# Reddit Scraper & AI Lead Finder (`watershowdigital/reddit-lead-finder`) Actor

Scrape Reddit posts and comments by search, subreddit, user or URL with scores and full text. AI finds buyer-intent leads for your product and drafts replies.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/watershowdigital/reddit-lead-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [WaterShow Digital](https://apify.com/watershowdigital) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 posts

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Reddit Scraper & AI Lead Finder

Scrape Reddit posts and comments by **search query, subreddit, user or post URL** — no login, no Reddit API key. Every post comes with score, comment count, upvote ratio, author, date and full text, plus free **buyer-intent signals**. Turn on **AI lead finder** to get posts where people are actively looking for a product or service like yours, with the reason, the author's pain point and a short human-sounding reply draft.

### What you can do with it

- 🎯 **Find customers on Reddit.** Describe your product once. The AI reads posts like "any recommendations for a CRM?" or "alternative to HubSpot?" and keeps only the ones where the author would likely buy, scored 0 to 10.
- 💬 **Get reply drafts.** One concrete tip for the person plus a soft mention that you can help. Nothing is posted automatically: you decide what to send.
- 🔎 **Monitor topics and brands.** Search Reddit-wide or inside chosen subreddits, sort by new, schedule the actor every hour and get fresh mentions.
- 📊 **Research a niche.** Pull the top posts of any subreddit for a week, month or year with scores and comments, and see what people complain about.
- 🧵 **Export discussions.** Give post URLs and get the post with its comment threads: author, score, depth and text.
- 🤖 **Custom AI filter.** Write your own criteria ("people unhappy with their bank's support") and keep only matching posts.

### Input

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Search queries | Reddit search, e.g. `looking for a crm`, `"alternative to notion"`. Reddit operators work (`title:`, `subreddit:`, `OR`). With subreddits set, each query runs inside them. |
| Subreddits | Names or URLs. Without queries the actor reads the feed: new, hot, top (with time range) or rising. |
| Users | Usernames or profile URLs: their posts. |
| Post URLs | The post and its comments. |
| Sort, Time range | Order and time window (past hour to all time). |
| Max posts per source / in total | Keep runs and costs predictable. |
| Include comments | Adds comment rows for every saved post. |
| Filters | Only last N days, minimum score or comments, must / must not contain words. |
| AI analysis | Off, **Find leads for my product** or **Custom AI filter**. |

Example: find leads for a CRM

```json
{
  "searchQueries": ["looking for a crm", "alternative to hubspot", "crm recommendation"],
  "timeRange": "week",
  "aiMode": "find_leads",
  "productDescription": "Simple CRM for freelancers and small agencies, cheaper than HubSpot, free plan available",
  "minAiScore": 7,
  "writeReplyDrafts": true
}
```

### Output

One row per post (`type: "post"`) and, if comments are on, one row per comment (`type: "comment"`). The dataset has ready views: **Leads**, **Posts** and **Comments**. Export to JSON, CSV, Excel, or use the API.

```json
{
  "type": "post",
  "title": "Any recommendations for a CRM for a 3 person agency?",
  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1abc23/...",
  "subreddit": "smallbusiness",
  "author": "jane_doe",
  "createdAt": "2026-10-23T14:05:11.000Z",
  "score": 14,
  "numComments": 22,
  "upvoteRatio": 0.94,
  "text": "We outgrew spreadsheets...",
  "intentScore": 5,
  "intentType": "recommendation_request",
  "intentSignals": ["recommendation_request"],
  "aiScore": 9,
  "painPoint": "outgrew spreadsheets, HubSpot too expensive",
  "aiReason": "Small agency actively choosing a CRM on a budget",
  "replyDraft": "for 3 people i'd keep it dead simple, pipeline plus reminders is 90% of it. i built a small crm for exactly this, happy to show you if you want"
}
```

Search results come from Reddit search and include full text but no score or comment count (Reddit does not return them there). Subreddit, user and post sources include them.

### Pricing

Pay only for results:

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Post | $0.001 ($1 per 1,000) |
| Comment | $0.0004 ($0.40 per 1,000) |
| AI analysis (posts scored by AI) | $0.001 per post |

AI tokens are billed separately by Apify at cost through its OpenRouter integration, about $0.001 per post with Claude Haiku 4.5 and less with Gemini Flash or GPT-4o mini. Rule-based intent signals are always free.

### Tips

- Phrase queries the way buyers write: "looking for", "recommend", "alternative to", "need help with".
- Use **Only posts from the last N days** with **Sort: New** and a schedule to get fresh leads every day.
- Start with `minAiScore` 7 for leads; lower it if you get too few.
- Reply like a person, not an ad. Reddit communities remove spam, and every subreddit has its own rules on self-promotion.

