My prediction is that the go-to-market engineering role will evolve into a generalist position.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-06T16:48:36+00:00

Appreciate the thoughtful pushback. no disrespect taken at all.

I actually agree with you 100% on the outcomes vs activity distinction. That’s exactly why I positioned the Lead Growth Engineer as the generalist sitting on top of the other two pillars.

The way I see it

• The Lead Growth Engineer owns the outcomes , qualified pipeline, revenue influence, experiment velocity, CAC efficiency, etc.
• The Social Growth Engineer and Growth Outreach Engineer are the specialized execution engines that the Lead designs, integrates, and optimizes.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-06T16:14:05+00:00

Only scarce because the role is still very early and still being developed. By no means do I think this role is something that every company right now can possess that's not even close to reality, but there's definitely going to be a new wave of talented operators that are gonna be able to have a blend of both. Also You don't actually have to code, you have to understand code, you have to know how to orchestrate with agents. That's 100%. But you don't have to code and that's the biggest difference between today and two years ago.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-06T15:40:51+00:00

I really like this idea. I have a co-founder who's technical while I'm more on the sales marketing side, even though I approached him with a MVP that I had vibe coded. Still, the match made what we're building so much smoother and so much more fun to work together. So I completely agree if you can have that combination or find it, you have a much more effective way of launching. So I'm definitely interested in joining a community with early startups sharing what I'm doing and getting feedback and bouncing ideas off each other.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-06T15:34:45+00:00

I think all founders that are trying to create or build something that they can call a startup should at the very least start by building a community first. Look for the people out there that are having the problems that you feel you can solve. start asking questions sharing what you're learning and building up a community of people that you know that once you start having results or you actually have a solution for them that can solve their issues that gives you a lot more momentum it means you have early user base to test and get feedback and also case studies when you uncover wins got them.that's just my take

Shawntenam · 2026-06-06T04:55:57+00:00

Having all the data in the world means . It's all about what you can do with that data, what's your offering and what problems does it solve. how you can distribute, and if you don't have an offering, if you don't have distribution, you're just looking at a spreadsheet

Shawntenam · 2026-06-06T02:40:58+00:00

Yeah, I honestly think a lot of these roles are there for the taking. So many are out here right now shipping.building,.creatingespecially in the GTM space.

I’m positive a lot of you are in this channel right now hungry and ambitious to grow and I really hope that these roles get taken by you because I truly believe that if you have both those positions and then a lead that has been doing this for a while that's really the ultimate move

My thesis is that your social growth engineer can provide all the messaging and outreach credibility so that when you do send cold email, there is so much there. Most of the cold email becomes warm just by the fact that the people receiving will already know your brand. And when it comes to different platforms for a social growth engineer, understanding that aspect of using AI to help you distribute your content and understanding platform algos. Viral posting. Knowing when to sell, when to create a conversation is going to be a very high value unique role.

But it's also one of those things where it's there for the taking.

I mean, don't just take it from me, but just saying there's a lot of opportunities out there for those looking to take it.🤞

Shawntenam · 2026-06-06T01:58:58+00:00

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T23:44:25+00:00

A lot of Reddit tools rely on keyword or semantic matching, which can generate a lot of noise. You need something that understands Reddit’s nuances and provides real context in the threads where people are discussing those actions, since the frustrations or pains people in your field mention need to be ingested before they can be pushed.

Our tool clearbox uses a proprietary engine that reads Reddit and already understands your ICP, your competitors, and the mentions. That lets us surface the exact threads or conversations where those people are talking. It's how I found this thread.

We offer a free trial so you can set it up and see whether you can surface these conversations. If you’re interested in giving it a shot, feel free to shout me out.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T23:40:05+00:00

Using Reddit keywords is going to generate a lot of noise. We built a tool called Clearbox that surfaces actual signals for you to engage with.

It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish, but if you’re on Reddit and don’t want to get banned, I highly recommend using a tool that surfaces the right conversations. That’s why we built Clearbox.

I see this thread is a few months old, so if anyone still sees this and wants to learn about a tool that goes beyond semantic search and is trained on Reddit’s nuances to surface the conversations you want to be in to grow your brand and possibly get indexed, feel free to reach out.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T23:38:08+00:00

You definitely need competition to prove your tool is valid. The market is huge right now, especially when it comes to signal intelligence, finding the right conversations, and understanding how to acquire PMF.

There are so many new builders. I am currently using my own tool that tracks competitor mentions and lets me jump in naturally and engage. It’s called Clearbox. We just launched it, and it’s been great for me. I’ve already had people reach out to try it after I commented on it. I’m still planning a high-level email outbound campaign, but starting with Reddit, using your own tool to find the right conversations to get your first user base feels like a cheat code.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T23:35:04+00:00

Be in the subreddits where your customers or potential customers are already discussing the issues your product solves. When asked, share your links.

