Pain Point Discovery
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from $29.00 / 1,000 results
Pain Point Discovery
**Crawl 9 platforms** to find **user pain points**. It uses **intelligent scoring** and **trend detection** to help **founders** make **data-driven product decisions**
Pricing
from $29.00 / 1,000 results
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0.0
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Sumit Sharma
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2
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4 days ago
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π― Pain Point Discovery Actor
Automatically discover customer pain points, complaints, and feedback from Reddit, Hacker News, Stack Overflow, GitHub, Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, and Y Combinator.
Find exactly what your target customers are struggling with, what they hate about existing solutions, and what features they wish existed β all in one automated workflow.
π What This Actor Does
This Actor crawls 7 major platforms where people discuss their problems, frustrations, and needs. It uses AI-powered signal intelligence to:
- Scrape discussions from Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub Issues, Stack Overflow, Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, and YC
- Detect pain points using flexible keyword matching (like Google search - finds relevant discussions even with slight wording differences)
- Score & rank pain points by urgency, engagement, and business value
- Classify signals into types: complaints, feature requests, help requests, workarounds, etc.
- Enrich data with sentiment analysis, category classification, and trend detection
- Export results to CSV, JSON, and interactive HTML dashboard with filters
Use Cases:
- π Founders: Find product-market fit by discovering real pain points
- π‘ Product Managers: Identify feature requests and user frustrations
- π Market Researchers: Understand customer needs across industries
- π¨ Designers: Discover UX pain points in existing tools
- πΌ Sales Teams: Find prospects actively complaining about competitors
β¨ Key Features
π§ Intelligent Pain Point Detection
- SEO-style keyword matching: Finds discussions even if wording differs slightly
- Multi-word flexibility: "struggling with social media" matches "I struggle to manage social media"
- Pain language detection: Auto-detects frustration words (frustrated, broken, hate, slow, etc.)
- Smart scoring algorithm: Ranks by engagement (upvotes, comments), recency, and keyword relevance
π Signal Intelligence
- 7 Signal Types: Complaint, Feedback, Help Request, Feature Request, Workaround, Comparison, Emotional
- Urgency Levels: Critical, High, Medium, Low
- Persona Detection: Identifies who is experiencing the pain (developers, marketers, founders, etc.)
- Business Value Classification: Estimates revenue opportunity (high-value, medium-value, low-value)
π Multi-Platform Coverage
- Reddit: Subreddit communities (r/startups, r/SaaS, r/entrepreneur, etc.)
- Hacker News: Tech discussions and "Show HN" posts
- GitHub Issues: Real bugs and feature requests from developers
- Stack Overflow: Technical questions and problems
- Product Hunt: Product reviews and feedback
- Indie Hackers: Founder struggles and bootstrapping challenges
- Y Combinator: Startup pain points and market gaps
πΎ Export Options
- CSV: Spreadsheet-ready data for Excel/Google Sheets
- JSON: Structured data for APIs and databases
- HTML Dashboard: Interactive filterable table with charts
- Clickable URLs: Every pain point links to original source
π Benefits You'll Get
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| β‘ Save 100+ Hours | Automates manual Reddit/HN/forum browsing |
| π― Find Hidden Opportunities | Discovers pain points you'd never find manually |
| π Validated Ideas | See real people discussing real problems (with upvotes as validation) |
| π Beat Competitors | Find gaps in existing solutions before your competitors do |
| π° Prioritize by Value | Focus on high-urgency, high-business-value pain points first |
| π Track Trends | See which problems are getting worse over time |
| π Direct Source Links | Verify every pain point with clickable URLs to original posts |
π How to Use Effectively
Quick Start (3 Steps)
-
Choose Your Sources
- Start with Reddit only for broad coverage
- Add Hacker News for tech/startup pain points
- Add GitHub if targeting developers
-
Add Keywords (see "Best Keywords" section below)
- Use Niche + Signal combinations:
"salesforce frustrated","excel too slow" - NOT single words like
"problem"or"issue"
- Use Niche + Signal combinations:
-
Run & Export
- Default settings work for most use cases
- Results appear in CSV, JSON, and HTML dashboard
- Click URLs to verify pain points are real
π How to Search Effectively (READ THIS FIRST!)
