Validate an AMA Topic Before You Host It

An expert can know a subject well and still choose an AMA topic nobody is asking about. Public questions give you a quick demand check before you book the session.

This market validation workflow ends with a go, change, or skip decision and a list of questions for the event.

SocialListeningAPI searches public posts on Reddit, LinkedIn, and X and Google results for the phrases you choose. It returns normalized records with source URLs.

Step 1: Turn the topic into questions

Create a SocialListeningAPI account and claim the 100 free credits. Write phrases people use when they are stuck, comparing options, or asking how to begin.

For an AMA about AI agent reliability, try:

• how do I test AI agents
• AI agent keeps failing
• best way to monitor AI agents
• AI agent production mistakes
• questions about AI agent reliability

Keep the topic narrow enough that one expert can answer it properly.

Step 2: Search four public sources

for endpoint in \
  reddit/search-posts \
  linkedin/search-posts \
  x/search-posts \
  google/search
do
  curl --get "https://api.sociallisteningapi.com/api/v1/$endpoint" \
    --data-urlencode 'query=how do I test AI agents' \
    --header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
done

One phrase across four sources costs 5 credits. Use the API documentation for request and response details. The MCP lets Claude or ChatGPT run the searches and return the source URLs.

Step 3: Group distinct questions

Store each question, source URL, platform, published date, and wording in an external sheet. Merge duplicates by the task the person is trying to complete, not by identical words.

Clustering, counting, and storage happen outside SocialListeningAPI.

Step 4: Score the market validation evidence

Rate the topic on three points:

1. Frequency: How many unique sources ask a related question?
2. Recency: Are people still asking it?
3. Answerability: Can the host give clear, supported answers?

Do not treat returned search volume as the size of the whole market.

Step 5: Make the event decision

Go ahead when several current questions fit the expert. Change the angle when one subtopic appears more often. Skip the session when evidence is thin or the expert cannot answer the main questions.

Conclusion

Make the decision from the source list, not a vague sense that the topic is popular.

If the AMA goes ahead, use the strongest real questions for the title, event description, and first part of the session.

Continue with How to Find Leads on Reddit Without Spamming.

Written by ShashFounder at sociallisteningapi, focused on product and growth