Skip to main content
PlugMonkey
Updated Feb 2026

How to Track Competitor Mentions on Reddit

Reddit is where users share honest, unfiltered opinions about products. Set up automated competitor monitoring to track how your competitors are discussed, find their dissatisfied customers, and discover strategic opportunities.

Intermediate
10 minutes
7 steps

Before You Start

  • Google Chrome browser (desktop)
  • Reddit Scout Pro installed from the Chrome Web Store
  • A list of competitor brand names, product names, and relevant subreddits
1

Install Reddit Scout Pro

Visit the Chrome Web Store listing and click "Add to Chrome." The extension monitors Reddit in the background while you browse. No API keys, no Reddit developer accounts needed.

Chrome Web Store page for Reddit Scout Pro

Screenshot the Chrome Web Store listing with the 'Add to Chrome' button highlighted.

2

Build your competitor keyword list

Open the Scout panel on reddit.com and go to the Keywords section. Add keywords for each competitor you want to track: exact brand names (e.g., "CompetitorA", "CompetitorB"), product names (their specific products or features), common abbreviations (how users actually refer to them in casual discussion), and comparison triggers (e.g., "CompetitorA vs", "alternative to CompetitorA", "switch from CompetitorA"). Include common misspellings — Reddit users do not always spell brand names correctly.
Pro Tip

Search Reddit manually for each competitor first to see how real users refer to them. You might discover that users call 'CompetitorProduct Pro' just 'CPP' or 'CompPro.' Add these informal names as keywords for comprehensive coverage.

Competitor keywords entered in the Scout panel

Screenshot showing the Keywords section with competitor brand names, product names, and comparison phrases entered.

3

Create a dedicated Competitors subreddit group

Create a subreddit group specifically for competitor monitoring. Click "Add Group" and name it "Competitors." Add subreddits where competitor discussions happen: your industry subreddit (e.g., r/SaaS, r/marketing), competitor-specific subreddits (if they exist), general recommendation subreddits (r/Entrepreneur, r/smallbusiness), and review/comparison subreddits. Assign your competitor keywords to this group for focused monitoring.

Competitors subreddit group with industry-relevant subreddits

Screenshot the Subreddit Groups section showing a 'Competitors' group with relevant subreddits listed and competitor keywords assigned.

4

Analyze competitor sentiment from results

After running for 24-48 hours, open the dashboard to review competitor mentions. Pay attention to the intent categories: Pain Point mentions reveal what users dislike about competitors. Comparison mentions show which competitors are being evaluated against each other. Recommendation mentions tell you who users actively suggest to others. Solution Request mentions indicate dissatisfied users looking for alternatives. Build a picture of competitor strengths and weaknesses directly from user conversations.

Dashboard showing competitor mentions sorted by intent category

Screenshot the dashboard filtered to show competitor-related results, with Pain Point and Comparison categories highlighted.

5

Identify dissatisfied competitor customers

The most valuable competitive intelligence on Reddit comes from unhappy customers. Filter your results for Pain Point and Solution Request categories that mention competitors. These are people who: complain about a competitor's pricing, limitations, customer support, or reliability. They are often actively looking for alternatives. Save these as leads with notes like "Unhappy with CompetitorA pricing — opportunity to present our solution." These are warm prospects who have already identified the problem your product solves.
Pro Tip

When engaging with dissatisfied competitor users on Reddit, be genuinely helpful rather than overtly promotional. Share your experience or knowledge first, and mention your product naturally if it solves their specific problem. Reddit users can detect and will downvote blatant advertising. Authentic helpfulness converts far better.

Filtered results showing dissatisfied competitor customers on Reddit

Screenshot showing Pain Point results that mention competitors, with user complaints about pricing, features, or support visible in the post previews.

6

Track competitor feature announcements and reactions

Monitor how the Reddit community reacts to competitor launches, feature updates, pricing changes, and policy decisions. When a competitor announces something, Reddit discussions reveal genuine user sentiment that marketing blogs and press releases do not capture. Save notable threads and export them for your product and marketing teams. This competitive intelligence helps you: position your product against competitor weaknesses, prioritize features that competitor users request, and time your marketing to capitalize on competitor missteps.

Reddit thread about a competitor product update with community reactions

Screenshot a dashboard entry showing a Reddit thread discussing a competitor's pricing change or feature update, with the community reaction visible in the preview.

7

Build a competitive intelligence report

Use the CSV export to create a structured competitive intelligence report. Export competitor mentions monthly and organize them by: competitor name, sentiment (positive/negative/neutral), category (Pain Point, Comparison, Recommendation), and key themes. Over time, this builds a data-driven view of competitor positioning from the user's perspective — information that is impossible to get from competitor websites or marketing materials. Share this report with product, marketing, and sales teams.
Pro Tip

Create a simple monthly template: top 5 competitor complaints, top 3 feature requests users wish competitors had, top competitor comparison threads, and notable sentiment shifts. This one-page report, sourced entirely from Reddit monitoring, gives your team actionable competitive intelligence.

Competitive intelligence report exported from Reddit Scout Pro data

Screenshot showing a spreadsheet or document with organized competitor intelligence: competitor names, common complaints, feature requests, and sentiment trends.

Summary

You now have automated competitive intelligence from Reddit — the platform where users share their most honest opinions about products. Reddit Scout Pro monitors competitor mentions, categorizes them by intent, and scores them for prioritization. The most valuable discoveries are Pain Point and Solution Request mentions from dissatisfied competitor customers — these are warm prospects already looking for alternatives. Build a monthly competitive intelligence report from your exports and share it with product, marketing, and sales teams. Over time, Reddit monitoring reveals patterns in competitor sentiment that inform product roadmap decisions, marketing positioning, and sales objection handling. The best competitive intelligence comes from listening to what real users say when they think no one from your company is watching — and Reddit is exactly that place.

Need More Help?

Get personalized AI assistance with additional tips and troubleshooting.

Ask ChatGPT(opens in new tab)Ask Perplexity(opens in new tab)Ask Claude(opens in new tab)

AI responses are generated independently and may vary

Related Guides

How to Monitor Reddit for Brand MentionsHow to Find High-Intent Reddit Leads for SaaSHow to Export Reddit Leads to Your CRM

Frequently Asked Questions

Know What Reddit Says About Your Competitors

Reddit Scout Pro tracks competitor mentions, scores by intent, and surfaces dissatisfied customers looking for alternatives. Free to install.

Install Free — Chrome Web Store(opens in new tab)Learn More

Ready to Get Started?

Install Reddit Scout Pro free from the Chrome Web Store. No credit card required.

Install Free — Chrome Web Store(opens in new tab)View All Guides