Why Reddit Should Be Part Of Your Marketing Plan
Reddit experienced a jaw-dropping 1,328% increase in visibility on Google in a year.
From July 2023 to August 2024, you may have noticed many more Reddit threads appearing at the top of Google results pages.
And that meteoric rise wasn’t just a lucky break – it’s a testament to Reddit’s growing role in shaping how people search and consume content online. It also has something to do with Google prioritizing human content.
As AI-generated content saturates every corner of the internet, people want engaging content that feels genuine and human. And Reddit gives them just that.
But what does it mean for marketers?
Well, beyond an impressive statistic, it’s a wake-up call. In other words, if Reddit isn’t already part of your digital marketing strategy, you’re missing out. And you’re missing out in a big way!
This blog will cover what Reddit is, why it’s become so popular, and why Reddit marketing should be part of your marketing plan.
What Is Reddit? A Primer
First things first. If you’re unfamiliar with Reddit, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Despite its massive user base many people only vaguely know what Reddit is or have never heard of it. So here goes: Reddit is essentially a content-sharing platform that thrives on community-driven discussions.
Reddit is organized into over 100,000 active communities called subreddits. You can think of subreddits like mini forums each dedicated to a specific topic of interest.
And they cover just about every topic of interest imaginable.
Need advice on keeping your sourdough starter alive? There’s a subreddit for that.
Want business advice for your startup? There’s a subreddit for that.
Curious about the latest celebrity gossip? You guessed it! There’s a subreddit for that too.
Reddit is like the Swiss Army Knife of the internet, with different subreddits for just about every interest, obsession, or niche hobby imaginable. Basically, if it exists, there’s probably a passionate group of Redditors talking about it.
Each subreddit is a unique world unto itself, with its own culture, user base, and rules – yes, these communities all have their own rules.
What sets Reddit apart is its voting system. Any Reddit user can upvote or downvote posts and comments, which determines their visibility within subreddits. This democratized approach ensures that only the most relevant, valuable, or entertaining content rises to the top of Reddit.
If you need a TL;DR, think of Reddit as a cross between an old-school internet forum and a modern content discovery platform.
Why Reddit Is Becoming So Popular
Reddit was created in 2005, so its explosion in popularity definitely didn’t happen overnight. But there are a few different factors that helped contribute to its rapid growth over the past few years.
One of the biggest drivers of Reddit’s rise has been its ability to satisfy user search intent, i.e., someone’s ultimate goal when they search for something on Google. In 2022, it became a go-to destination for high-quality, human-generated content in an increasingly AI-dominated internet.
By 2023, the platform saw a huge boost in search visibility thanks to Google’s “hidden gems” update. This update made it easier for users to discover niche subreddit discussion directly through Google searches. Suddenly, Reddit was ranking for everything from “how to de-ice a car” to “dressing better,” and quickly becoming a trusted source of information on the internet.
Then came the game changer in 2024: Google made a $60 million content licensing deal with Reddit. As part of this partnership, Google started using Reddit’s content to train its AI models. While Google provides the “brain” for these systems, Reddit acts as the “heart” that offers real, human-driven insights that AI alone can’t replicate.
This collaboration has positioned Reddit as a kind of secondary search engine that delivers authentic, human answers to complex questions.
And the human aspect can’t be overlooked.
On Reddit, people know they’re interacting with real people who have firsthand experience People with unique perspectives and valuable advice. This authenticity has played a huge role in making Reddit so popular in a time when other platforms feel overly curated and/or artificial.
What Are Reddit Users Like?
Reddit’s user base are a very diverse group of people from around the world who are as unique as the platform itself. While they log onto Reddit for different reasons, there tends to be some common preferences and behaviors among them. Understanding these commonalities is crucial for successful Reddit marketing.
What Reddit Users Like
- Authenticity: Redditors value genuine contributions over polished sales pitches
- Humor and Creativity: Clever, relatable, or entertaining posts often gain the most traction.
- Deep Dives: Users tend to love detailed and well-researched content that adds value.
What Reddit Users Don’t Like
- Overt Promotion: Anything too salesy or self-serving is likely to be called out, or worse, downvoted into oblivion.
