Popularly known as “The front page of the Internet”, Reddit attracts more than 8 billion page views every month and hosts content published by a variety of users from across the world.
With over 50,000 communities of shared interests and ideas, Reddit is home to all kinds of viral content. When something hits the front page of Reddit, chances are it’s going to be shared with many other like-minded people from every corner of the Internet.
The range could vary from 100k to 1 million hits in a matter of a couple of hours.
…and it’s not difficult to understand how Reddit works. People from across the world share interesting things they find on the Internet. Based on the interest that content generates, it gets “upvoted” or “downvoted” by users popularly known as Redditors.
If the number of upvotes is significantly higher, the content gets bumped to the “Hot” page. This process is aptly called Karma. In fact, a high karma score is the most important parameter for credibility on Reddit.
Popular submissions with a high number of upvotes have the potential to get maximum visibility making Reddit a powerful engine for instant viral content.
Table of Contents:
- Getting Started With Reddit Marketing – Proceed With Caution
- #1 – Stay Consistent & Active
- #2 – Only Target Relevant Subreddits
- #3 – Look For the Right Marketing Opportunity
- #4 – Organize an AMA
- #5 – Comment and Reply
- In Summary
Getting Started With Reddit Marketing – Proceed With Caution
Yet, things are not that simple for marketers. Since Redditors absolutely hate being marketed to, link dropping is a strict no-no. If you don’t post content as per the norms and culture, Redditors can turn on you like a pack of wolves.
If you fail to follow the “reddiquette” – you will be banned in a matter of minutes. You need to be really sensitive and adjust your content according to the norms of the platform.
To begin with, you need to smartly target the specific niche (subreddits) and post regularly on them. A subreddit is nothing but a community based around a specific interest.
Reddit as a sharing platform is democratic and you can reach the front page of a small subreddit today. With the correct strategy, Reddit can be used as an effective marketing platform.
With that in mind, let’s discuss 5 actionable tips for Reddit beginners to get quality traffic from this platform (…and help you make the most out of Reddit as a marketing channel.)
#1 – Stay Consistent & Active
Your Reddit profile and submission history is the first thing that a user commenting on your submission will look for. This information is readily available with one click. That’s why it becomes important to stay active on the platform.
Once you have an established submission history in your profile, the redditors will be more likely to vote and comment on your posts (…and thereby increasing the chances of your post hitting the front page.)
Key Takeaway – Staying active does not mean that you link content from your own site. As a standard practice, wait for at least 10-15 days before you post another link to your own content in the same subreddit. Instead, engage with others content and create conversations with value.
#2 – Only Target Relevant Subreddits
To reach the right audience, you need to target the right subreddit. Since, there are subreddits for every topic you can possibly think of, be careful as Reddit’s search engine can offer a few unrelated subreddits.
Narrow down on useful subreddits that seem active and align with your product/service. These are small yet highly relevant communities that will get you targeted votes from the right people in your niche.
Key Takeaway – Spend the extra time finding the right subreddit with highly engaged users. It makes all the difference since this is a better strategy for high conversion. With a small, less intimidating subreddit, you’ll have a better chance of your post getting more upvotes.
#3 – Look For the Right Marketing Opportunity
Marketing on Reddit is no doubt a risky affair. For a person who is just starting out, you need to walk on eggshells at first. That’s why it’s important to cultivate the habit of offering value with every conversation. Only when you have a certain credibility and reputation, feel free to share a post that leads to your own website.
Key Takeaway – You should try and find the conversations that center around your niche (or similar products). While you could always add to an ongoing conversation, don’t forget to only ‘chime in with something relevant.’
If, for some reason, you enter into a fight with a troll, leave the conversation with dignity. Never take a chance stepping into a danger zone which can quickly turn into a bad PR incident.
#4 – Organize an AMA
AMA or ‘Ask Me Anything’ is a chance for your target audience to ask questions, and you get an incredible opportunity to engage and answer one on one. This is vastly relevant for brands that sell interesting products that are already popular – A great way to show your expertise or customer service in real-time.
Prior to hosting your AMA, perform a planned outreach and connect to social groups and communities who have an interest in your topic. Remember, a successful AMA can do wonders for your brand (both individual and organization).
Key Takeaway – AMA’s are great if you’re aware of your conduct and respect the rules of Reddit. For example, it worked really well for Barack Obama, and yet it completely backfired for Woody Harrelson.
#5 – Comment and Reply
You should start a conversation in reply to everyone who commented on your post. A highly engaging and information-rich conversation breeds more activity. It also allows you to remain active and adds a lot of meaningful activity to the thread.
Not only is it good for your Karma, you might see a lot of opportunities for collaboration with other Redditors.
Key Takeaway – You can always be the first one to comment on a link that you post. While there is no doubt that it helps get the conversation started, you need to be extra careful. In fact, if you’re planning to post a cookie-cutter comment, you might as well not say anything at all.
An ideal comment should contain facts, case studies, or links to further reading. That’s how you gain respect on Reddit.
In Summary
Using Reddit for marketing can benefit you in a number of ways:
✅ You get to drive targeted traffic to your website while expanding your audience base and becoming an authority in your niche.
✅ In a way, Reddit allows you to try your hand at ethical marketing that forces you to focus on offering value (before you start to promote yourself.)
✅ Reddit offers a great opportunity for your brand to get instant feedback and stay on top of the current industry trends.
Your reputation on Reddit is determined by real people and delivering quality content will lead to valuable traffic. Your initial posts might receive more than one nasty comments but things get easier with time.
You just need to follow a few simple steps and adhere to the rules and regulations of the platform, and you can create a great community to reach the front page of a niche subreddit. That is when you will realize the real power of Reddit. With that in mind, let’s begin building up that Karma.
Have you had any experience driving traffic using Reddit? Let us know in the comments…
