How to find people asking for your service online
Every day, people post \u201ccan anyone recommend\u2026\u201d for exactly what you sell. Here are the phrases they use and where to look, for software, online shops and local services.
The phrases buyers type
People asking for help use a small set of patterns. Combine these with your service or the problem it solves:
- “can anyone recommend” / “any recommendations for”
- “looking for someone who can” / “looking for a”
- “who do you use for”
- “need help with” / “need someone to”
- “alternative to” / “better than”
- “how much should I pay for” / “quote for”
- “anyone know a good” plus your trade and suburb
Where to search, by type of business
Software and online tools
Reddit, Hacker News, Stack Exchange, GitHub Issues, Bluesky and X. These are public and searchable, and people there ask for tools by name and by problem.
Online shops and makers
Reddit hobby communities, Bluesky and X, and Facebook groups for the hobby. Gift and “where can I buy” threads are common before holidays.
Local services
Local Facebook groups, Nextdoor, Airtasker and suburb or city subreddits. People ask for a plumber, a photographer or a printing shop by suburb. These posts go stale fast, so check daily.
Facebook, Nextdoor, LinkedIn and Airtasker need a manual check
These sites hide most posts from outside tools and do not allow scraping. The reliable approach is a saved search you open in your own logged-in browser. In a Facebook group, use the group search with “recommend” plus your service. On Nextdoor, search your neighbourhood feed. On Airtasker, browse open tasks in your category and area.
How to reply
Answer the question, say plainly that it is your business, and give one concrete next step such as a price range or availability this week. Keep it short. People asking in public usually get several replies, and the clear, specific one tends to win.
Let LaunchRadar do the searching
LaunchRadar turns your website into these buyer searches automatically, checks the public sources each day, and scores every post for buying intent. For local businesses it checks the location, filters out posts from outside your service area, and gives you one-tap Facebook, LinkedIn, Nextdoor and Airtasker searches to open yourself. It never posts for you.
More: finding local customers in Australia and why keyword alerts are noisy.
Common questions
How do I find people who need my service?
Search public posts for buyer phrases such as can anyone recommend, looking for someone who can, or who do you use for, combined with your service and area. Check daily, because the best posts are answered within a day.
Can a tool read Facebook groups for me?
Not legitimately. Facebook does not allow scraping groups. LaunchRadar gives you ready-made search links to open in your own browser instead.
Is it okay to reply to these posts with my business?
Usually yes, when the person asked for a recommendation and you say clearly that it is your business. Check each group or community’s rules first.