Read this first · the reframe that keeps you safe AND makes it work
You do NOT need to “steal data” or scrape commenter lists. That gets accounts restricted/banned (LinkedIn, X, Reddit all flag bulk-scrape-then-DM) AND it converts terribly — a scraped stranger resents a “saw you commented on X” cold DM. The move that WORKS: engage the PUBLIC audience around a creator/competitor by showing up usefully where they already are. Their followers already trust someone in your niche → you contribute genuine value in that same space → that trust rubs off → the warm ones come to you. You're not extracting a list. You're joining the conversation. That's the whole strategy.
The golden rule
Borrow trust, don't steal attention. Add real value in public near a trusted account → get noticed by their audience → warm relationships form → THEN normal warm outreach (the DM systems you already built). Public first, always.
Who to target · the "honey pots"
Where your ICP gathers
Competitors' posts
Their commenters literally have the problem your product solves + are evaluating solutions = hottest.
Creators / influencers your ICP follows
Their engaged commenters are your ICP, warmed up by someone they trust.
Adjacent (non-competing) tools' audiences
Same buyer, complementary need.
Your own peers' posts
The circle you already engage (overlaps your daily channel systems).
Phase 0 · one-time setup
Build the honey-pot list before day 1
Phase 0 · one-time setup
Make a "honey pot" list: 10–20 accounts whose audience = your ICP (competitors + creators + adjacent tools) per platform
Profile must be ready on each platform (it's the first thing intercepted attention checks — see your channel systems)
Open your ONE lead list (same sheet as everything): name | which post/account intercepted | platform | warmth | fit | next step
Define your value-add angle: what genuine insight/resource can you add to THESE conversations? (not a pitch — a contribution)
The daily add-on
Rides on top of your channel daily systems · ~45–60 min
Find the Hot Conversations
Check your honey-pot accounts for FRESH posts with active comment sections (recent + lots of engaged comments)
Prioritize posts where commenters are expressing the EXACT pain your product solves, or asking "what should I use for X"
Note 3–5 specific commenters per platform whose comment shows real ICP fit (a real problem, a real question, a real buyer)
Add Value In Public
[the interception itself]
EVERYWHERE: the comment is about THEM and the problem, never 'btw check out my thing.' Value earns the profile click.
- Leave a substantive comment on the honey-pot POST that helps the whole audience (not “great post”) → seen by all commenters
- REPLY to specific ICP-fit commenters' comments with genuine help → a 1-to-1 public exchange THEIR network also sees
- This is borrowed reach: your insight under a big post gets seen by everyone evaluating the same problem
X
- Reply usefully in the thread under the honey-pot tweet (zoom in / zoom out / share a resource)
- Reply to the ICP-fit commenters directly — start a real public micro-conversation
- Quote-tweet the original with your own added insight → your followers + theirs see your take
- In the thread (a competitor mention, a “best tool for X” thread), leave a genuinely helpful comment — 90/10 rule applies
- If recommending tools, honest comparison incl. competitors + FTC disclosure if yours is mentioned (your Reddit system rules)
- Reply to commenters wrestling with the problem — help first, no pitch
Let Them Come / Warm The Best Ones
Your useful public comments → profile clicks → follows / connection requests TO you (inbound, the best outcome)
For high-fit commenters: follow them, engage their OWN content for a few days (now you're warming them, see your DM systems)
Do NOT cold-DM them off the back of one comment. Public exchange → recognition → THEN a warm DM lands (per-platform rules)
Log + Route
Log every ICP-fit person you engaged: name | which honey-pot post | platform | warmth | fit | next step
Route them into the right DM system you already built:
- LinkedIn → linkedin-outbound (warm, since you engaged publicly first)
- X → x-dm (warm-first)
- Reddit → reddit-dm (earned only)
Track which honey-pot ACCOUNTS produce the best-fit people → spend more time in those comment sections.
The hard 'DO NOT' list
The line between strategy and getting banned/roasted
Hard "DO NOT" list
- DO NOT scrape commenter lists / use tools that bulk-export an audience to mass-DM. (account restriction + ban risk, all 3 platforms)
- DO NOT cold-DM someone just because they commented somewhere. (engage public first — a comment is not consent to a DM)
- DO NOT trash the competitor/creator in their own comments. (you'll get blocked + look bad; honest comparison only, in neutral spaces)
- DO NOT copy-paste the same comment across many posts. (spam detection + it's obviously not genuine)
- DO NOT pitch in the public comment. (value earns the click; pitching repels + can get you blocked by the host account)
- DO NOT compile personal data on people. (read public context to judge fit; never build dossiers — privacy + platform rules)
- DO NOT hijack a creator's post to promote yourself. (be a guest adding value, not a parasite — the audience can smell it instantly)
Why public-first beats scrape-and-blast
The real reasons
The structural reasons
- TRUST TRANSFER: a useful comment under a trusted account inherits some of that trust. A cold scraped DM inherits nothing — it starts negative.
- DELIVERABILITY + SAFETY: public engagement can't get you banned. Scraping + mass-DM is the #1 ban trigger on all three platforms.
- CONVERSION: someone who had a real public exchange with you converts far better than a stranger who got “hi, saw you commented on X's post.”
- COMPOUNDING: every public comment is also seen by lurkers + the host's whole audience → it works long after you post it. A DM is seen by one person, once.
→ You're not stealing the audience. You're earning a place in it. That's slower per-person but it compounds, it's safe, and it actually converts.
Weekly · Friday + 10 min
The learning loop
Phase 0 · one-time setup
Which honey-pot accounts' comment sections produced the most ICP-fit conversations? → double down there.
Which of your public comments got the most profile clicks / inbound follows? → that style/angle works, repeat it.
Lead list: how many warm relationships started from interception this week → routed to DMs → soft offers? ← the real scoreboard.
Scoreboard
Track these, ignore vanity
Daily scoreboard · track these, ignore vanity
- ICP-fit people engaged in public (per platform)
- inbound follows/connects EARNED from your comments
- warm relationships routed into DM systems
- warm convos → soft offers → calls (the real metric)
Not a target · commenters scraped, cold DMs sent, comments blasted. The win is EARNED attention, not extracted contacts.
The whole day in one line
Find fresh posts from accounts your ICP trusts (competitors/creators) → add genuine public value to the post + to ICP-fit commenters → let it earn profile clicks + warm the best ones → route them into your warm DM systems. Never scrape, never cold-blast, never pitch in public, never trash the host. Borrow trust, don't steal attention. Judge at 90 days.