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The Complete Guide to Marketing Your Business on Reddit
Why is Reddit important to your marketing strategy? In a word, traffic. On Alexa, Reddit ranks 26th globally, and 11th in the United States. Reddit is often the birthplace of all kinds of memetic content — typically, when something hits the front page of Reddit, it ends up spreading way past Reddit. This is both because of the site`s popularity and because of the demographics of its user base. Most people using Reddit are fairly Internet-savvy individuals, and so if they see something that makes them laugh, or otherwise impresses them, chances are it`s going to be shared with many, many other people.
Likewise, as is the case with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, there are a lot of “influential” people who use Reddit, who are often scouring it for content for their own sites.
Getting on the frontpage of Reddit is like hitting a homerun. The amount of traffic — and awareness — you will give whatever thing you`re linking to is absolutely incredible. We`re talking anywhere from 100k – 1 million hits (if not more). Likewise, while that`s immediate traffic generated, don`t forget that there will be a persistent bonus as well!
Here`s the thing, though: when you engage in Reddit marketing, you aren`t just counting on that big home run — in fact, you can get your product out there successfully without ever seeing the front page. That`s because…
The Two Ways People Use Reddit for Marketing
When you go to Reddit, you`ll see a frontpage with a handful of “default” subreddits. These are, as the name implies, the subreddits that the site will show you by default, without any customization enabled. As of now, that means you will see content from these subreddits:
announcements, art, askreddit, askscience, aww, books, creepy, dataisbeautiful, DIY, documentaries, earthporn, explainlikeimfive, fitness, food, funny, futurology, gadgets, gaming, getmotivated, gifs, history, iama, internetisbeautiful, jokes, lifeprotips, listentothis, mildlyinteresting, movies, music, news, nosleep, notthonion, oldschoolcool, personalfinance, philosophy, photoshopbattles, pics, science, showerthoughts, space, sports, television, tifu, todayilearned, twoxchromosomes, upliftingnews, videos, worldnews, writingprompts
While some people never customize their, er, “Reddit experience,” many do. Reddit gives its users the ability to select the subreddits that they see — allowing them to create a page that tailors content directly to their interests.
A more experienced user might have a browsing experience that focuses on a specifc niche, likes cars. That means that while they might not follow any of the default subreddits, they`ll be active in cars, Subaru, justrolledintotheshop, and rally.
Other people will follow all of the default subreddits plus one or two others that highlight some interest that they have. Why is this important? While getting on the frontpage is nice, it isn`t necessary in order to nab some good traffic. The “cars”subreddit still has 157,000 active users for example. The “coffee” subreddit has 98,326 active users. Sure — that isn`t much compared to the six million plus of the default subreddits, but it absolutely will give you a noticeable boost.
How to Actually Use Reddit Marketing to your Advantage
First off, you need an account. If you want to go hard on Reddit, you probably need more than one. After all, your client that sells lube probably doesn`t want to be affiliated with your other client that sells fax machines. Second, you`ve got to use the damn thing — and you need to use it honestly. Just like every other social media platform, if you are constantly spouting off “Hey! Look at this product!” everyone is going to know what you are, and no one is going to like you. Likewise, if it`s obvious that you are an “outsider,” you probably won`t make much new ground.
So, in short, use the account. Find subreddits that are relevant to your clients and relevant to your own interests. Likewise, find out what people are saying about your clients. Have there been missed opportunities in the past? Are you being mentioned at all?
On your personal account, you should do your best to legitimately interact with a community of your choice. Not only will this give some legitimacy to your account (for when you post a link to something you`re trying to market), but it will also give you a better idea of what works and what doesn`t work on Reddit.
How to Post a Link that Generates Traffic/Buzz
Want to make sure your content makes it to the top? Follow the steps below:
Before you post any content, you first have to find a community that`ll dig it. Look at what`s being shared there. Does it look like your content? Does it feel like your content? If so, you`ve find fertile ground.
Post your link between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. (EST) — links posted at this time do better than ones posted at any other time, because these links tend to be in prime position to be tackled by Americans as they wake up and go to work. Likewise, before 9, there isn`t as much competition, meaning that your content has a much better chance of rising to the top.
When you post your link, you need to understand that you are vying against everyone else for position on the subreddit you`ve just posted it to. On an active subreddit, things are being constantly submitted, and if something doesn`t pass a certain threshold of upvotes in a certain timeframe, then it`s likely your content will disappear and no one will ever see it.How do you prevent that? Easy — make sure you`re posting good content. Seriously, this is as obvious as it sounds. If you`re posting something good, chances are it`ll ride the wave all the way to the top. If what you`re posting is just pure product promotion, then chances are it will languish in a pit of downvotes for all eternity.The key to Reddit marketing isn`t to sprinkle some magic fairy dust on your post and then count to three before letting it make the rounds — it`s just to post damn fine content. Like the saying goes, if you build it, they will crash your server with a tidal wave of traffic and make your web team angry at you (or that`s what I`m told).
Want to help give your post a boost? Don`t be afraid to share it with your friends. While having your friends upvote the post is against the ToS (and won`t make you a very popular person on Reddit), it`s completely okay to see if they`d like to comment on it. While a few comments might not seem like much, they generate weight, which helps links move up the page. Just remember: no begging for upvotes.