β οΈ IMPORTANT: Don't Use Generic Single Words!
β WRONG (Gets 0 Results):
strugglingfrustratedproblemissueslowexpensive
Why? These are too generic. Platforms block them or return millions of irrelevant results.
β RIGHT: Use "Niche + Problem" Formula
The Secret: Combine a specific tool/topic with a pain signal
[Tool/Topic] + [Pain Word]
π― Perfect Examples:
SaaS & Business Tools:
ai agent roi problemsalesforce too expensivehubspot missing featuresnotion too slowjira too complicatedslack distractingexcel too slowcrm doesn't work
Industry-Specific:
ai tools implementation difficultmachine learning frustratedchatbot doesn't workautomation roi problememail marketing expensiveinventory management tedious
Competitor Research:
salesforce alternativesnotion competitorshopify strugglingmonday.com overwhelming
π‘ Why This Works:
| Keyword Type | Results | Quality |
|---|---|---|
"problem" (generic) | 0 results | N/A - Too generic |
"ai agent roi problem" | 20-50 results | β High - Specific pain points |
"salesforce frustrated" | 30-80 results | β High - Real complaints |
π Quick Start Template:
Copy and customize these proven combinations:
{"keywords": ["YOUR_NICHE struggling with","YOUR_TOOL too expensive","YOUR_CATEGORY doesn't work","YOUR_COMPETITOR frustrated","YOUR_PROCESS too slow"]}
Real Example:
{"keywords": ["ai agent roi problem","ai tools implementation difficult","machine learning costs too high","chatbot integration frustrated","automation workflow broken"]}
π Best Practices:
- Use 5-15 keywords (not 50+) - Quality over quantity
- Mix tool names + pain signals - "salesforce frustrated" beats just "frustrated"
- Include competitor names - Find people ready to switch
- Test with Reddit first - Most conversational data
- Review first 10 results - Adjust keywords if off-target
π How to Add Best Keywords
β Don't Use (Too Generic - Gets 0 Results)
problemissuebugslowexpensive
Why? Platforms block generic searches, or return millions of irrelevant results.
β Do Use (Niche + Signal - Gets 20-50 Results Per Keyword)
Use this formula:
[Tool/Topic] + [Pain Signal]
Examples by Category
SaaS Tools:
salesforce too expensivehubspot missing featuresmonday.com overwhelmingnotion too slowjira too complicatedslack distractingzoom quality issues
Business Processes:
hiring process difficultonboarding time consuminginventory management tediouspayroll software expensivecustomer support overwhelming
Common Tools:
excel too slowgoogle sheets limitationspowerpoint frustratingemail marketing expensivespreadsheet manual work
π― Best Keyword Patterns
| Pattern | Example | What It Finds |
|---|---|---|
[tool] struggling | "shopify struggling" | People having trouble with Shopify |
[tool] frustrated | "excel frustrated" | Frustrated Excel users |
[tool] too [pain] | "crm too slow" | Performance complaints |
[tool] doesn't | "jira doesn't work" | Broken functionality |
[process] tedious | "reporting tedious" | Manual work that needs automation |
[tool] alternatives | "notion alternatives" | People ready to switch |
π‘ Pro Tips
- Use 5-15 keywords (not 50+) β Quality over quantity
