Roman got his first 100 customers primarily through Reddit by posting authentic, story-driven content about his founder journey — not direct product promotion. His first major post, "I paid 5 influencers on LinkedIn to promote my SaaS. Here's what $1,250 got me," got 160K views, 543 upvotes, and drove roughly 2,000 website visitors, converting ~10–15 clients. A second post about failing the Y Combinator interview generated 179,000 views and another ~15 clients. He explicitly avoided naming his SaaS in posts, instead triggering curiosity through storytelling with verifiable proof (screenshots, receipts, data). To ensure posts gained traction quickly, Roman coordinated with a group of ~15 marketers/friends who would all upvote and comment on each other's Reddit posts within the first 5–10 minutes of publishing. This early engagement signal pushed posts higher in the feed, where organic upvotes would compound. He also warmed up Reddit accounts over 7–14 days before any marketing post — commenting, upvoting, and building karma — and used separate browser profiles (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) to manage multiple accounts safely.
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9 moves, in order
- Pre launch / Account SetupReddit account warmup
Created separate Reddit accounts on different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) using existing emails — not new ones. Added profile picture, linked SaaS in bio, and activated the feed-hiding feature to obscure repetitive promotional history from profile visitors.
Accounts ready for marketing without triggering bansMRR $0 - Pre launch / Warmup (Days 1–14)Reddit karma building
For the first 7–14 days, posted zero promotional content. Only commented on posts, upvoted content, and engaged genuinely to build karma. Higher karma = stronger account authority and better post visibility.
Accounts warmed up and karma established before first marketing postMRR $0 - Early Growth (Month 1–2)Reddit storytelling posts
Posted 'I paid 5 influencers on LinkedIn to promote my SaaS. Here's what $1,250 got me.' Included real proof (screenshots of influencer posts, results). Never named the SaaS directly in the post body — only hinted at it to trigger curiosity. Used ChatGPT (via voice-to-text) to write and polish the post since English is not his first language.
160K views, 543 upvotes, ~2,000 website visitors, ~10–15 new clients - Early Growth (Month 1–2)Reddit storytelling posts
After failing the Y Combinator interview, immediately turned it into a Reddit post documenting the experience. Framed it as a transparent, real founder story with proof and detail — no spin, no fake success narrative.
179,000 views, ~15 new clients - Ongoing / Every PostReddit upvote pod
Built a private group of ~15 marketers who share each other's Reddit posts. Every member upvotes and comments on each new post within the first 5–10 minutes of publishing. This early engagement boosts the post's ranking in the subreddit feed before organic traffic takes over.
Consistently hits 10+ upvotes in first 10 minutes, driving front-page ranking - Ongoing / Every PostReddit comment engagement
Replied to every single comment on every post — including negative ones (while blocking outright trolls). Active engagement signals to Reddit's algorithm that the post has ongoing interest, further boosting ranking and visibility.
Higher post ranking and sustained traffic from each post - Growth (Months 2–5)Reddit multi angle content
Continuously varied post angles to avoid being flagged as a promoter — linking to YouTube videos, Twitter threads, or other content rather than always linking to the SaaS directly. Drew content ideas from real daily events: experiments run, tools tested, milestones hit, rejections received.
11 million total Reddit impressions, 40,000+ website visitors over a few months - Growth (Months 2–5)Cold email outreach
Used Instantly AI for high-volume cold email campaigns at ~$800/month in tooling costs. Also used Goji Berry AI (their own product) for LinkedIn outreach targeting high-intent leads identified via behavioral signals (competitor engagement, fundraising announcements, hiring activity).
Contributed to growth alongside Reddit; specific MRR attribution not stated - Current (~Month 5–6)Brand halo from reddit
Reddit presence created a brand recognition halo effect: prospects encountered on other channels (demo calls, LinkedIn, email) frequently said 'Oh, you're the Reddit guy.' This increased close rates on sales calls by building pre-existing trust and familiarity before any direct contact.
$30K MRR at ~5–6 months; almost all demo call prospects had seen them on Reddit firstMRR $30k
Roman had prior SaaS experience — he previously scaled Coco AI to $50K MRR using outreach before selling it to a US venture. This gave him a proven growth mindset, a network of marketer friends to coordinate Reddit upvote groups, and the domain knowledge to tell credible, proof-backed founder stories that resonate on Reddit.
reddit_organic_storytelling
No channels were explicitly called out as failures. Roman noted that highly moderated subreddits like the Y Combinator subreddit are nearly impossible to post in and not worth targeting. Posting without prior account warm-up (especially combining a new email with a new Reddit account) results in immediate bans.
How I Used Reddit to Build a $34K/Month SaaS
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