AMA: Reddit Marketing Veteran Shares What Works On The Platform via @sejournal, @brentcsutoras

Part of our work at OGS Media with Reddit is making it easier for brands to get on the platform the right way: transparent, authentic, and really connecting with your audience. Some of that happens through our partnership, working with various teams at Reddit, testing new features, and sharing insights from the brands we’re currently managing.

Another part of that is through hosting Ask Me Anything (AMAs) like the one I did last week on r/RedditForBusiness.

The questions that came in reminded me why this work matters. After nearly two decades on the platform and working with brands like TikTok, Purple, and Asurion, I see how brands are genuinely trying to figure out Reddit. The AMA drew questions from marketers across industries, from early-stage startups to enterprise brands, all working to understand how to show up authentically.

Let me walk you through the biggest themes that emerged and what actually works on Reddit.

The Biggest Mistake Brands Make (And Why It Happens)

Multiple people asked variations of the same question: “What’s the biggest mistake brands make when they first start marketing on Reddit?”

“Most brands find Reddit through their online marketing teams. They see that Reddit is showing up in Google search results or they see it in LLMs. But when looking at who should give Reddit a try, it still ends up landing in their online marketing teams. Online marketers have been held to ROI numbers for so long, it’s how they look at their engagement on Reddit.

There’s an interest in being on Reddit because it’s popular and important, but there’s not enough time spent understanding why Reddit is important and that’s what I think is the biggest mistake brands make.”

The root problem? Brands need to understand what makes Reddit so powerful in the online user’s journey, how subreddits operate as individual communities with their own rules, culture, and expectations. How the journey to learning and making decisions is as important as the outcome.

When one marketer asked how to avoid the anti-promotional backlash, I explained:

“As for the line between contribution and self-promotion, I think that’s often more of a feeling than a line. It takes understanding the community, what they expect and need, what they appreciate and what they despise. The best marketers know how to ‘read the room’ and know their audience, start with being helpful first, and wait for that moment when what they have to offer is what you’re asking for, so that they’re never selling you something, but rather helping you out with a solution they just happen to have.”

Why Traditional Social Media Strategy Fails On Reddit

A marketer with years of experience asked why traditional social media approaches don’t translate to Reddit success. The answer gets to the heart of what makes Reddit different:

“It really comes down to a large segment of the world wanting to engage in conversation, versus just watching streams for updates and entertainment.

It was long after social media really came out that marketers started really looking at it for the exposure and traffic it could drive. This created two avenues: a megaphone to share information and customer service.

Neither of these helps people who are on a journey to learn something, engage in conversations or discussions around a topic of interest, or to find a solution to a problem they need solved.

Traditional social media doesn’t work here because it is not about conversation, it is about promotion and marketing.”

The fundamental shift brands need to make? Stop thinking about Reddit like Facebook or LinkedIn with stricter rules. Instead:

“Start thinking about Reddit like a networking event, a cocktail party, a social event. How would you approach and engage with an actual event, versus posting content on a social media platform.

It simply comes down to the intent.”

Reddit operates more like walking into a conference where each subreddit is a different breakout session with its own culture, expectations, and unwritten rules. You can’t just grab the microphone and start pitching; you need to listen, contribute, and earn your place in the conversation.

This understanding leads directly to what actually works on Reddit.

The Do’s And Don’ts For Reddit Success

When asked for the top do’s and don’ts, I broke it down to the essentials:

Do:

“Really become a Redditor:

• Find communities that you are a good fit to belong to (from the Redditor point of view).
• Focus on engaging and helping Redditors through discussion.”

Don’t:

“Give this task to your marketing team (well, not only your marketing team).

• Treat subreddits like categories.
• Focus on KPIs outside Reddit.”

That first “don’t” surprises people, but it’s critical. Here’s the thing: Marketing teams are trained to chase quarterly numbers, to show immediate ROI, to justify every dollar spent. But Reddit operates on relationship timelines, not campaign cycles.

When you hand Reddit to someone who’s measured on conversion rates and cost-per-click, they’re going to treat it like another performance channel. They’ll miss what actually matters, the compound value of becoming part of the conversation, of genuinely helping solve problems, of building trust that turns your brand into the solution people recommend when someone asks for help six months from now.

