your customers are, what problems they have, and how they talk about them - before you build or invest heavily in marketing. For startups it usually means reading public conversations in communities like Reddit, Hacker News, and Stack Overflow instead of relying on assumptions.
How do I find my first 100 customers?
Start with the guide How to Find Your First 100 Customers: it covers identifying communities where your buyers already talk, ranking threads by buying intent, joining conversations with value, and turning warm responses into product feedback and early sales.
How is Needle different from a keyword alert tool?
Keyword alerts surface every mention; Needle ranks threads by buying intent, problem signals, and switching language so you see the conversations actually worth responding to - then lets you reply in one click from a single inbox.
Which platform should I start with?
It depends on your buyer. Reddit is the broadest for B2B and consumer research, Hacker News and Stack Overflow work best for dev tools and technical buyers, GitHub for open-source communities, and Bluesky for B2B thought-leadership signal. The platform playbooks in this hub cover each.

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