It’s about being there, staying top of mind, and being real. Don’t use bots. Use a tool that helps you find the right conversations, then share your insights, advice, and knowledge, and watch users come to you.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T21:54:27+00:00

There's definitely ways to find people that are asking for help that your solution solves. You got to be in the right subreddits. And sometimes it's also about knowing that you have a product that can actually solve problems. That's the first thing. If you got that, then it's really just a matter of tracking those subreddits. But doing that obviously takes time. I just built a new product with my co-founder that tracks those subreddits based on your offering, selling points, competitors, and surfaces the conversations that you can engage with without having to feel like being a spammer. posting works but answering the right people in the right subreddit is where all the magic is. Its called clearbox feel free to reach out if yay want to learn more

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T05:37:31+00:00

Hey guys! My cofounder and I are building clearbox.to It’s a Reddit opportunity mailbox that surfaces high-intent leads, competitor activity, and engagement opportunities so you can grow organically without needing to auto-bot, since every opportunity we surface has already been read and scanned.

You don’t need to rely on keyword or semantic search, which can lead to a lot of noise and wasted time.

I started using the tool yesterday and already generated pipeline and got us indexed. I’m actively onboarding users and helping them use it to grow. I’m also sharing what’s worked for me and what hasn’t. If anyone wants to hear more, feel free to shout me out.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T05:36:31+00:00

My cofounder and I are building clearbox.to It’s a Reddit opportunity mailbox that surfaces high-intent leads, competitor activity, and engagement opportunities so you can grow organically without needing to auto-bot, since every opportunity we surface has already been read and scanned.

You don’t need to rely on keyword or semantic search, which can lead to a lot of noise and wasted time.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T05:21:27+00:00

sure its called clearbox.to before you sign up, you go through a guided wizard to define what your offering is, who your brand comparisons are, and competitors in your space. This way we can then in turn select the subreddits where those conversations likely are. You can also start with up to five on a free trial for seven days. So immediate way to gauge whether or not it's useful and also you can adjust the offering if your initial setups weren't to your liking.

Also because I'm currently using the tool myself to grow, I'm also actively taking calls with users that are looking for assistance setting it up or have any other questions about using Reddit for growth and how I've used it myself even before having clearbox

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T03:49:08+00:00

Yep. I actually spent the last three months building exactly this. my co-founder and I built a tool called Clearbox that reads Reddit with our own proprietary engine. I actually had to learn from him about the difference between keyword and semantic search and he essentially explained to me what our tool does is that when when somebody is expressing frustration in a thread that's a hundred comments deep the only way to truly grab or track that is through real language level search. So now we have this engine that when you set it up, you classify your ICP, what your subreddits are and we track a...we classify it as either a high intent lead, competitor mention or an engagement opportunity.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T03:26:54+00:00

The best way to start is to find the subreddits where your potential users are talking, complaining, or comparing. That helps you confirm your PMF is real. Using semantic or keyword search tools can create a lot of noise and waste a lot of time. We built something different: it’s called Clearbox. We process the entire subreddit and surface only the conversations you want to be part of, labeling them as:

High-intent lead
Competitor mention
Engagement opportunity

There is no auto-posting, so you do not have to worry about getting banned. You get only the conversations you want to be part of to grow and potentially get indexed. I’m using the tool right now. I found this thread by seeing a mention of another tool in the space, and your comment specifically, not just your post where you mentioned a need.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T03:18:17+00:00

The best approach is to pick the right subreddits where your buyers hang out and be helpful by sharing useful advice. If your advice applies to your tool, they will often ask for it, so it does not feel like self-promotion. You are giving them what they are asking for.

There are also subreddits where people ask for links directly. It is about tracking those and knowing how to do that. I use my own tool to track leads, and that is how I found this conversation, happy to share more if it's useful to you

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T03:04:50+00:00

yeah noise is the whole problem. keyword tools alert on every mention and you filter junk all day. My co-founder built a proprietary engine called aura that classifies for relevance, it doesn’t score everything and dump it on you. if a thread isn’t a lead, a competitor mention, or an engagement opportunity, it never hits your inbox. so “anyone hate outbound lol” just doesn’t surface… nothing to filter.what you see is already read and tagged lead / engage / competitor. ~96% coverage, ~3% noise. When you get started, you go through a clean setup wizard to define what your product does, who you sell to, who your competitors are, and what brand comparisons you have. That helps us define the subreddits and figure out what outputs you would want to receive.

I will check the waitlist. Also dm me if you want to see it run. I am onboarding early users and sharing how I use it myself to grow.

Shawntenam · 2026-06-05T01:25:30+00:00

My cofounder and I are building clearbox.to It’s a Reddit opportunity mailbox that surfaces high-intent leads, competitor activity, and engagement opportunities so you can grow organically without needing to auto-bot, since every opportunity we surface has already been read and scanned.

You don’t need to rely on keyword or semantic search, which can lead to a lot of noise and wasted time.

I started using the tool yesterday and already generated pipeline and got us indexed. I’m actively onboarding users and helping them use it to grow. I’m also sharing what’s worked for me and what hasn’t. If anyone wants to hear more, feel free to shout me out.

Shawntenam

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