The real ROI on Reddit isn’t in the traffic you drive this quarter; it’s in becoming the answer that shows up in Google searches and AI responses for years to come because you took the time to build authentic authority in your communities.

How Long Does Reddit Success Actually Take?

This came up multiple times, so here’s the realistic timeline:

“Some of our clients see Reddit become their primary funnel within three months. Some rank with their content prominently within 30 days. Some show up everywhere in LLMs inside six months. Some clients get information that changes their whole business within three months. One very large brand turned around its brand sentiment in about nine months. So it is just dependent on what impact means to you.”

But the general rule: Six to 12 months for meaningful impact, assuming you’re doing it right.

The Product Promotion Question Everyone Asks

One of the most practical questions was how to succeed without actually selling products. I responded:

“Overall, the premise is you don’t sell products on Reddit. You solve problems. Help people with their actual problems, and they’ll ask what you recommend. That’s when you mention your solution. However, some communities do want product posts, like fashion or deal subreddits. It depends on what you’re selling. But the smart move is be helpful first, then run ads where people need your product. You get conversions from ads plus trust from being genuinely useful.”

This is where a lot of brands get tripped up. They think “no selling” means they can never mention their product. That’s not it at all. It’s about context and timing.

What Startups And Enterprise Brands Both Need To Know

Interestingly, questions came from both ends of the spectrum, pre-launch startups and established enterprise companies. The answer was the same for both:

“I think that the pathway for every brand, early stage, prelaunch, or established, should be about understanding what their audience on Reddit really needs from them, what their customers journey through Reddit looks like, and what the opportunities are for the brand to connect with those customers at the right time, with the right conversations, and with the intent to help them move through their journey to completion.”

The process is the same regardless of company size. It takes time, it takes commitment, and it informs the brand what their customers actually need, what they think about the industry, the brand, and its competitors.

The Authenticity Challenge

When someone asked about responding to criticism, here’s the reality check:

“What I will say, is that arguing and getting defensive almost NEVER works. Remember you and the people you are talking with are humans, so what would you do in real life? I never think it hurts to give a quick and honest apology (through DM if needed). Something human. People soften when they realize they are talking to another person.”

This ties back to the networking event concept. If someone called you out at a conference, you wouldn’t start arguing with them in front of everyone. You’d handle it like a human being.

What Should Brands Do In Their First 90 Days On Reddit?

Another practical question that came up was what brands should actually focus on during their first three months on Reddit. Based on our work with enterprise clients, there’s a specific methodology that works.

The biggest temptation for new brands is to jump in and start posting immediately. That’s exactly backwards.

Month 1: Foundation And Discovery

The first month isn’t about your brand at all; it’s about becoming a genuine Redditor. We have our clients’ team members join communities related to their personal interests first. Love cooking? Join r/cooking. Into photography? Find your camera subreddit. This isn’t marketing; it’s learning how Reddit actually works.

Simultaneously, we’re conducting what we call “deep audience immersion.” Before posting a single thing, we spend weeks analyzing subreddit discussions to understand what your audience actually cares about. We map user journeys, identify pain points, and document the language and tone that resonates within each community.

During this phase, we also establish your brand subreddit as a “home base” and create one to two employee accounts for future engagement. But these accounts don’t engage with business topics yet. They’re building karma and credibility in personal interest areas.

Month 2: Authentic Engagement Begins

Month 2 is when we start engaging authentically within your industry communities, but still not promoting anything. Team members begin participating in discussions where their expertise adds genuine value. The key is engaging as knowledgeable individuals who happen to work at your company, not as company representatives.

We’re also developing content during this phase, but it’s all based on real user conversations we’ve observed. Every post, comment, and engagement has a purpose rooted in solving actual problems we’ve seen discussed.

Month 3: Strategic Content And Smart Timing

The third month is when content strategy kicks into high gear, but it’s informed by everything we’ve learned. We map high-traffic discussions and ensure your brand is present when it matters most, without being intrusive.