### FAQ

**Do I need a Reddit account or API key?** No.

**Does it post or send messages?** No. It only reads public data and writes drafts for you.

**Why is a score missing on some posts?** Reddit search does not expose scores. Use subreddit feeds when you need them.

**Is it legal?** It collects publicly available data. Respect Reddit's rules and privacy laws such as GDPR when you store or contact people.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

What to search on Reddit, e.g. "looking for a crm", "alternative to notion", "need a web developer". Reddit search syntax works too (title:, subreddit:, OR). If you also add subreddits below, each query is searched only inside them.

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

Subreddit names or URLs, e.g. "SaaS", "r/smallbusiness", "https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/". Without search queries the actor reads their feed (new, hot, top or rising) with score and comment counts.

## `users` (type: `array`):

Reddit usernames or profile URLs, e.g. "spez" or "https://www.reddit.com/user/spez/". Scrapes their posts.

## `postUrls` (type: `array`):

Links to Reddit posts, e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/abc123/title/. Returns the post and its comments.

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Order of posts. For search: new, relevance, top, comments or hot. For subreddit feeds: new, hot, top or rising. Values that do not apply to a source fall back to new.

## `timeRange` (type: `string`):

Time window for search and for the Top sort.

## `maxPostsPerSource` (type: `integer`):

How many posts to read from each search query, subreddit or user before filters. Search returns up to about 250 per query.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after saving this many posts (comments are not counted). Keeps the cost of a run predictable.

## `includeComments` (type: `boolean`):

Also save comments of every saved post (author, score, depth, text). Post URLs always include comments.

## `maxCommentsPerPost` (type: `integer`):

Up to this many comments per post, top threads with their replies first.

## `commentSort` (type: `string`):

Order of comments.

## `maxAgeDays` (type: `integer`):

Skip posts older than this. Empty means no limit.

## `minScore` (type: `integer`):

Skip posts with fewer upvotes. Search results do not include scores, so this filter applies only to subreddit and user feeds.

## `minComments` (type: `integer`):

Skip posts with fewer comments. Applies to subreddit and user feeds.

## `includeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Keep only posts whose title or text contains at least one of these words or phrases (case-insensitive).

## `excludeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Skip posts whose title or text contains any of these words or phrases, e.g. "\[hiring]", "giveaway".

## `aiMode` (type: `string`):

Off: plain scraping with free rule-based intent signals. Find leads: AI scores how likely each author would buy your product, names their pain point and can draft a reply. Custom filter: AI keeps only posts that match your own criteria. AI tokens are billed by Apify at cost through the OpenRouter integration (about $0.001 per post with the default model).

## `productDescription` (type: `string`):

For "Find leads". What you sell and who it is for, in one or two sentences, e.g. "Simple CRM for freelancers and small agencies, cheaper than HubSpot".

## `aiCriteria` (type: `string`):

For "Custom filter". Describe what to keep, e.g. "people complaining about slow customer support of their bank".

## `minAiScore` (type: `integer`):

Keep only posts the AI scored at least this high (0 to 10). Set 0 to keep everything with scores attached.

## `writeReplyDrafts` (type: `boolean`):

For "Find leads". Adds a short, human-sounding reply for each lead: one useful tip plus a soft mention that you can help. Nothing is posted, you decide what to send.

## `replyInstructions` (type: `string`):

Extra instructions for reply drafts, e.g. "mention we have a free plan" or "ask them to DM me".

## `aiModel` (type: `string`):

Model used through Apify OpenRouter. Claude Haiku is the most accurate for intent; Gemini Flash and GPT-4o mini are cheaper.

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

Reddit limits requests per IP. Apify Proxy rotates IPs automatically when Reddit slows the run down.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "looking for a crm",
    "alternative to hubspot"
  ],
  "sort": "new",
  "timeRange": "week",
  "maxPostsPerSource": 100,
  "maxItems": 500,
  "includeComments": false,
  "maxCommentsPerPost": 25,
  "commentSort": "top",
  "aiMode": "off",
  "minAiScore": 6,
  "writeReplyDrafts": true,
  "aiModel": "anthropic/claude-haiku-4.5",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Posts with score, comments, intent signals and optional AI lead score, pain point and reply draft; comments with author, score and depth.

# 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 = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "looking for a crm",
        "alternative to hubspot"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("watershowdigital/reddit-lead-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 = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "looking for a crm",
        "alternative to hubspot",
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("watershowdigital/reddit-lead-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 '{
  "searchQueries": [
    "looking for a crm",
    "alternative to hubspot"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call watershowdigital/reddit-lead-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,watershowdigital/reddit-lead-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/cuVCf2YjI4A8l3NQh/builds/Cibshcg0c1r6S6xw3/openapi.json