What is an intent score?

An intent score is a number, usually 0 to 100, that rates how close the person who wrote a public post is to buying something in your category. Someone asking "what do you all use for error tracking, ours just tripled in price" scores high. Someone sharing an article about error tracking scores low. The score turns a stream of keyword matches into a short list worth answering.

How is an intent score calculated?

A scorer reads the post and asks a few plain questions. Is this person choosing right now, or talking in general? Do they name a budget, a deadline, or a tool they are replacing? Scoring today is usually a model reading the text against a rubric you can edit, because the same words carry different weight in different categories. A useful scorer writes its reason next to the number.

What intent score is worth replying to?

Higher than most people expect. Founders often start at 40 and settle at 70 within a month. The threshold is a calendar decision more than an accuracy one. You have time for a few careful replies a day, so put the line where the volume matches the time. Read the score next to the tag for who is talking, because a buying intent signal from a competitor's unhappy customer needs a different answer than one from a student. Reddit's self promotion guidance sets the standard for the reply itself: be someone in the community who happens to have built something.

Why score instead of just using alerts?

A keyword alert fires on a word, so it sends every mention and asks you to sort them. A score sorts first. The difference shows up as inbox fatigue, the usual reason founders stop reading their own alerts by week three. More on finding conversations while the decision is still open is in this post.

Questions

What intent score threshold should I start with?

Start at 60 and watch for a week. If you are replying to almost everything that arrives, lower it. If you are skipping most of the inbox, raise it. The right number depends on how broad your category is and how much time you have, not on the tool you use.

Can an intent score be wrong?

Often, in both directions. Sarcasm, jokes, and posts written by people in your own industry all fool a scorer. That is why the reason matters more than the number. Read the sentence the scorer quoted, decide for yourself, and adjust the rubric when the same mistake repeats.

Does a high intent score mean I should pitch?

No. A high score means the conversation is live, not that anyone asked to hear from a vendor. Answer the actual question first, say plainly that you build one of the options, and let them ask for more. A pitch into a high intent thread reads as an advertisement.