We call this “smart engagement timing,” appearing in conversations not because we’re pushing an agenda, but because we genuinely have something valuable to contribute.

The Results

This approach works. One client, Devicie, went from relative obscurity to authentic industry credibility within their first quarter. They saw a 2,000% increase in Reddit visibility, 528 total upvotes across community-driven posts, 271% growth in meaningful conversations, and enterprise leads sourced directly from Reddit engagement.

But more importantly, Reddit became an engine for their entire business strategy, informing everything from product development to sales conversations.

The 90-day approach isn’t about quick wins, but rather building the foundation for long-term success that compounds over time.

The Investment Question

Multiple people asked whether Reddit should replace other marketing channels. Here’s the perspective:

“I don’t know that I would ever put all my eggs in one basket, but I would say that for me, and for a lot of people I know in the SEO space, Reddit is a very important investment to make. The largest impact you can have to search right now in my opinion, as well as for LLM search, is to have high quality problem solving discussions that include your brand on Reddit.”

And when someone joked about trends we’ll cringe at in 10 years, the response was simple:

“Questioning whether Reddit is a good investment to make for your brand.”

What This All Means

The questions from this AMA reinforce what I’ve been seeing for years: Brands know Reddit is important, but they’re approaching it with the wrong frameworks. They’re trying to apply Facebook advertising logic to a platform that operates more like a collection of professional associations or hobby clubs.

The brands that succeed on Reddit understand this fundamental difference. They show up as humans first, experts second, and companies third. They solve problems instead of pushing products. They invest time in understanding communities instead of treating them as advertising categories.

Most importantly, they recognize that Reddit success isn’t about gaming the system; it’s about genuinely participating in it. That takes longer than running ads, requires more nuance than posting content, and demands more authenticity than most marketing teams are used to providing.

But for the brands that get it right? Reddit becomes more than a marketing channel. It becomes a competitive advantage that’s incredibly difficult for competitors to replicate.

If you have questions about Reddit marketing, feel free to jump into the original AMA thread or connect with me on LinkedIn, where I post most of my Reddit thoughts.

More Resources:

Featured Image: Courtesy of r/RedditforBusiness

Reddit Karma In 2025: Why It Matters More Than Ever via @sejournal, @brentcsutoras

Reddit Karma has evolved far beyond a simple upvote tally.

It plays a central role in how content spreads, how trust is earned, and how visibility is gained, especially for brands.

With Reddit’s monetization programs and algorithmic surfacing now tightly tied to karma, it has become a built-in vetting system that shapes who gets seen, who gets trusted, and who gets access to Reddit’s most valuable communities.

If you’re a brand trying to earn influence on the platform, understanding karma isn’t optional anymore. It is the first filter between your content and the audience you’re hoping to reach.

The Early Days: More Than Just Numbers

When Reddit first introduced karma, it served as a basic measure of community contribution. Upvotes added points, downvotes subtracted them. But the system was always more nuanced than it looked.

What many users don’t realize is that karma isn’t handed out one-to-one with every upvote. Instead, it’s calculated through Reddit’s own formula, which takes into account things like:

• Post Karma: Points earned from submitted content.
• Comment Karma: Points from community interactions.
• Awards and recognitions within the community.

The Rise Of Digital Influence

Times have changed, and karma’s influence has blown up.

Take users like mvea with over 32 million karma or TooShiftyForYou with nearly 27 million karma. Those aren’t just numbers. That kind of karma reflects reach, trust, and a track record of content that resonates with the community.

Erik Martin, Reddit’s former general manager, said it best: “Karma isn’t just about popularity anymore. It’s become a crucial factor in how information flows through online communities.”

How Karma Reflects Quality And Builds Trust

Reddit has steadily increased its focus on rewarding authentic engagement and meaningful participation.

The karma system, paired with subreddit-level thresholds, encourages users to contribute value before gaining access to certain spaces.

Many communities require users to meet minimum karma scores, often starting around 10 to 100 points, before posting. Some expert-driven or niche subs push that requirement much higher.

This isn’t just about moderation. It’s part of Reddit’s broader push to promote quality signals across the platform.