- Mix tool names + pain signals β "salesforce frustrated" beats just "frustrated"
- Include competitor names β Find people complaining about competitors
- Test with Reddit first β Most conversational data
- Review first 10 results β Adjust keywords if results are off-target
π How to Configure Input (Step-by-Step Guide)
1. Data Sources
Select which platforms to scrape:
- β Reddit (Start here - most data)
- β Hacker News (Tech/startup focus)
- β¬ GitHub (Only if targeting developers)
- β¬ Stack Overflow (Technical problems only)
- β¬ Product Hunt (Product feedback)
Tip: Start with 1-2 sources, expand gradually
2. Subreddits (For Reddit)
Add relevant subreddit names (without r/):
startupsSaaSentrepreneursmallbusinessSideProjectproductmanagement
3. Pain Point Keywords
Add 5-15 Niche + Signal keywords:
struggling with social mediaexcel too slowsalesforce frustratedinventory management tediouscrm doesn't work
4. Max Posts Per Source
- 30-50: Quick test (5-10 min)
- 100-200: Full scan (15-30 min)
- 500+: Deep research (30-60 min)
5. Minimum Pain Point Score
- 15-25: Broad discovery (captures more, lower quality)
- 30-40: Balanced (recommended)
- 50-70: High quality only (fewer results)
6. Time Range
- day: Very fresh discussions
- week: Recent (recommended)
- month: Broader coverage
- year: Historical data
7. Advanced Features
| Feature | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Deduplication | β Always enable |
| URL Validation | β Enable (slower but accurate) |
| Trend Detection | β Enable for market research |
| Category Classification | β Enable |
| Sentiment Analysis | β Enable |
| Signal Classification | β Enable |
8. Performance Settings
Max Concurrency:
- 1-2: Safe, avoids blocking (recommended)
- 3-5: Faster, higher risk of 403 errors
Max Retries:
- 3-5: Recommended (handles temporary errors)
9. Authentication (Optional but Recommended)
GitHub Token:
- Get from: https://github.com/settings/tokens
- Without token: 60 requests/hour β
- With token: 5,000 requests/hour β
π Sample Input Configurations
For SaaS Founders (Finding Product Ideas)
{"sources": ["reddit", "hackernews"],"subreddits": ["startups", "SaaS", "entrepreneur", "smallbusiness"],"keywords": ["struggling with social media","excel too slow","salesforce frustrated","crm doesn't work","email marketing expensive"],"maxPosts": 50,"minScore": 15,"timeRange": "week","maxConcurrency": 2}
For Developers (Finding Technical Gaps)
{"sources": ["github", "stackoverflow", "hackernews"],"keywords": ["api documentation confusing","authentication difficult","debugging nightmare","deployment complicated"],"maxPosts": 30,"minScore": 20}
π€ Output & Results
What You Get
- CSV File - Spreadsheet with all pain points
- JSON File - Structured data for APIs
- HTML Dashboard - Interactive filterable table with charts
- Reports - Keyword frequency, statistics, signal distribution
Example Output
Score | Title | Source | Signal | Urgency | URL82 | "Struggling to manage social media..." | reddit | complaint | high | https://...76 | "Excel is painfully slow..." | reddit | complaint | critical | https://...
