Reddit is a powerful platform with over 330 million monthly active users exchanging advice, resources, entertainment, and other types of information.
And while it may not be the first place you think of when it comes to marketing your business, it can actually be a great way to reach your target audience when used correctly.
But keep in mind Reddit users are notoriously skeptical of marketing and advertising. They can spot a fake or disingenuous post from a mile away. To be successful on Reddit, you need to build your strategy around being useful rather than selling directly. Here’s how:
Build out your profile
Because the most impactful subreddits won’t allow you to market your business directly, your profile will serve as your calling card. This is where the people you interact with will go to learn more about you, so make sure to build it out in its entirety with your bio, social media links, and of course a link to your business website.
Find the right subreddits
Reddit is known for its tight-knit communities. There are thousands of communities, or “subreddits,” on Reddit, each with its own set of rules and guidelines. These are incredibly valuable to marketers and business owners because they’re comprised of passionate people actively talking about niche topics – and you are bound to find several relevant to your product or service.
The most successful subreddits are governed by a set of rules enforced by moderators. These rules serve to prevent the conversation from becoming a megaphone of self-promotion.
So when you’re creating content on Reddit, it’s important to be respectful of the communities you’re posting in and to follow the rules.
Set up your Reddit routine
The amount of subreddits, conversations, and content flying around the platform can become overwhelming, so it’s important to set up a Reddit routine for maximum impact. Here’s what that entails:
- Limit yourself to 1-3 focus subreddits. Choose your subreddits based not just on the volume of posts, but the quality of conversation on each of those posts. A subreddit full of self promotional posts that no one is upvoting or commenting on is really just a group of people shouting in the dark.
- Make an effort to respond to other people’s posts at least once per day, and create unique posts in each subreddit at least once per week. Remember, promoting your business directly is the fastest way to get banned.
- Build relationships. Pay attention to who is posting frequently, who is responding to your posts and comments, and what gets the community excited.
Introduce your product or service into the conversation
Once you have gained the trust of the community, you can start looking for ways to market your business. These can include:
- Contacting the moderators directly to host an AMA (Ask-Me-Anything)
- Responding to questions in which your product or service provide the requested solution
- Including links to free resources on your website in your posts and responses (sparingly!)
- Creating your own subreddit
- Partnering with influential members of the community for cross-promotions on their profiles or other networks
- Posting about your business directly to your profile. Once you have built clout in the subreddits, you’ll begin to gain followers and draw attention to your profile.
- Investing in Reddit ads to reach these niche communities with direct offers. Reddit offers a self-serve ad platform that allows you to target specific subreddits and users.
Reddit is not the most straightforward channel to market your product or service, but the authenticity that is key to the channel’s popularity is what makes it so powerful if you succeed in building a following.
And make sure to include Reddit in your Digital Channel Strategy template, which you can download free here.
Please let us know how you are or plan to leverage Reddit for your marketing in the comments below.