As Reddit expands monetization and leans into features like Reddit Answers and the Contributor Program, karma acts as a built-in filter for trust and relevance.

In a landscape filled with AI content, bots, and throwaway accounts, karma has also become a visible sign of authenticity.

When users see a high-karma profile, they are more likely to assume it belongs to a real person who has been around and contributed consistently.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman called karma “an indicator of how valuable you are to the website,” and that credibility influences everything from content engagement to purchase decisions.

For brands, this shift raises the bar. One-off promotions and low-effort posts won’t work here.

Gaining traction requires real participation, a history of contribution, and a willingness to be part of the conversation, not just interrupt it.

Understanding Karma Tiers And How They Vary Across Communities

Reddit karma isn’t one-size-fits-all. Where you fall on the karma ladder says a lot about how active and trusted you are, but it also depends on the communities you engage with.

Here’s how karma levels typically break down:

• New Users (0–50 karma): Still learning the ropes.
• Casual Users (50–500 karma): In and out, posting occasionally.
• Active Users (500–2,000 karma): Contributing regularly.
• Experienced Users (2,000–10,000 karma): Posting with purpose.
• Power Users (10,000–100,000 karma): Major voices in multiple subs.
• Reddit Celebrities (100,000+ karma): The names you see everywhere.

The average Redditor sits around a few hundred karma, but that number means very different things depending on where you’re posting.

Smaller or niche communities may only require 30 to 100 karma to participate, while top-tier subreddits may set the bar at 1,000 or more.

And karma doesn’t grow at the same pace in every community. Educational subs like r/AskScience see users rack up karma 30% faster than general entertainment ones.

Regional subreddits also vary, often influenced by local behavior, cultural tone, or even language.

Understanding where you’re posting, and how that sub rewards contribution, makes a big difference in how fast your karma builds. This matters not just for individuals but for brands looking to enter the right communities in the right way.

Where Reddit’s Scoring System Falls Short, And How It’s Evolving

While karma opens doors, it’s not perfect. The system has its share of critics, and several long-standing issues continue to shape how people interact on the platform.

Here are some common pain points:

• Karma Farming: Cash incentives have encouraged spammy content and attempts to game the system, including participation in karma-exchange subreddits that Reddit strictly discourages.
• Echo Chambers: People fear posting unpopular opinions, leading to self-censorship and groupthink.
• Opaque Math: Reddit doesn’t fully explain its karma algorithm, making it hard for users to understand what’s working.
• Gatekeeping: New users face steep entry barriers, and users with negative karma may quietly lose access to many communities, even if it’s not visibly apparent.

To Reddit’s credit, they’re working on it. In recent years, the platform has rolled out updates aimed at making karma smarter and more meaningful.

Some of those innovations include:

• Enhanced Post Insights: Metrics for views, votes, and engagement trends.
• Reddit Answers: AI-powered search prioritizing high-karma content.
• Potential for Paid Subreddit Access: Future features may tie karma to premium community perks.

Reddit is clearly investing in tools that make karma more than just a vanity metric. It’s becoming a core piece of how the platform works.

Turning Reddit Karma Into Real Rewards

Here’s where it gets interesting.

In September 2023, Reddit launched the Contributor Program. Suddenly, karma started converting into real money. Eligible users can cash in Reddit gold awards at the following rates:

• Contributors (100–4,999 karma): Around $0.90 per gold.
• Top Contributors (5,000+ karma): $1.00 per gold.

To join, users have to be 18+, based in the U.S. (international is coming), verify their ID, have a clean account, and hit the 1,000-gold payout threshold.

Reddit’s official language doesn’t sugarcoat it: “Yes, this means participating redditors can earn money from brightening someone’s day, sharing fascinating content, developing a helpful bot, or even sh*tposting.”

Oh, and during Reddit’s 2024 IPO? Users with 25,000 to 200,000 karma were invited to buy shares before the public through the Directed Shares Program. That’s a major shift from digital clout to financial opportunity.

What Karma Means For Brands On Reddit

For brands and creators, karma isn’t just a vanity metric anymore. It influences everything from visibility to credibility.

