Buying signals: 20 examples from public posts, scored 0 to 100
updated 18 October 2026
A buying signal is a sign that someone is ready, or getting ready, to buy. The clearest ones in public posts are things people write themselves: "looking for an alternative to Tool A", "budget approved for a new CRM", "does anyone know a tool that does X?". Below are twenty sample posts. Each has a score from 0 to 100, worked out the way HearBuyers scores buying intent, and the reason it got that score.
Every example is labelled "sample". We wrote them to look like real public posts, but none of them quotes a real person.
How the scores work
A score from 0 to 100 estimates how likely the person is to buy soon, judged only from what they wrote. Four things raise it: a defined job, some context about the buyer, a reason to act soon, and a direct question. Four things lower it: no problem described, a seller's voice, a job ad, or a question about the world rather than a purchase.
Use scores for triage. A 78 and an 82 are the same kind of post. The gap that matters is between an 80 and a 30. HearBuyers drafts a reply for any post at or above your threshold, which is 70 by default.
Strong signals (80 to 100)
| # | Sample post | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Our CRM contract ends in 3 weeks and the renewal quote doubled. Need something simpler for 6 reps. Budget around $60 a seat." | 98 | Deadline, team size, budget, clear job |
| 2 | "Switching from Tool A at the end of the month. Who do you recommend for a 12-person agency?" | 95 | Switch already decided, direct question |
| 3 | "Need a bookkeeper to clean up last year's books before our CPA deadline in March." | 93 | Specific job with a date |
| 4 | "Approved budget for an email verification tool. Which one do you trust for B2B lists?" | 91 | Budget exists, comparing options |
| 5 | "Anyone know a tool that reconciles Stripe payouts into QuickBooks including fees and refunds?" | 88 | Defined workflow, asking for a product |
| 6 | "We've outgrown spreadsheets for client onboarding. Demos this week, any tips on what to ask?" | 84 | Already evaluating |
What these posts have in common is that the person has already decided to do something. They are choosing between options, not wondering whether to act.
Good signals (60 to 79)
| # | Sample post | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | "Looking for alternatives to Tool B. The price jumped and support went quiet." | 78 | Active dissatisfaction, no deadline yet |
| 8 | "What do you use for scheduling social posts? Starting a team account next quarter." | 74 | Clear need with a rough timeline |
| 9 | "Our outbound has been flat since August. How are other agencies finding clients?" | 68 | Real problem, wants tactics |
| 10 | "Is there anything like Tool C but cheaper? Only need the reporting part." | 66 | Existing user, price sensitive, specific need |
| 11 | "Considering moving our helpdesk to a new tool. Anything I should know before I look?" | 62 | Considering, early |
These are worth a reply, though some may need more help before they buy.
Medium signals (30 to 59)
| # | Sample post | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | "How do small teams usually track support tickets?" | 52 | A real question without a stated problem |
| 13 | "Tool D keeps logging me out. Anyone else?" | 44 | Annoyance, no sign of leaving |
| 14 | "We moved off Tool E last year and I'd do it again." | 38 | Past switch, useful as research |
| 15 | "Thinking about whether we need a CRM at all." | 33 | Early thinking, may decide not to buy |
Answer helpfully and don't expect a sale. These posts are where trust gets built.
Look like intent, but aren't (0 to 29)
| # | Sample post | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | "Here are the 10 best CRMs in 2026, with my review of each." | 22 | A review post, the author is publishing, not buying |
| 17 | "What is a CRM?" | 14 | A definition question |
| 18 | "We're hiring a CRM administrator. Apply below." | 6 | Job ad containing the keyword |
| 19 | "Sharing my outreach template, DM me for it." | 4 | A seller fishing for replies |
| 20 | "Just launched our new CRM! Try it free for 14 days." | 2 | A vendor announcement |
The last five matter most, and keyword alerts deliver them looking exactly like the first five.
Patterns across the twenty
- Time words matter: "next month", "this week", "at renewal", "before March". A deadline is what separates shopping from wondering.
- Numbers help. A post that gives team size, budget or volume comes from someone who has done the thinking.
- Named tools signal comparison. Someone who mentions "Tool A" and "Tool B" is choosing between them.
- Questions beat statements. "Who do you use?" invites an answer, and "CRMs are confusing" does not.
- A seller's voice is a red flag. Phrases like "DM me", "link in bio" and "try it free" come from people who want attention, not from people shopping for products.
Our research found a pattern in how requests are worded. Of 241 anonymised requests across 19 niches, 194 opened with "I need" (how buyers phrase requests, 18 October 2026). So search for "I need" as well as "looking for".
How to find posts like these
- Search by phrase. Use the X search operators cheat sheet on X and Reddit's own search on Reddit.
- Filter out the bottom of the table. Use exclusion terms to drop job ads, announcements and "DM me" phrases.
- Score what's left. Paste a post into the buying intent scorer to see its score.
- Reply to the top and help the middle. Answer questions in the thread, and mention your product only if someone asks or the community allows it.
Reddit's public data access changes between 31 October 2026 and March 2027, so tools that read Reddit may behave differently in that window. A search you run yourself on Reddit will keep working.
What a signal doesn't tell you
A high score means the words suggest intent. It doesn't mean the budget is approved, that the person has authority, or that they haven't already picked a tool. Treat it as a reason to start a conversation and do the qualifying there. See lead scoring for how scores fit into a wider process.
Buyer intent keywords are the words in a post that carry these signals, such as "alternative to", "can anyone recommend", "switching from" and "looking for a". To test one post, run it through our buying intent scorer.
Frequently asked questions
What is a buying signal?
It's an action or statement suggesting a person is ready to buy, such as asking for a recommendation, naming a purchase deadline, or saying they're leaving their current tool.
What are examples of buying signals in social media?
"Looking for an alternative to Tool A", "any tool that does X?", "our contract ends next month". The twenty samples above include strong, medium and false signals.
What is the difference between buying signals and intent data?
Intent data usually means account-level behaviour, like companies reading about a topic. A buying signal in a post comes from one person, in their own words.
How accurate is a buying intent score?
It's an estimate from the text alone. It's useful for ranking posts, but it doesn't predict that someone will buy.
Next step
Take the five most recent posts from your market and score each against four ingredients: job, context, timing and a direct question. Today, reply to the one that has all four.
See who is asking for what you sell
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