What is Reddit and Who Is Using it?
21st October 2022
So. You have got your product sorted, and you know a bit about who your audience is. You’ll no doubt now be trying to find out where these people are, and focusing your marketing efforts there.
Although trends do change, in this digital world audiences are more and more likely to be spending their time online, and this is no doubt where you are looking to connect. But it’s not all about the likes of Google, TikTok and Facebook.
What about Reddit?
What is Reddit?
Reddit, often referred to as ‘The Front Page of the World’, is a social platform that is essentially run by its own users.
To put it simply, users can upload their own content, and this content is then able to be commented on, but also voted on (either upvoted or downvoted).
The more upvotes, the higher on the feed this content appears. This differs from other platforms in that it’s only the most valued content that’s most successful.
And Subreddits?
Subreddits are communities where relevant content can be discussed. Say you are a company that makes and delivers cookies (yum) – your content would sit very well in the subreddit www.reddit.com/r/dessert/, where all its 76k sweet-toothed users can start salivating.
Ok, so who’s on there?
Actually, rather a lot of people. Reddit boasts 430 million active monthly users, and is (at the time of writing) the fifth most visited website in America. For context that’s more users than Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
And how do I talk to them?
Fired up by the knowledge that there are potentially millions of active users, all seeking content that your brand can deliver, you will no doubt want to dive in. So how can this work?
Firstly, it’s not as simple as just paying for your ad. Reddit users are proud of their platform, and won’t take kindly to a brand just popping up. The most successful posts are the posts that are deemed most relevant. Redditers are an open-minded bunch though and certainly will appreciate a brand being a part of their community.
This opens up a dialogue between the customer and the brand which is more than a good idea, people genuinely want to know what a brand is all about. They want to understand the brand’s story. (By the way, if that brand story sounds like something you need to know more about, click on this bit of underlined text). If they trust your brand, and your brand is showing them the information they want to see, then you’ve tapped into a very lucrative and engaged lot, and marketing on Reddit can become very successful.
Great, so what now?
So get in there. Observe how your potential subreddit of customers are talking. What do they like? What don’t they like? Once you get a feel like you know the ropes you can start marketing effectively. Reddit does have a really powerful audience targeting tool, so when you get the hang of the platform, that will be of use.
And what should I make my marketing look like?
One great and cost-effective way of marketing on Reddit is hosting a classic Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ thread, inviting people to ask a brand representative, well, anything. This honesty will go a long way here.
Promoted posts work on Reddit too, which can work well, but only if the post is in line with how your Redditors are talking. Get that right and you’ll be flying.
We Love Reddit
A lot of creatives use Reddit to ask questions, and share information or ideas, so the team at HDY is well-versed in its unique ways. Having that knowledge has meant we have been able to help some of our clients start their journey on Reddit, making the journey a little less daunting for them. Please do get in touch if you want any help getting started.
So…
Hopefully, we’ve summed it up, and inspired you to get online and give Reddit a look. Want to know more right now? Why not check out this post on the marketing subreddit, by a real life cookie company talking about how traditional social ads just won’t work.
So there you have it. It’s a tough cookie to crack, but once you know the way it works, you’ll be in there.
Missed our video breakdown? Watch that below