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Use case

Lead discovery from public threads

Your next customers are already asking for recommendations, comparing tools, and venting about incumbents - in public. Needle searches those communities in one run and ranks every thread by buying intent, so you open the right ones first.

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How it works

  1. Step 1

    Search problem phrases, not your brand

    Start with how buyers describe pain (“frustrated with…”, “alternatives to…”, “what do you use for…”). Brand-only queries miss people who do not know you exist yet.

  2. Step 2

    Sort by intent, not volume

    Keyword alerts flood you with mentions. Intent scoring surfaces comparison threads, budget complaints, and switching conversations.

  3. Step 3

    Engage helpfully on-platform

    Needle finds threads; you write thoughtful replies. No automated DMs - respect each community’s rules.

How Needle compares

Where each approach fits, and where it falls short.

ApproachBest forBuying-intent signalFree option
Keyword alertsNotify on matchLowOften
Single-platform toolsOne channel depthVariesVaries
NeedleRanked multi-platform searchYesTrending Problems

Frequently asked questions

Setup, limits, and every platform are covered in the docs.

Which platforms work best for lead discovery?
Reddit and Hacker News carry the richest B2B recommendation threads. Stack Overflow and GitHub excel for dev-tool and API products. See the platform matrix below for per-community guides.
Is this the same as social listening?
Enterprise listening optimizes for brand volume dashboards. Needle optimizes for threads where someone might buy or switch - upstream of pipeline.
Can I automate outreach?
No. Needle ranks threads; you own replies. Automated cold outreach from public posts violates platform norms and our acceptable-use policy.

By platform

Jump to the best guide, landing page, or platform doc for this use case.

Full use-case and platform matrix

Find the conversations worth replying to

Needle searches public communities for buyer intent, ranks every thread, and tells you which ones to answer first.

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