# Subreddit Research

> Use this skill when the user needs to find or vet Reddit communities — "which subreddits should we be in," "is r/X worth targeting," "research communities for this product." Searches live Reddit data, inspects community size, rules, content, and traffic, and produces a vetted shortlist worth adding to a campaign — plus the reasons to skip the rest.

- Skill: `swan-gtm/subreddit-research` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add swan-gtm/subreddit-research`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/swan-gtm/subreddit-research/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: swan-gtm (https://skillmd.com/u/swan-gtm)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/swan-gtm/subreddit-research

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Use when choosing which Reddit communities a brand belongs in. Produces a vetted shortlist with evidence, not a keyword dump. Exact commands live in `references/commands.md`.

## Procedure

1. **search wide** — query by topic, problem language, and adjacent niches, not just the product category. The communities where buyers ask questions rarely carry the category name
2. **inspect each candidate**: subscriber count, community type (restricted or private → drop it), posting rules, and what the top posts this week actually look like
3. **judge fit from content, not size** — browse top and rising posts: is anyone asking the questions this product answers? A 40k-subscriber community with daily buying questions beats a 2M-subscriber meme feed
4. **check the wiki and traffic** for posting norms and activity trends
5. **deliver the shortlist**: for each community — name, size, why it fits (with a sample thread), the rules that constrain posting there. Let the user choose what gets added to tracking

Work gradually: vet five candidates at a time, one line of verdict each, then continue.

## What good looks like

A great shortlist has 3–7 communities with a quoted thread proving buyer intent in each, and names the rule that will constrain posting there ("no self-promotion outside Saturday threads"). A mediocre one lists 20 subreddits by subscriber count. What gets overlooked: community type (posting to a restricted sub fails silently) and rule nuance — most subreddits allow helpful answers but ban link-dropping, which changes the content plan, not the target list.

MUST inspect rules and community type before recommending any subreddit. NEVER rank purely by subscriber count.