What is Reddit? Learn everything about the platform!

Reddit is a social platform that little by little has been gaining the respect and affection of thousands of users who prefer the forum format instead of traditional social networks.

Reddit is a platform in the form of a forum that allows users to discuss and share content related to a specific topic, discover how to use it in your Marketing strategies!

Within it, users have the opportunity to share news, multi-format content, comment on other publications and, of course, create communities around a topic.

If you’re looking to expand your marketing strategies outside of traditional online platforms, Reddit is a social network to consider!

What is Reddit?

Reddit is a website, platform and application for mobile devices that aims to be a news repository where users are the ones who choose the central topics of the conversation through votes.

It was launched to the world in 2005 by two friends who met at the University of Virginia in the United States (Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman) with the intention of offering a simple site in the form of a forum.

His name is a contraction of ” I already read it ” which in English means: “I already read it”. So the initial mission of the project is evident.

The most important thing to understand in order to understand what Reddit is and how it works is that it is a news platform that is ranked according to the popularity given to it by users.

Likewise, it is a platform to connect with people around the world —especially Anglo-Saxon-speaking users— and that serves to unite users with similar tastes and entertain themselves through the Internet.

How does it work?

In principle, Reddit uses a news forum format separated by main topics that are described by name.

In each “group” or topic, the content is selected by the same members of those micro forums or “subreddits” and, the more votes a material has, the more users it will reach.

To do this, each person sends their posts to be voted on and have the possibility of reaching thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.

When a piece of content receives a lot of votes, Reddit understands through its algorithm that it is relevant material for people and “raises” it in order to show it to more users.

Conversely, if it fails to gain popularity, it disappears from the feed and won’t be visible to most people.

Engagement on Reddit

Talking a bit about how content categorization and classification works, on Reddit there are three ways to gain attention on this platform:

• Votes – Gaining community approval through direct votes that favor the authority of a piece of content on the subreddit.
• Clicks – The more clicks a post gets, the Reddit algorithm will interpret the content as interesting to them.
• Comments : if a post receives a lot of comments, it is a sign that there is a conversation around it and, therefore, it will be more visible to more users.

Likewise, the links are a great enhancer of attention thanks to the participation that they stimulate within the users. This shows the great opportunity that exists for brands, sites and platforms that are related to the central theme of the forums.

What is it for?

If you are a regular user of Reddit, you will know that it is a very different platform from what others like Instagram, Facebook or TikTok have us used to.

In general, these are microforums aimed at discussing issues in depth among users. Exploring topics through various points of view that can be focused on informing, entertaining, educating, among others.

Unlike other social networks like Facebook, Reddit prioritizes user-created content over brand-made content.

Reddit Essentials

Now, looking deeper into the platform and which are essential to understand for any person or organization that wants to take advantage of Reddit, you have to look at four essential elements.

1. Subreddits

On the home page of any user who has been on the platform for some time, the most popular posts from each subreddit they follow will appear.

A subreddit is a microforum and is guided by a specific topic such as a particular artist, a specific technological tool, or even an event.

These subcategories within Reddit can be understood as communities around a topic where the characteristics inherent to it are discussed among users.

You may find some very popular ones, with thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers and visits, but without a doubt, small groups are the ones that generate the most attraction among the community.

And if we consider that the platform has more than 400 million monthly users and a year-on-year increase of 30%, we can safely say that it is a potentially attractive network to carry out marketing campaigns.

2. Vows

As we have already mentioned in this post, Reddit content is spread more or less according to the votes in favor or against it respectively.

The “redditors” as users are also known upload their materials that are voted for by the community and classified based on it.

3. Karma

This is a topic that may confuse some; and it is that in Reddit there is karma. But instead of being a mystical force that returns favors done, it is a reward that is received.

When a user contributes to the community to which he belongs digitally, he receives “karma” and, according to the level he obtains, it is understood that he contributes more or less value than the other members.

4. Gold

Reddit Gold is a program created by the company itself to hide promoted content. In addition, it offers the possibility to filter the subreddits, view comments and save them to easily find them later.

How to use it as a Digital Marketing tool?

Now, if you have come this far thinking about how to use Reddit for your Digital Marketing actions , it is time for you to discover it!

Here are some tips to succeed on this platform:

Avoid promotion

This may seem counterintuitive, but the more you promote yourself, the less positive results you’ll attract on Reddit. Getting even spam categorization by users.

Reddit is based on sharing and discussing topics, therefore, identifying those that are related to your brand is the first step to find your place within the network.

Prioritize quality

Marketing on Reddit requires more than manipulation and shortcuts with half-baked content.

In fact, if you search for a brand—seriously, any brand—the first thing you’ll find are subreddits created by non-company users that serve as hubs for discussion and help among the participants themselves.

For this reason, and to attract these leads, create quality content that really adds value to these users and generates closeness and the feeling that you are there to help instead of selling.

Leaning on a Content Marketing strategy can make you direct your initiatives to actions that enrich your audience and, later, become customers of your brand.

Listen to the community

In order to be successful on Reddit, you inevitably need to log in every day and catch up on the discussion.

Take advantage of that time to vote and comment in the communities that are related to your brand, but always with the concentration focused on understanding your audience.

It recognizes the content that most attracts your attention, determines how many are uploaded and which ones get the most votes. Spend your time identifying trends and how your company could join them without being intrusive.

Take advantage of the AMAs

The ” Ask me anything ” or ask me whatever is a very powerful tool to interact with your audience.

In addition, they are a perfect way to connect with them and understand their needs.

Want to see how other brands have gained attention on Reddit? Read below how they did it!

Examples of brands using Reddit in their strategies

Learn how businesses use Reddit to engage and meet your potential consumers.

• Red Bull – A very active brand within the platform and regularly uploading content to subreddits similar to their niche, for example announcing their upcoming sports competitions and providing event information.
• Ford – This company used Reddit to promote a one-day trivia consisting of 42 questions and the fastest answerer won a Reddit Gold subscription for a year.
• SpaceX – Intent on drawing attention to his BFR rocket launch, Elon Musk hosted a trivia on the r/space subreddit where it gained a ton of attention.

Now you’re ready to take advantage of Reddit as a platform for engaging and connecting with your audience!