How I used Reddit to validate my product and got over 400 upvotes on my first post ever

A couple of months ago, I was trying to validate my product idea, specifically to ensure that the problem I was tackling was as real as I thought. I was also attempting to collect wishes and frustrations in the form of words in order to refine my marketing speech.

I didn't have an online presence to leverage, so my options were pretty limited. The best bet was trying to gain engagement on an upvote-powered social site like Reddit. Indie Hackers is also a solid choice, but that's only if indie hackers are your target audience. We're likely not, though—we stingy freaks.

Here's what I did:

1. I identified a subreddit where people were discussing the problem. I read a few posts to immerse myself in the tone. I also carefully read the guidelines to make sure I wouldn't make a faux pas.
2. I created a cool meme (I could have used plain text, but I love memes) accompanied by an open-ended question.
3. I interacted with commenters through upvotes and replies, though I'm not sure it was even necessary.
4. I compiled all the responses into a document, categorizing them as either motivations or frustrations.

I used that document to prioritize features for my product, Candix, and some of the locutions collected were so relevant that they're used as is on the homepage.

Here's the post: If you had one wish to solve hiring, what would you wish for? It could be a product idea, the change of a practice, or anything.