π§ Troubleshooting
"0 Pain Points Found"
Fix: Use this test config:
{"sources": ["reddit"],"subreddits": ["startups"],"keywords": ["struggling", "slow", "expensive"],"minScore": 10,"maxPosts": 20}
"403 Forbidden Errors"
Fix:
- Enable RESIDENTIAL proxies in Apify settings
- Lower
maxConcurrencyto 1-2 - Add GitHub token for GitHub source
"504 Gateway Timeout" (GitHub)
Fix: Add GitHub Personal Access Token in input
π‘ Best Practices
- β Start Small: Test with 1 source + 5 keywords first
- β Review First Results: Check if data matches your needs
- β Iterate Keywords: Adjust based on what you find
- β Enable Signal Intelligence: Get urgency + business value insights
- β Export to CSV: Easier to analyze in Excel/Sheets
- β Filter HTML Dashboard: Use filters to find high-urgency pain points
π― Quick Checklist
Before running:
- Selected 1-2 sources (Reddit recommended)
- Added 5-15 Niche + Signal keywords
- Set minScore to 15-25
- Enabled Deduplication
- Enabled Signal Classification
- (Optional) Added GitHub token
Expected Results: 20-80 pain points per run
οΏ½ Actor Integration & Workflows
Integrating with Other Actors
You can chain this Actor with others to build powerful workflows:
Pattern 1: Pain Point β Content Analysis
// Run Pain Point Discovery Actorconst run1 = await Apify.call('your-username/pain-point-discovery', {sources: ['reddit'],keywords: ['salesforce frustrated']});// Get dataset resultsconst dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run1.defaultDatasetId);const painPoints = await dataset.getData();// Send to Sentiment Analysis Actorconst run2 = await Apify.call('apify/sentiment-analysis', {texts: painPoints.items.map(p => p.content)});
Pattern 2: Pain Point β Lead Enrichment
// 1. Find pain pointsconst painPoints = await runPainPointDiscovery();// 2. Extract author usernamesconst authors = painPoints.map(p => p.author);// 3. Run LinkedIn Profile Scraperconst profiles = await Apify.call('apify/linkedin-profile-scraper', {usernames: authors});// 4. Enrich pain points with contact infoconst enrichedData = mergePainPointsWithProfiles(painPoints, profiles);
Pattern 3: Pain Point β Market Research Report
// 1. Discover pain pointsconst painPoints = await runPainPointDiscovery();// 2. Generate report with OpenAIconst run2 = await Apify.call('apify/openai', {model: 'gpt-4',messages: [{role: 'user',content: `Analyze these pain points and create a market research report: ${JSON.stringify(painPoints)}`}]});
Common Integration Scenarios
| Scenario | Actors to Chain | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Lead Generation | Pain Point Discovery β Email Finder β CRM Export | Qualified leads with contact info |
| Competitive Analysis | Pain Point Discovery β Competitor Scraper β Report Generator | Competitive intelligence report |
| Content Ideas | Pain Point Discovery β OpenAI β Blog Post Generator | SEO-optimized blog posts |
| Product Roadmap | Pain Point Discovery β Categorization β Notion/Airtable Export | Prioritized feature backlog |
Accessing Actor Results
Via API:
// Get latest run resultsconst client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });const run = await client.actor('your-username/pain-point-discovery').lastRun().dataset().listItems();console.log(run.items); // Array of pain points
Via Webhook:
// Set up webhook to trigger on completionconst run = await Apify.call('your-username/pain-point-discovery', input, {webhooks: [{eventTypes: ['ACTOR.RUN.SUCCEEDED'],requestUrl: 'https://your-api.com/webhook'}]});
π€ Automation with Make.com (Integromat)
Setting Up Make.com Integration
Step 1: Create Make.com Scenario
- Go to make.com and create new scenario
- Add Apify module as first step
- Select "Run an Actor"
Step 2: Configure Apify Module
- API Token: Get from https://console.apify.com/account/integrations
- Actor ID:
your-username/pain-point-discovery - Input: Configure as JSON
Step 3: Process Results Add modules to process the pain points:
- Filter: Keep only high-urgency pain points