We can`t emphasize enough how important it is to play by the rules — a key to successful Reddit marketing is to avoid trying to steal honey from the hive. It might work once or twice, but eventually you`ll end up like The Atlantic. You don`t want your PR on Reddit to be generated by a story about how your company got its hand caught in the cookie jar.
Likewise, as is the case with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, there are a lot of “influential” people who use Reddit, who are often scouring it for content for their own sites.
Getting on the frontpage of Reddit is like hitting a homerun. The amount of traffic — and awareness — you will give whatever thing you`re linking to is absolutely incredible. We`re talking anywhere from 100k – 1 million hits (if not more). Likewise, while that`s immediate traffic generated, don`t forget that there will be a persistent bonus as well!
Here`s the thing, though: when you engage in Reddit marketing, you aren`t just counting on that big home run — in fact, you can get your product out there successfully without ever seeing the front page. That`s because…
The Two Ways People Use Reddit for Marketing
When you go to Reddit, you`ll see a frontpage with a handful of “default” subreddits. These are, as the name implies, the subreddits that the site will show you by default, without any customization enabled. As of now, that means you will see content from these subreddits:
announcements, art, askreddit, askscience, aww, books, creepy, dataisbeautiful, DIY, documentaries, earthporn, explainlikeimfive, fitness, food, funny, futurology, gadgets, gaming, getmotivated, gifs, history, iama, internetisbeautiful, jokes, lifeprotips, listentothis, mildlyinteresting, movies, music, news, nosleep, notthonion, oldschoolcool, personalfinance, philosophy, photoshopbattles, pics, science, showerthoughts, space, sports, television, tifu, todayilearned, twoxchromosomes, upliftingnews, videos, worldnews, writingprompts
While some people never customize their, er, “Reddit experience,” many do. Reddit gives its users the ability to select the subreddits that they see — allowing them to create a page that tailors content directly to their interests.
A more experienced user might have a browsing experience that focuses on a specifc niche, likes cars. That means that while they might not follow any of the default subreddits, they`ll be active in cars, Subaru, justrolledintotheshop, and rally.
Other people will follow all of the default subreddits plus one or two others that highlight some interest that they have. Why is this important? While getting on the frontpage is nice, it isn`t necessary in order to nab some good traffic. The “cars”subreddit still has 157,000 active users for example. The “coffee” subreddit has 98,326 active users. Sure — that isn`t much compared to the six million plus of the default subreddits, but it absolutely will give you a noticeable boost.
How to Actually Use Reddit Marketing to your Advantage
First off, you need an account. If you want to go hard on Reddit, you probably need more than one. After all, your client that sells lube probably doesn`t want to be affiliated with your other client that sells fax machines. Second, you`ve got to use the damn thing — and you need to use it honestly. Just like every other social media platform, if you are constantly spouting off “Hey! Look at this product!” everyone is going to know what you are, and no one is going to like you. Likewise, if it`s obvious that you are an “outsider,” you probably won`t make much new ground.
So, in short, use the account. Find subreddits that are relevant to your clients and relevant to your own interests. Likewise, find out what people are saying about your clients. Have there been missed opportunities in the past? Are you being mentioned at all?
On your personal account, you should do your best to legitimately interact with a community of your choice. Not only will this give some legitimacy to your account (for when you post a link to something you`re trying to market), but it will also give you a better idea of what works and what doesn`t work on Reddit.
How to Post a Link that Generates Traffic/Buzz
Want to make sure your content makes it to the top? Follow the steps below:
Before you post any content, you first have to find a community that`ll dig it. Look at what`s being shared there. Does it look like your content? Does it feel like your content? If so, you`ve find fertile ground.
Post your link between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. (EST) — links posted at this time do better than ones posted at any other time, because these links tend to be in prime position to be tackled by Americans as they wake up and go to work. Likewise, before 9, there isn`t as much competition, meaning that your content has a much better chance of rising to the top.
When you post your link, you need to understand that you are vying against everyone else for position on the subreddit you`ve just posted it to. On an active subreddit, things are being constantly submitted, and if something doesn`t pass a certain threshold of upvotes in a certain timeframe, then it`s likely your content will disappear and no one will ever see it.How do you prevent that? Easy — make sure you`re posting good content. Seriously, this is as obvious as it sounds. If you`re posting something good, chances are it`ll ride the wave all the way to the top. If what you`re posting is just pure product promotion, then chances are it will languish in a pit of downvotes for all eternity.The key to Reddit marketing isn`t to sprinkle some magic fairy dust on your post and then count to three before letting it make the rounds — it`s just to post damn fine content. Like the saying goes, if you build it, they will crash your server with a tidal wave of traffic and make your web team angry at you (or that`s what I`m told).
Want to help give your post a boost? Don`t be afraid to share it with your friends. While having your friends upvote the post is against the ToS (and won`t make you a very popular person on Reddit), it`s completely okay to see if they`d like to comment on it. While a few comments might not seem like much, they generate weight, which helps links move up the page. Just remember: no begging for upvotes.
We can`t emphasize enough how important it is to play by the rules — a key to successful Reddit marketing is to avoid trying to steal honey from the hive. It might work once or twice, but eventually you`ll end up like The Atlantic. You don`t want your PR on Reddit to be generated by a story about how your company got its hand caught in the cookie jar.