High-karma accounts are more likely to gain traction with both the community and Reddit’s algorithm. This opens doors to AMA opportunities, trusted conversations with subreddit moderators, and real community influence.

But karma isn’t handed out for just showing up. It has to be earned through consistent, meaningful participation.

Brands that try to shortcut the process or rely on one-off promotions are unlikely to see results. Instead, success on Reddit requires long-term community engagement and an understanding of the culture.

When brands take the time to build a solid reputation, they gain more than just karma points. They earn access to communities that gate participation behind karma thresholds, build trust that can help manage reputational risks, and unlock insights by engaging with users on their terms.

High-karma brand accounts can:

• Show up better in Reddit’s ranking system.
• Build trust-based relationships with subreddit moderators.
• Access communities with karma thresholds.
• Manage crises more effectively.
• Gather feedback and insights directly from target audiences.

Reddit Karma: How It Evolved And Where It’s Going

To understand where we are, it helps to know where we’ve been:

2005–2008: The Foundation Years

Karma launches alongside Reddit’s core voting system. It appeared on user profiles by 2008.

2009–2015: System Refinements

Algorithm changes reduce over-weighted posts. Subreddit-specific karma filters appear. The idea of “softcapping” surfaces.

2016–2020: Community Features

Karma gets more visible. Reddit experiments with crypto-tied karma in limited subs.

2021–2023: Monetization Foundation

Spam protection gets better. Gold system expands. The Contributor Program starts in September 2023.

2024–2025: Advanced Integration

Karma becomes a core part of Reddit’s AI tools and business model. Daily users hit 108.1 million.

In Q4 2024, Reddit turns its first profit as a public company, pointing directly to karma-driven engagement.

Looking forward, karma’s role is only getting bigger. We’re likely to see:

• Global rollout of the Contributor Program.
• Subreddit-specific karma scores.
• Predictive analytics for content success.
• Smarter AI surfacing based on karma history.
• New monetization paths for high-karma users.

As Alexis Ohanian once said, “Better to post positive things about other people’s work and then let the good karma work for you.” It’s less about gaming the system and more about adding value consistently.

Reddit Karma’s Growing Role In The Platform

Reddit karma has officially outgrown its “internet points” status. It shapes how people trust, engage, and even spend money on the platform.

Whether you’re just lurking, posting regularly, or trying to build a brand presence, karma isn’t optional. It’s your reputation. It’s your access pass. It’s your potential paycheck.

If you’re just getting started and want to build up karma the right way, check out Reddit’s own guide and resources on how to earn karma through meaningful participation.

A great place to begin is r/NewToReddit, which has a helpful list of new-user-friendly communities that don’t have strict karma requirements.

These subreddits are intentionally welcoming to new users and don’t have strict karma or account age requirements, making them a smart starting point for anyone building up their Reddit presence.

You can explore that list in r/NewToReddit’s new-user-friendly subreddit guide.

As Reddit continues evolving, karma isn’t just a score. It is a signal of credibility, opportunity, and long-term value for anyone serious about building presence on the platform.

More Resources:

Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

Reddit Is Ready For Brands: How To Build Real Connections And Succeed via @sejournal, @brentcsutoras

Reddit has always been a tricky platform for brands to navigate.

As someone who has been active on Reddit since it launched nearly 20 years ago, I’ve seen firsthand how its fiercely loyal and highly skeptical user base can challenge brands.

It is quick to call out anything that feels inauthentic, which has long made Reddit a tough space for brands.

This resistance has deterred many brands, but with Reddit’s explosive growth and evolution, the opportunities are becoming too significant to ignore.

With 97.2 million daily active users, an estimated 1.2 billion monthly unique visitors, and users spending an average of 25 to 30 minutes on the platform daily, Reddit commands attention as a platform where users deeply engage with content.

Reddit’s influence goes beyond its user numbers. The platform has become a cultural force, with its content shaping trends and dominating search results.

Nearly 64% of desktop visits to Reddit come from organic search, often ranking prominently in Google’s “Discussions and Forums” sections.