- Router: Split by signal type or category
- Transformer: Format data for next steps
Example Make.com Workflows
Workflow 1: Auto-Generate Lead List
ββββββββββββββββββββ Schedule β β Daily at 9 AMβ (Cron) βββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Apify: β β Run Pain Point Discoveryβ Run Actor β inputs: reddit, keywordsββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Filter: β β Keep urgency = "high"β High Urgency βββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Apify: β β Extract author profilesβ LinkedIn Scraperβββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Hunter.io: β β Find email addressesβ Email Finder βββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Google Sheets: β β Add to leads spreadsheetβ Add Row ββββββββββββββββββββ
Make.com JSON Blueprint:
{"name": "Pain Point Lead Generation","flow": [{"module": "apify:RunActor","data": {"actorId": "your-username/pain-point-discovery","input": {"sources": ["reddit", "hackernews"],"keywords": ["{{1.keywords}}"],"minScore": 40,"timeRange": "day"}}},{"module": "builtin:Filter","filter": {"conditions": [[{"a": "{{2.urgency}}","o": "equal","b": "high"}]]}},{"module": "googlesheets:addRow","data": {"spreadsheetId": "YOUR_SHEET_ID","values": {"Title": "{{2.title}}","URL": "{{2.url}}","Score": "{{2.score}}","Author": "{{2.author}}"}}}]}
Workflow 2: Weekly Market Research Report
1. Schedule: Every Monday 8 AM2. Apify: Run Pain Point Discovery (week range)3. Filter: minScore >= 504. Aggregator: Group by category5. OpenAI: Generate summary report per category6. Gmail: Email report to team7. Slack: Post top 5 pain points to #product channel
Workflow 3: Real-time Alert System
1. Webhook: Listen for new Actor run completion2. Iterator: Loop through pain points3. Filter: urgency = "critical" OR score >= 804. Router:- Path A: Slack notification to #urgent- Path B: Create Notion page- Path C: Add to Airtable "Hot Leads"
Make.com Module Configuration
Apify Module Settings:
Connection: [Your Apify API Token]Actor: your-username/pain-point-discoveryBuild: latestInput:sources: ["reddit", "hackernews"]keywords: ["{{trigger.keywords}}"]minScore: {{trigger.minScore}}maxPosts: 50Wait for completion: YesTimeout: 600 seconds
Example Filter (High-Value Pain Points):
Condition 1: score >= 60Condition 2: urgency equals "high" OR "critical"Condition 3: signal_business_value equals "high-value"Operator: AND
π Automation with n8n
Setting Up n8n Integration
Step 1: Install n8n
npm install -g n8n# ordocker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 n8nio/n8n
Step 2: Add Apify Credentials
- Go to n8n β Credentials
- Add new credential: Apify API
- Enter API Token from https://console.apify.com/account/integrations
Step 3: Create Workflow
- Add Apify node
- Operation: "Run Actor"
- Actor:
your-username/pain-point-discovery
Example n8n Workflows
Workflow 1: Automated Content Pipeline
{"nodes": [{"name": "Schedule","type": "n8n-nodes-base.cron","parameters": {"triggerTimes": {"item": [{"mode": "everyDay", "hour": 9}]}}},{"name": "Run Pain Point Discovery","type": "n8n-nodes-base.apify","parameters": {"operation": "runActor","actorId": "your-username/pain-point-discovery","input": {"sources": ["reddit", "hackernews"],"keywords": ["marketing struggling", "sales process tedious"],"minScore": 30}}},{"name": "Filter High Priority","type": "n8n-nodes-base.if","parameters": {"conditions": {"number": [{"value1": "={{$json.score}}", "operation": "larger", "value2": 50}]}}},{"name": "Generate Content Ideas with OpenAI","type": "n8n-nodes-base.openAi","parameters": {"operation": "text","model": "gpt-4","prompt": "Create 3 blog post ideas based on this pain point: {{$json.title}}\n\nContext: {{$json.content}}"}},{"name": "Save to Notion","type": "n8n-nodes-base.notion","parameters": {"operation": "create","resource": "databasePage","databaseId": "YOUR_DATABASE_ID","properties": {"Title": "={{$json.title}}","Pain Point URL": "={{$json.url}}","Content Ideas": "={{$node[\"Generate Content Ideas with OpenAI\"].json.choices[0].text}}","Score": "={{$json.score}}","Category": "={{$json.category}}"}}}]}