- Breaking Subreddit Rules: The rules exist for a reason. Breaking them can get you banned.
- Inauthenticity: Redditors can spot fake engagement a mile away. And they don’t like it.
Obviously, we can’t generalize, and while the above qualities don’t apply to all Redditors, they are good general guidelines to keep in mind.
In short, if you want to engage in marketing on Reddit, be authentic with genuine contributions, follow the rules, and you’ll be fine.
Organic Vs Paid On Reddit
Like many other platforms and channels you can market on, Reddit offers two main avenues for marketing: organic and paid advertising.There are pros and cons to both, and the best strategies often combine elements of both.
Organic marketing on Reddit involves actively participating in subreddits. This could mean answering questions, sharing valuable content, or starting/engaging in discussions relevant to your brand or industry. Like good SEO or other forms of content marketing, it takes time, but it pays off in the long run by establishing your brand as a credible voice.
If your organic marketing efforts aren’t paying off, we can help!
Paid Reddit advertising enables you to run ads as standard promoted posts and what they call Premium Takeover units – high-impact, high-visibility ads for brands with bigger budgets. You can also target specific subreddits and demographics, ensuring your ads reach the right people.
7 Reasons Why You Should Be Marketing On Reddit
- Niche Communities
As we’ve seen, Reddit has over 100,00 active subreddits. That means you can target incredibly specific audiences. Whether you’re marketing to dog lovers, tech enthusiasts, or eco-conscious consumers, there’s a subreddit for your niche.
- Highly Engaged Users
Redditors don’t just scroll passively, they actively engage in discussions and share their opinions, as well as upvote/downvote content. This creates opportunities for authentic conversations that can deepen brand loyalty and help build authority.
It’s also why Reddit can be a great testing ground for new ideas, campaigns, or products. Post something that resonates, and you’ll see it rise to the top of a subreddit very quickly.
- Valuable Customer Insights
By observing discussions in relevant subreddits, you can gain a deeper understanding of your audience’s pain points, preferences, and behaviors. Marketers pay big bucks for that kind of data – and it’s all available for free on Reddit! A veritable goldmine for market research.
Best of all is that people on Reddit aren’t filtering their responses and comments – they’re speaking candidly. It’s great audience research that gives you a clearer picture of your audience and insights that you won’t find in survey responses or analytics reports.
- Cost-Effective Organic Marketing
If you’re willing to put in the effort, organic marketing on Reddit can yield significant results for little to nothing. But it means you need to be an active member of the Reddit community by engaging in conversations, answering questions, and posting relevant content.
- Community-Driven Feedback
Redditors aren’t shy when it comes to sharing their opinions, especially since they can be anonymous. Use that to your advantage! Reddit is a great place to gather honest feedback and refine your offerings based on real user input.
Even negative feedback on Reddit can be a gift since Redditors will often explain exactly why they don’t like something. This kind of detailed feedback can help you address potential issues before they become larger problems.
- Viral Potential And Trendspotting
Many internet trends are born on Reddit. When you’re active on the platform, you can spot emerging trends early to create content that resonates with audiences.
Remember the GameStop short squeeze of early 2021? It all started on r/wallstreetbets.
- Powerful Advertising Opportunities
With its precise targeting capabilities and native ad formats, Reddit’s ad platform is a valuable tool for reaching niche audiences at scale. One of the platform’s standout features is its ability to target ads by subreddit. This means you can laser-focus your campaigns on the exact communities most relevant to your brand.
Another unique advantage is the option to turn organic posts into ads. If you have a post that’s performing well organically, you can amplify its reach by promoting it. This ensures your Reddit ad already feels authentic and resonates with the community.
Get Started With Reddit
If you’ve never considered marketing on Reddit, hopefully you now understand that it’s much more than just a platform for memes and debates. With Google increasingly prioritizing human content, more and more Reddit threads are appearing in Google SERPs, which means you definitely don’t want to overlook it in your marketing efforts!
Need help developing a Reddit marketing strategy? Let’s chat about how we can help you connect with the right communities and achieve your marketing goals.
