Qchat: Getting started with Reddit marketing

When our Twitter followers told us they wanted to talk about Reddit marketing, we were intrigued — but also a little out of our depth!

For many of us, Reddit isn’t the first platform that springs to mind when we think about social media marketing. However, the more research we did, the more it became apparent that Reddit holds a lot of potential for marketers. For example, did you know that…
- On Alexa, Reddit ranks 26th globally, and 11th in the United States?
- In May 2018, Reddit overtook Facebook as the third most popular website in the U.S.?
- Reddit’s average for daily time on site is more than 15 minutes, crushing sites like Facebook and YouTube?
- Reddit ads can drive more traffic than advertising on StumbleUpon or Facebook?
- Massive brands, like Nissan, use it in their marketing?
To learn more, we invited our quuumunity to share their thoughts and questions on Reddit marketing at our fortnightly Twitter chat.
Here are the highlights from the #Qchat:
Q1 What potential does Reddit hold for businesses?
We’ve seen from the above stats that Reddit is a fast-growing platform. So what specific goals can it help businesses achieve in their marketing?
Q2 What are the steps to follow when setting up a Reddit account?
Unlike other social media platforms, setting up a brand account is a no-no on Reddit. Instead, our Qchatters recommended a more human-to-human approach.
Q3 How do you get karma points and why are they important?
Reddit operates differently to other social platforms and has its own unique terminology, such as ‘karma points’. Karma points are the mark of a popular and trusted Reddit account, so they can help you build (or lose!) a good reputation.
Q4 Which subreddits are best for marketers?
Subreddits can get super niche, offering businesses the chance to reach a highly targeted audience. We asked our Qchatters which ones marketers should be following.
Q5 What type of content should you post on Reddit?
On Reddit, you can’t simply share your latest blog post and expect the upvotes to come pouring in (in fact, the opposite will probably happen if you do that!).
Q6 How do you achieve greater visibility on your posts?
There’s no ‘boost’ button on Reddit! So are there any tricks to getting more eyes on your posts? According to our Qchatters, you’ve got to be in it for the long haul…
Q7 What should you never do on Reddit?
The reason why lots of marketers shy away from Reddit is that it’s a notoriously tough crowd. Slip up once and the redditors will pounce! Here are a few lessons in rediquette to keep you safe:
To recap:
- Reddit can be used for finding niche, highly engaged communities, connecting with untapped influencers, networking, sharing expertise, and market research.
- Don’t set up a branded account on Reddit. It’s about human-to-human interaction, so use personal accounts instead.
- Karma points are gained or lost when people up- or downvote your links and comments. The more karma points you have, the better your reputation and visibility.
- Find out where your customers hang out and follow super niche subreddits — they’re great for getting to know your audience!
- To be successful on Reddit, you need to be a really active user and know the platform inside out — there are no growth hacks or quick fixes here. If you want to get more upvotes (and more eyes on your posts), you need to interact with other users and share genuinely helpful, relevant content.
- Never shamelessly self-promote and, whatever you do, don’t be fake!
A big ThanQuuu to Chris B Wilson, Richard Sink, Employ Massage, Patrick Icasas, DearMishuDad, Daniel Kempe, Matthew Spurr and Amy Murnan for sharing your knowledge and ideas ❤️
Want to tell us your answers to these questions? Reply to this story or tweet us @quuu_co using #Qchat.
