Buying Intent Scoring: How to Tell a Buyer Thread from a Time Sink

The biggest waste in Reddit marketing isn't getting banned — it's spending an hour crafting a perfect reply to someone who was never going to buy anything.

After analyzing thousands of threads, a pattern emerges: posts where people actually purchase look different from posts where people just talk.

Signals of a buyer

They're comparing, not browsing. "Tool A vs Tool B" or "Is X worth it?" means a decision is pending. These threads convert at multiples of general discussions.

They describe a specific workflow pain. "I spend 3 hours every Monday doing X manually" is a cry for a solution. Vague rants about an industry are not.

They mention budget or urgency. "Willing to pay", "need this by next month", "tried 3 tools already" — highest possible intent.

The thread format itself. "What's the best ___ for ___" is literally a purchase query. It's also the exact format that ranks on Google.

Signals of a time sink

• Venting with no question ("I hate how expensive everything is")
• Academic discussion ("Do you think AI will replace X?")
• Mega-threads where your reply lands at #312
• Posts asking for free-only solutions when you charge

Our scoring rubric

We score every discovered post on two axes:

1. Buying intent (0–10): language signals, question format, urgency, comparison framing
2. SERP potential (0–10): is this the kind of evergreen question that ranks on Google for years?

The ideal reply target is 7+ on intent and 6+ on SERP potential. A 9-intent/2-SERP post is a quick win today. A 4-intent/9-SERP post is an investment that pays for a year.

Score first, write second. Your time is the scarcest resource you have.