The recent $60 million agreement with Google and OpenAI to integrate Reddit content into AI training models highlights the platform’s long-term value as a source of authentic insights.

To truly succeed on Reddit, brands must rethink their approach.

This is not just another social media channel; it is a network of communities where meaningful conversations drive engagement.

Done right, Reddit offers unparalleled access to some of the most engaged and opinionated audiences online. Done wrong, it can backfire spectacularly.

The Challenge Of Authenticity And The Shift In Sentiment

At its heart, Reddit thrives on authenticity. Users come to have real conversations, not to be marketed to.

Entire subreddits, such as r/HailCorporate, are dedicated to exposing inauthentic or heavy-handed brand efforts.

For years, this kept brands at arm’s length and reluctant to fully engage with a platform they did not understand. But things are shifting.

The platform’s user base has become more diverse, now 50% international, with significant growth among younger audiences who are more accustomed to seeing brands participate in online spaces.

High-profile examples, like The Economist’s AMAs or Mars’ creative campaigns, have helped redefine how brands can succeed on Reddit by focusing on genuine contributions and community engagement.

Reddit itself has matured as a platform. Leadership hires from Google and Meta have bolstered its ad capabilities, while the in-house creative agency KarmaLab guides brands in navigating the nuances of Reddit culture.

New tools, such as Reddit Pro and the upcoming Reddit Answers, are designed to help brands engage more effectively while respecting the platform’s core value of being user-first.

By offering AI-driven insights, summarizing threads, and facilitating authentic participation, these tools create real opportunities for meaningful interaction.

At the same time, subreddits have clarified their rules, making it easier for brands to contribute without overstepping or compromising the community’s integrity. It’s all about showing up authentically and adding value, not disrupting the conversation.

The Growing Opportunity For Brands

Reddit’s evolution has created a rare opportunity for brands to build lasting connections.

With 342.3 million weekly active users and over 100,000 active communities, Reddit offers a level of depth and engagement that few platforms can match.

Users are not just scrolling passively; they are actively seeking discussions, reviews, and insights. The numbers tell a compelling story.

Reddit users spend significantly more time per visit than on other social platforms, and many are inactive elsewhere.

Further, surveys show that 75% of Reddit users are more likely to consider brands they discover on the platform.

This, coupled with the fact that user-generated content from Reddit frequently shapes broader online discussions, makes it clear why Reddit’s influence continues to grow.

Strategies For Success

If you are considering Reddit as part of your marketing strategy, it is important to enter with the right mindset.

Success here is not about quick wins; it is about showing up consistently and adding value to the community. Brands that thrive on Reddit do not just talk; they listen, learn, and adapt.

Understand Your Audience

Reddit is a platform where users discuss niche interests with incredible depth. Start by identifying the subreddits relevant to your industry or audience.

For example:

• Use Reddit’s search functionality to find communities discussing topics related to your product or service.
• Explore the sidebar and pinned posts in each subreddit to understand the community rules and norms.
• Monitor discussions using tools like Reddit Pro’s trend detection or even third-party tools to spot recurring questions and pain points.

Once you have this foundational knowledge, focus on providing solutions or insights instead of selling your product outright.

A fitness brand, for instance, might share detailed, evidence-based workout tips in r/Fitness before mentioning their product as a potential aid in a comment.

That said, there are times when directly offering your product is not only appropriate but welcome.

Redditors often ask for specific recommendations or solutions, and if your product genuinely meets their needs, responding directly can add value to the conversation.

The key is to ensure your participation aligns with the community’s expectations and the context of the discussion.

Avoid injecting your product into conversations where it doesn’t belong or promoting it in a way that feels forced. Instead, focus on building trust by being honest, helpful, and responsive to genuine inquiries.

Build Trust Through Consistent Engagement

Redditors value contributions that show genuine interest in the community over time.

Consider these methods for building trust:

• Comment First: Instead of posting content right away, start by commenting on existing threads. Offer insights, answer questions, or join discussions to establish your credibility.
• Create Thoughtful Posts: When you post, ensure it aligns with the subreddit’s tone and rules. Avoid overly polished or promotional language, as it may feel out of place.
• Engage as a Person: Whether using a brand or employee account, approach conversations as a real person. Focus on being relatable, showing up consistently, and engaging in the community daily to build trust naturally over time.

