Reddit for business. Or… why do people hate marketers?
Still neglecting Reddit in 2021?
Despite its messy appearance, Reddit is a popular platform with roughly 430 million monthly active users. It’s been around since 2005, and the community of the site is the center of it all.
If you have never used Reddit before, coming to the platform for the first time may seem, to say the least, a bit confusing – the site has no structure, and content is completely random. Everything is foreign, and you feel like a new kid at a new school – you understand the words people say, but the conversations are contextless.
To market on Reddit effectively, you have to figure out the structure of the platform. How does Reddit work exactly and why do so many people love it?
The key to Reddit is understanding the reasons people use the platform. The answer is simple: to learn something new, to find entertaining content, or to chat with like-minded people all over the world about things that interest them. Haven’t you heard of all those Reddit love stories, where two people found their true love by chatting in the same subreddit and sharing common interests?
What differentiates Reddit from other social media sites is that it’s a massive forum-based platform where content is curated by the people. Each community or “Subreddit” has its own set of rules and regulations and a specific theme. You can find “Subreddits” just about anything that interests you. Within each subreddit users create posts that can include text, images, links, and others can vote on them. There are two arrows next to each post pointing up and down and the number of votes. If you like the content – you can “upvote” it, and if you don’t – well, down the drain it goes. The content that’s well accepted by many Redditors is pushed up in the feed and can trend for days gaining more upvotes, comments, and exposure. Unpopular posts slowly go down in the feed and eventually fall off the radar. Posts that do very well within the subreddits might appear on Reddit’s front page.
Seems pretty simple so far, right?
Another element of Reddit is Karma. Every time your posts or comments get upvoted you gain Karma, and it increases the number displayed on your Reddit profile. That number doesn’t grant you anything other than shows your contribution to the platform and your overall activity.
Certain subreddits don’t allow new users to publish content until the user has proven their trustworthiness by gaining certain Karma. Think of it as your reputation. It helps avoid spam content and protects the people within the community from being bombarded by unwanted and irrelevant posts. Once you’ve built up enough karma, you’re free to post as long as your content meets the requirements of this subreddit and, if need be, get the moderator’s approval. The more Karma you have, the more people see your posts and comments. You can also “Save” your favorite posts for easy access later on in your activity history under “My Profile”.
Does Reddit cost money?
There are member options to purchase on Reddit – Reddit Premium Service or Reddit Gold that allow you some perks and features that are unavailable to regular users. Such as access to members-only subreddit, ad-free browsing, the premium badge, and coin allowance to award the posts you like with gold, silver, or platinum icons. The awards display next to the post for everyone to see. You can still use Reddit to its full capacity even if you’re not a member. Unlike social platforms like Facebook and Instagram, Reddit is much less driven by ads, however, they still have to make money to stay in business.
Reddit Community.
The sense of community is huge on Reddit. It’s a platform that is extremely user-oriented and community-driven, which is why most Redditors hate marketers that step into the platform to try and sell them products. They simply don’t belong. Redditors love the platform because it’s one of their sources to network, socialize, relax, get information, and have a laugh. A typical Redditor knows what they’re going on the platform for. Getting bombarded with unrequired content before they’re able to access what they actually need can be annoying, to say the least. This is why as a marketer, you have to be very careful and not make people angry with your salesy materials.
How to use Reddit for business?
- Try not to sound like a TV commercial from the 90-s. In other words, stop talking about how great your product is and push sales. Instead, start a conversation that would allow you to get to know the community and become a part of it. Be genuine and humble.
- Provide helpful information. Figure out what people within your niche struggle with and make their life easier.
- Make people laugh. Funny content would get you upvotes and push your content in front of more and more potential customers while at the same time promoting an emotional attachment to your brand.
- Ask for advice and feedback. Don’t be shy and request opinions on your products, services, website design, logo, customer service, and anything that could be improved. Redditors would give you their honest opinion, which will help you tailor your business in a way that’s more appealing to your customers. Do not be afraid of negative feedback – even the most negative review can result in a major improvement in communication with your audience.
- Focus on the conversation. Do not leave comments unanswered, engage with your followers, ask follow-up questions, show that you care.
- Grow your audience on other platforms using Reddit. It’s not a secret that Reddit is often used to drive traffic to other social platforms, and you should do the same. You can repost screenshots of your social posts on Reddit and spike interest in the viewers. If they like your content, there’s a good chance they will check you out outside of Reddit. But avoid asking for it. Do not say “Check out my Instagram” in the caption. Let Redditors decide for themselves.
If you haven’t yet, create your Reddit business account today, and if you need help with your content strategy or Social Media Management, fill out the form below and schedule your free consultation with us.