Workflow 2: Competitor Monitoring
ββββββββββββββββββββ Webhook β β Trigger: Daily or on-demandββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Set Variables β β competitor_names = ["notion", "salesforce"]ββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Function β β Generate keywords: "{competitor} frustrated", etc.ββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Apify: Run β β Pain Point Discovery with competitor keywordsβ Pain Discovery βββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Code: Analyze β β Count by competitor, urgency, sentimentββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ HTTP: Send to β β POST to your analytics dashboardβ Webhook βββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Slack: Alert if β β Notify if critical competitor issues detectedβ Critical Issues ββββββββββββββββββββ
n8n Code Node Example (Data Processing):
// Process pain points and group by categoryconst items = $input.all();const grouped = {};items.forEach(item => {const category = item.json.category || 'Uncategorized';if (!grouped[category]) {grouped[category] = {count: 0,avgScore: 0,painPoints: []};}grouped[category].count++;grouped[category].avgScore += item.json.score;grouped[category].painPoints.push({title: item.json.title,url: item.json.url,score: item.json.score});});// Calculate averagesObject.keys(grouped).forEach(cat => {grouped[cat].avgScore = Math.round(grouped[cat].avgScore / grouped[cat].count);});return [{ json: grouped }];
Workflow 3: CRM Auto-Enrichment
1. Schedule: Every 3 hours2. Apify: Run Pain Point Discovery (recent posts only)3. Filter: Contains author username4. HTTP Request: Check if author exists in CRM5. IF: Author NOT in CRM- Apify: Run LinkedIn Scraper for profile- HTTP Request: POST to CRM create contact- Set Fields: pain_point = title, pain_score = score6. IF: Author IN CRM- HTTP Request: PATCH update contact- Add: pain_points array, update last_activity7. Slack: Daily summary of new leads
n8n Best Practices
-
Use Webhooks for Real-time: Trigger workflows when Actor completes
Apify Webhook URL: https://your-n8n.com/webhook/pain-points -
Error Handling: Add error workflow
{"name": "Error Handler","type": "n8n-nodes-base.errorTrigger","parameters": {},"continueOnFail": false} -
Rate Limiting: Use Wait nodes between API calls
Wait: 2 seconds (between Apify and external API calls) -
Data Transformation: Use Function nodes for complex logic
// Deduplicate by URLconst seen = new Set();return $input.all().filter(item => {if (seen.has(item.json.url)) return false;seen.add(item.json.url);return true;});
π Webhook & Scheduling
Apify Webhooks
Setup Webhook Trigger:
// When creating Actor run via APIconst run = await client.actor('your-username/pain-point-discovery').call(input, {webhooks: [{eventTypes: ['ACTOR.RUN.SUCCEEDED'],requestUrl: 'https://your-webhook-url.com/pain-points',payloadTemplate: '{"runId": {{runId}}, "datasetId": {{defaultDatasetId}}}'}]});
Webhook Payload Example:
{"eventType": "ACTOR.RUN.SUCCEEDED","eventData": {"actorId": "abc123","runId": "xyz789","defaultDatasetId": "dataset123"},"resource": {"id": "xyz789","status": "SUCCEEDED","stats": {"itemCount": 45}}}
Schedule Recurring Runs
Via Apify Console:
- Go to Actor β Schedules
- Create new schedule
- Set cron expression:
0 9 * * 1(Every Monday 9 AM) - Configure input
Via API:
await client.schedules().create({name: 'Weekly Pain Point Scan',actorId: 'your-username/pain-point-discovery',cronExpression: '0 9 * * 1',input: {sources: ['reddit', 'hackernews'],keywords: ['your', 'keywords'],minScore: 30}});
Common Cron Schedules:
0 9 * * * Daily at 9 AM0 9 * * 1 Every Monday at 9 AM0 */6 * * * Every 6 hours0 9 1 * * First day of month at 9 AM
οΏ½π¦ Technical Setup
# Install dependenciesnpm install# Run locallyapify run# Run with custom inputapify run --input-file .actor/INPUT_TEST_QUICK.json# Deploy to Apifyapify push
Happy Pain Point Hunting! π―