GG’s Eric Margolis takes a deep dive into Reddit, explaining how the platform works and why it might make sense for your organization.
You’ve probably heard of Reddit, the so-called “front page of the Internet.” But did you know that Reddit is the 6th most popular site in the U.S. and 18th in the world? While it trails Google, YouTube, and Facebook, in the U.S. Reddit is visited more than Wikipedia, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn—and ranks well above the most-visited news sources, like The New York Times, CNN, and the Guardian.
Reddit has a bigger reach than the majority of social media platforms. And, it allows you to home in on specific key audiences via targeted online forums and communities. If your organization has a presence on social media, consider adding Reddit into the mix.
How does Reddit work?
Reddit is an online network of forums (or “subreddits”) based on people’s interests. There are subreddits about virtually everything, from startups and bodybuilding to favorite sports teams and television shows. Reddit’s vast network of subreddits means that there are likely multiple forums that are a fit for your organization. Top posts on popular forums often receive tens of thousands of likes, or “upvotes,” meaning that, with the right content, you could end up with hundreds of thousands of eyes on your organization’s post.
What should I post?
As with any social media platform, you should only engage to the extent that your content is relevant to that platform. The two main types of content posted on Reddit are articles from third-party sources and original content, or “OC.”
Sharing your organization’s expertise, thought leadership, and major launches and initiatives from your website and reputable third-party media sources is an easy way to engage with relevant communities on Reddit. If your organization has original and compelling content, it may be good enough to make the front page of a subreddit. Same thing goes when your organization launches a significant initiative or product—just like you would pitch reporters at media outlets, share it with relevant subreddits.
If there is a subreddit especially relevant to your company, you should consider posting pithy, insightful OC content, too. You could use a compelling blog post as OC Reddit content, for example, like many company leaders are now doing with LinkedIn articles.
What can I gain by using Reddit?
Despite the clear benefits of the platform, surprisingly few organizations do anything but paid advertising on Reddit. By not leveraging the platform fully, organizations miss the chance to get in front of individuals interested in their industry or subject area.
Using Reddit can also help drive website traffic and content exposure. If you are already developing original thought leadership content, Reddit offers another way to repurpose content. And if people upvote it, it’ll significantly increase exposure.
Finally, using Reddit is an excellent opportunity to learn about the conversations your target audiences are having and what they care about. Read the content of relevant subreddits to learn not only what content will perform well but also to understand what topics keep your audience engaged and the challenges they may be facing.
A word of caution
As with any other social media platform, using Reddit can open up your organization to negative feedback. There’s also little point in posting on Reddit unless your organization has a substantive point of view and interesting content to share (learn more about how to build your organization’s thought leadership here).
By simply dismissing or ignoring Reddit, your organization is missing a valuable opportunity to get right in front of a highly targeted and engaged community. There’s no reason to wait or be intimidated to use Reddit—just make sure you do it right.
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