# Reddit Lead Finder: Buyer Intent & Alternative-To Scraper (`automation_studio/reddit-lead-buyer-intent-finder`) Actor

Find warm B2B buyer leads, competitor alternatives, and recommendation requests on Reddit with automated Buyer Intent Scoring and webhook alerts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/automation\_studio/reddit-lead-buyer-intent-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [Asad Naeem](https://apify.com/automation_studio) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 qualified buyer lead dossiers

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

<p align="center">
  <img src="https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/CzV6HWBRz4izzUYHT/records/reddit_leads_logo.png" alt="Reddit Lead Finder Logo" width="160" height="160" />
</p>

## 🎯 Reddit Lead Finder: Buyer Intent & Alternative-To Radar

> **The automated inbound lead generation engine for B2B SaaS founders, sales reps, and growth agencies.**
> Instantly surface warm buyer leads, software recommendation requests, and competitor churn opportunities across Reddit before your competitors find them.

***

### 💡 Why Reddit Lead Finder?

Unlike cold emailing scraped lists or sending unsolicited LinkedIn DMs, Reddit is full of **active buyers** who are publicly raising their hand asking for solutions:

- *"What is the best alternative to Mailchimp?"*
- *"Frustrated with HubSpot pricing, any good CRM recommendations?"*
- *"Looking for a tool to automate invoice reminders for clients"*

When someone posts this on Reddit, they have **high purchase intent and are in a 24–72 hour buying window**. If you comment with a helpful solution or DM the original poster, you are solving an immediate, burning problem.

However, searching Reddit manually every hour is exhausting, and generic Reddit scrapers just dump thousands of irrelevant memes and casual chat comments.

**Reddit Lead Finder** solves this by continuously monitoring Reddit search feeds, automatically calculating proprietary **Buyer Intent Scores (0–100)**, categorizing competitor churn opportunities, and triggering instant webhook notifications to Slack, Discord, or Zapier!

***

### 🚀 Key Features

- 🎯 **Proprietary Buyer Intent Scoring (0–100)**: Evaluates purchase urgency, commercial budget signals, and problem-solution queries to filter out casual noise.
- ⚡ **Competitor Churn Detector**: Target competitor brand names (e.g. *Mailchimp, ClickUp, Zendesk, Salesforce*) to isolate disgruntled users asking for alternatives.
- 🌐 **Global or Subreddit-Specific Scans**: Search all of Reddit globally or focus on high-yield B2B communities (`r/SaaS`, `r/startups`, `r/entrepreneur`, `r/smallbusiness`, `r/marketing`).
- 🔔 **Instant Webhook Push Alerts**: Automatically posts discovered hot leads directly to your **Slack, Discord, Telegram, or Zapier** channels for sub-minute response time.
- 📋 **Actionable Sales Recommendations**: Each lead includes a recommended outreach tactic (e.g. *"Immediate Action: Post helpful recommendation with demo link and DM OP within 24h"*).
- 🛡️ **Built-in Anti-Bot Stealth**: Powered by headless Chromium browser engines that automatically navigate Reddit edge security and JavaScript challenges with zero proxy setup required.

***

### 📥 Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `keywords` | Array of Strings | `["alternative to Mailchimp"]` | Target search phrases (e.g. `'alternative to Mailchimp'`, `'recommend CRM'`, `'need accounting software'`). |
| `subreddits` | Array of Strings | `[]` | Optional subreddits to restrict search (e.g. `["SaaS", "startups"]`). Leave empty to search all of Reddit. |
| `sort_by` | String | `"new"` | Sort order: `new` (Newest first), `relevance` (Most relevant), `hot`, `comments`. |
| `time_filter` | String | `"month"` | Time window: `day` (24h), `week`, `month`, `year`, `all`. |
| `min_buyer_intent_score` | Integer | `50` | Filter out low-intent posts. Only returns leads with intent score $\ge$ threshold (e.g. `50` for warm, `75` for urgent). |
| `max_posts_per_query` | Integer | `25` | Maximum number of posts to extract per keyword (up to 100). |
| `webhook_url` | String | `""` | Optional Slack, Discord, or Zapier webhook URL for real-time lead push notifications. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Object | `{"useApifyProxy": true}` | Apify Proxy settings for heavy volume extraction. |

