1. The problem-validation post
Title: "Course creators: how many student questions do you answer per week?" Body: "I run [course topic] and kept answering the same [number] questions in [Teachable/Kajabi/Thinkific] comments and email. I'm building a chatbot that answers from your own course material. Before I go further: what questions eat most of your time, and would you trust a bot to answer them? Not linking anything, just want to hear real answers." Use it in r/onlinecourses or r/coursecreators before you have users, to learn which questions matter most.
2. The build-in-public launch post
Title: "I built a chatbot that answers student questions from your course videos. Looking for 5 testers" Body: "It reads your [lessons/transcripts/PDFs] and answers students 24/7, and it hands off to you when it isn't sure. I'm a solo founder with [X weeks] in. I'll set it up free for 5 creators with under [500] students in exchange for honest feedback. Comment your platform and course topic and I'll DM you." Use it in r/SideProject, r/indiehackers or r/startups, where launch posts are allowed.
3. The helpful-answer comment
Comment: "I had the same issue with [specific question, e.g. 'where's the module 3 workbook']. What helped: pin an FAQ lesson, add a 'before you email' page, and batch replies twice a week. If it's still too much, I'm building a bot that answers from your own course content. Happy to set it up free if you want to try it, but the FAQ lesson alone helps a lot." Use it when you search r/Teachable, r/Kajabi or r/onlinecourses for "student questions" or "support emails" and find a recent thread.
4. The before/after case post
Title: "What happened when I let a bot answer my [course topic] students for [2 weeks]" Body: "Setup: [number] students, course on [platform]. The bot got [number] questions. It answered [number] on its own and passed [number] to me. The ones it got wrong: [examples]. What I changed: [fix]. Happy to share how I set it up." Use it only with your own real numbers, in r/Entrepreneur or r/coursecreators, after your first tester runs it.
5. The niche-community post
Title: "[Niche] teachers selling courses: do your students ask the same questions?" Body: "I'm building a tool for creators teaching [e.g. Excel, guitar, Etsy selling] who answer students alone. It answers from your lessons, in your tone. Looking for 3 [niche] creators to try it free and tell me where it breaks." Use it in topic subreddits where creators sell courses, like r/Etsy seller threads or r/WeAreTheMusicMakers, only if self-promo days or rules allow it.
6. The DM follow-up
Message: "Hey [username], saw your comment in [thread] about [their exact problem]. I'm building the chatbot I mentioned there. If you send me [one lesson transcript or your FAQ], I'll set up a test bot you can poke at in [24 hours], free. No pressure if not." Use it only with people who replied to you or asked publicly, never as a cold blast.
7. The feedback-to-paid post
Title: "Thanks to the creators who tested my course chatbot. Here's what changed" Body: "[Number] creators tried it. Top requests were [feature 1] and [feature 2], both now live. It's now [$X/month] for courses under [Y] students. First [10] from this sub get [first month free/discount]. Happy to answer anything in the comments." Use it in the subreddit where you got your testers, about 3 to 4 weeks after the first post. Hulby, an AI cofounder, finds these threads and drafts these replies daily for founders.
Mistakes to skip
- Posting a link in the first line, which gets you removed or downvoted.
- Using a brand new account with no comment history.
- Posting the same text in ten subreddits on the same day.
- Making up results or student numbers in a case post.
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Which subreddits should I start with?
Start with r/onlinecourses, r/coursecreators, r/Teachable and r/Kajabi for users, and r/SideProject or r/indiehackers for launch posts.
Can I include a link to my product?
Only where the rules allow it. Otherwise offer to DM it or put it in a comment when someone asks.
How often should I post?
About one post per subreddit every few weeks. Comment helpfully in between.
What if my post gets removed?
Message the mods politely, ask what rule you broke, and repost in the right format or on the self-promo thread.