How Varnan Turned Reddit Into Athina’s (YC W23) Primary Growth Channel Without Getting Blocked

TL;DR

• Client: Athina AI- A YC-backed LLM observability platform solving evaluation and monitoring for AI engineers
• Challenge: Brilliant product, zero discovery. 10 weekly signups with no scalable acquisition channel
• Solution: Strategic Reddit marketing that contributed value first, avoided spam filters, and built genuine community presence
• Results: 15–20x growth (10 → 200 weekly users), 10,000+ upvotes, 4-5 enterprise customers, $12 CAC vs. $150 from paid ads and LLM Visibility in AI Search Engines like Perplexity and GPT.
• Investment: 90-day Reddit content strategy with community-specific positioning and engagement management

The Problem

Athina AI had built a powerful LLM observability and evaluation platform one of the first YC companies solving this critical problem for AI engineers. The product worked. Engineers who tried it loved it.

But nobody was finding them.

The Reality:

• 10 weekly users trying the platform
• No organic discovery channel
• No content engine
• Sales conversations weren’t scaling
• No LLM Search Visibility

Athina needed a sustainable way to reach AI engineers and developers where they actually spent time. So we proposed them Reddit Marketing. But there were challenges.

Why Reddit Marketing Fails (And Why Most Avoid It)

Most companies avoid Reddit for good reasons:

1. Communities ban self-promotion- One wrong post and you’re permanently blocked
2. Developers can smell marketing from a mile away- And they hate it
3. It requires genuine expertise- You can’t fake being helpful
4. IP bans kill your access- Get flagged once, your entire domain is toast
5. Time-intensive- Each post needs research, positioning, and community understanding

Athina had tried Reddit before working with Varnan. Results? Minimal traction, frustrated team, wasted effort.

The Varnan Approach: Reddit Marketing That Actually Works

Phase 1: Strategic Community Mapping (Week 1–2)

We didn’t just spam every AI subreddit. We mapped the ecosystem:

Target Communities Identified:

• r/MachineLearning (2.8M members)
• r/LocalLLaMA (250K+ members)
• r/LangChain (50K+ members)
• r/ArtificialIntelligence (800K+ members)
• r/LearnMachineLearning (400K+ members)

The Key: Understanding each community’s rules, tone, and what type of content gets upvoted vs. banned.

Phase 2: Value-First Content Strategy (Week 2–4)

We understood the product well and found out a common ground where we could post on these subreddits without getting us banned. Below are some of the strategies we executed:

1. Problem-Solution Posts

• Identified pain points AI engineers were already discussing
• Positioned Athina as one solution among several options
• Never led with “Check out our product”

2. Resource Compilations

• “The Complete Guide to LLM Evaluation Tools”
• “How to Monitor GPT-4 in Production: 7 Approaches”
• Made Athina part of a bigger narrative and added real value

3. Technical Deep-Dives

• Shared actual code snippets and implementation examples
• Demonstrated expertise, not just product features
• Engineers could copy-paste and get value immediately

4. Authentic Q&A Engagement

• We personally answered the questions using no AI so that we have a real connection with people
• Provided value even when Athina wasn’t the answer
• Built credibility before asking for signups

Phase 3: Execution Without Getting Blocked (Week 1–12)

How We Avoided the Reddit Ban Hammer:

1. Account Aging & Karma Building

• Built genuine Reddit presence before product mentions
• Contributed to discussions unrelated to Athina
• Established trust signals before marketing

2. Strategic Posting Schedule

• Limited self-referential posts to 1 in every 5–7 posts
• Mixed promotional content with pure value
• Posted at high-engagement times (9–11 AM EST, 6–8 PM EST)

3. IP Rotation & Multi-Account Strategy

• Used residential proxies to avoid IP bans
• Multiple verified accounts to diversify risk
• Never linked accounts through posting patterns

4. Community-Specific Customization

• Rewrote every post for each subreddit’s culture
• Different tone for r/MachineLearning vs. r/LocalLLaMA
• Respected each community’s self-promotion rules

5. Engagement Velocity Management

• Responded to comments within 30–60 minutes
• Created “snowball effect” in first 2 hours
• Used strategic upvotes from community members (never bought votes)

The Results: Numbers That Matter

User Acquisition

• Before: 10 weekly signups
• After: 150–200 weekly signups
• 15–20x growth in 90 days
• 5x jump in Weekly Website Visits (400 → 2000)

Reddit Performance

• 10,000+ total upvotes across all posts
• Hundreds of mentions across all LLM Searches
• Multiple posts hit #1 in their subreddits

Pipeline Impact

• 4–5 qualified enterprise customers from Reddit alone
• Low CAC: ~$12 per signup (vs. $150+ from paid ads)
• High intent users: Reddit users converted 3x better than paid traffic

Content Leverage

• Top Reddit posts became blog content
• Generated SEO and LLM Search backlinks from Reddit discussions
• Created social proof for sales conversations

Reddit-to-Signup Funnel

1. Reddit Post → High-value content
2. Compilation Blog posted on Website → Increases Traffic
3. Website Visitors → Led to Athina docs/blog
4. Documentation → Self-serve implementation guides
5. Signup → Frictionless onboarding
6. Product-Led Growth → Users saw value immediately

What Shiv (Athina CEO) Said

“Paras is an amazing teammate, and I am lucky to have worked with him. He has an endless supply of creative ideas, and he actually takes the initiative to actually see these ideas through in addition to his other responsibilities. Would love to work with Paras again someday.”

— Shiv Sakhuja, CEO & Founder, Athina AI

The Takeaway

Reddit isn’t just for memes. For developer tools and AI companies, it’s one of the highest-intent audiences you can reach. But it requires:

1. Genuine expertise- You can’t fake helping developers
2. Strategic execution- One wrong move and you’re banned
3. Sustained effort- 90 days minimum for real results
4. Value-first mindset- Marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing

Most companies get banned or give up. Varnan turned it into Athina’s fastest-growing channel.

Our Guarantee: 90 Days or Free

We work exclusively with AI and developer tool companies. Our process:

Month 1: Positioning

• Deep market and competitor signal mapping
• Founder-led positioning and narrative workshop
• Clear messaging hierarchy and value propositions
• High-signal customer interviews to validate demand

Month 2: Launching and Testing- Doing whatever’s needed

• Technical content on Reddit built to rank and compound on Google
• Product-led assets (templates, tools, interactive demos)
• Founder thought leadership designed for LinkedIn distribution
• Structured launch sequences for major product releases
• Launching Paid Campaigns to ensure growth if required

Month 3: Launch & Measurement

• Execute targeted distribution
• Monitor conversion metrics
• Optimize based on performance data
• Deliver final results report

If we don’t deliver measurable results (GitHub stars, qualified leads, contributor growth, or other agreed-upon metrics) within 90 days, we work for free until we do.

Are you a Good Fit?

We don’t work with everyone. We work best with founders who have a product, traction, and are ready to accelerate growth.

If you’ve built something worth discovering, we’ll help the right people find it.

Book a strategy session

We’ll analyze your product positioning, identify your target audience, and outline a 90-day plan to measurable results. Start your journey by booking a free call.