#### Example Input:

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "alternative to Mailchimp",
    "looking for CRM software",
    "recommend email marketing tool"
  ],
  "subreddits": [
    "SaaS",
    "smallbusiness",
    "marketing"
  ],
  "sort_by": "new",
  "time_filter": "month",
  "min_buyer_intent_score": 60,
  "max_posts_per_query": 20
}
```

***

### 📤 Output Data Fields

Every discovered lead record is enriched with intent scoring and outreach intelligence:

```json
{
  "post_id": "1wb70zo",
  "title": "Looking for a cost-effective alternative to Mailchimp for small agency",
  "buyer_intent_score": 90,
  "intent_category": "⚡ COMPETITOR_CHURN_OPPORTUNITY",
  "recommended_action": "🎯 High Urgency: Highlight competitor limitations and pitch your product alternative",
  "intent_signals": ["competitor_alternative", "active_search", "active_need"],
  "body_snippet": "We have 15,000 subscribers and our bill just doubled to $350/mo. Need a reliable alternative with good deliverability and automation...",
  "subreddit": "Emailmarketing",
  "author": "agency_growth_guy",
  "score": 14,
  "comment_count": 28,
  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/Emailmarketing/comments/1wb70zo/looking_for_a_cost_effective_alternative/",
  "search_query": "alternative to Mailchimp",
  "created_at": "2026-09-10T18:30:00.000Z",
  "scraped_at": "2026-09-11T04:45:00.000Z"
}
```

***

### 🏢 Use Cases

1. **B2B SaaS Founders**: Intercept warm leads actively looking to switch away from expensive legacy incumbents.
2. **Growth Marketers & SDRs**: Feed your sales pipeline with fresh daily recommendation requests where buyers are asking for your exact tool category.
3. **Agencies & Freelancers**: Monitor communities like `r/forhire`, `r/smallbusiness`, and `r/webdev` for clients asking for custom development, SEO, or design agencies.
4. **Competitor Intelligence**: Track customer complaints, pricing backlash, and feature gaps of major competitors in real time.

***

### ⚖️ Ethical Outreach & Reddit Best Practices

When reaching out to Reddit users:

- **Always provide genuine value first**: Answer the user's question, share actionable insights, or provide a breakdown before mentioning your tool.
- **Be transparent**: Disclose your relationship to the product (e.g. *"Full disclosure, I am the founder of X"*).
- **Follow Subreddit Rules**: Respect each subreddit's policies regarding self-promotion and commercial links.

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Phrases to monitor (e.g. 'alternative to Mailchimp', 'recommend CRM', 'need accounting software').

## `subreddits` (type: `array`):

Limit search to specific communities (e.g. 'SaaS', 'startups', 'smallbusiness', 'marketing'). Leave empty to search all of Reddit globally.

## `sort_by` (type: `string`):

How to sort Reddit search results.

## `time_filter` (type: `string`):

Limit search to posts created within this time window.

## `min_buyer_intent_score` (type: `integer`):

Filter out generic discussions. Only return posts with buyer intent score greater than or equal to this threshold (e.g. 50 for warm leads, 75 for urgent buyers). Set to 0 for all posts.

## `max_posts_per_query` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of Reddit posts to extract per search query (up to 100).

## `webhook_url` (type: `string`):

Optional webhook endpoint. If provided, the Actor will POST real-time lead alerts with direct Reddit links so your sales team can reply immediately.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify Proxy settings for high-volume extraction.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "alternative to Mailchimp"
  ],
  "subreddits": [],
  "sort_by": "new",
  "time_filter": "month",
  "min_buyer_intent_score": 50,
  "max_posts_per_query": 25,
  "webhook_url": "",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing Reddit posts scored for buyer intent

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "alternative to Mailchimp"
    ],
    "subreddits": [],
    "sort_by": "new",
    "time_filter": "month",
    "webhook_url": "",
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("automation_studio/reddit-lead-buyer-intent-finder").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "keywords": ["alternative to Mailchimp"],
    "subreddits": [],
    "sort_by": "new",
    "time_filter": "month",
    "webhook_url": "",
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("automation_studio/reddit-lead-buyer-intent-finder").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "alternative to Mailchimp"
  ],
  "subreddits": [],
  "sort_by": "new",
  "time_filter": "month",
  "webhook_url": "",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call automation_studio/reddit-lead-buyer-intent-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,automation_studio/reddit-lead-buyer-intent-finder"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/UlQw2kAzGNvO8lnvM/builds/dk6QYGaxkYAqyGg49/openapi.json