Adapt Your Strategy Based on Feedback

Reddit is dynamic, and your strategy should reflect that flexibility. Monitor how users respond to your presence and adjust accordingly:

• If your posts are not resonating, look at the comments to see why and consider revising your tone or content approach.
• If a specific topic garners more engagement, lean into it with follow-up posts or comments.

Tap Into Community Expertise

Reddit users appreciate brands that bring unique value to their communities.

One way to do this is by leveraging your brand’s expertise in a way that educates or entertains:

• Host an AMA with a knowledgeable member of your team. These can be highly engaging and help humanize your brand.
• Share behind-the-scenes stories about your processes, innovations, or the challenges your company is solving.
• Create resources, like guides or infographics, tailored to the subreddit’s interests.

Building Your Long-Term Presence

Reddit is not a platform where you can drop in, run a campaign, and disappear. It is a space where relationships are built over time.

By committing to thoughtful, authentic engagement, brands can become valued members of the communities they join, shaping conversations and driving real impact.

This isn’t just about selling a product. It is about building trust, fostering dialogue, and positioning your brand as a genuine contributor to the conversation.

To help brands succeed in building this presence, I encourage an exercise inspired by a blend of Brené Brown’s Rumbles and Shitty First Drafts that can uncover the right balance for meaningful engagement:

A Four-Part Exercise To Find Your Brand’s Place On Reddit

1. What Do Redditors Really Want From Your Brand?

Take a step back and consider what value your brand can genuinely add to Reddit communities.

What are users asking about in your niche? What problems are they trying to solve?

This isn’t about what you want to share; it’s about what they need or expect.

• Exercise: Spend time lurking in relevant subreddits to observe conversations. Identify recurring themes, questions, or frustrations that align with your industry.

2. What Does Your Brand Have That Redditors Can Benefit From?

Honest self-reflection is critical. What unique value does your brand bring to the table?

This could be insider knowledge, educational resources, access to product development discussions, or behind-the-scenes insights that Redditors can’t get elsewhere.

• Exercise: Make a list of three things your brand can offer that would resonate with your target communities. Then, prioritize these based on their relevance and impact on Redditors.

3. What Is the User Journey For Redditors Who Interact With Your Brand?

Understanding how a Redditor might encounter and engage with your brand is crucial.

Consider the steps they might take: from seeing your comment or post and visiting your site, to making a decision about your product or service.

• Exercise: Map out the likely touchpoints Redditors will have with your brand, starting with their initial discovery. Think about what content, tone, or information would ‘BeUseful’ and guide them at each step.

4. How Can You Combine These Elements?

The key is finding the overlap between what Redditors want, what your brand can provide, and the user journey.

This is where your brand can show up at the right time, in the right community, with something they genuinely want and need.

• Exercise: Create a positioning statement based on the intersection of these elements. For example, “We want to be the go-to resource for X in r/[SubredditName], offering insights and answering questions to help solve Y.”

When brands approach Reddit with this balance in mind, they are far more likely to build a presence that feels authentic and valuable.

This framework ensures that your efforts are guided by a clear understanding of your audience, your capabilities, and how the two can meet in a way that benefits both parties.

Key Takeaway

By consistently aligning your strategy with these principles, your brand can become an integral and respected part of the Reddit ecosystem, positioned for lasting success.

If you’re looking for additional guidance or have questions, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or reach out by email, and I’ll do my best to help.

More Resources:

Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

AMA Recap: Reddit Leadership On Leveraging The Platform For Business Success via @sejournal, @brentcsutoras

On November 7, we hosted an exclusive Ask Me Anything (AMA) event and invited three of Reddit’s top executives to share their insights.

The insights they shared about Reddit’s growth, advertising potential, and community engagement are pure gold for any marketer looking to tap into the power of Reddit.

And the best part?

They didn’t just give us high-level fluff – they dug into the nitty-gritty with real-world examples and actionable strategies.

With close to two decades of experience on Reddit, I aimed to ask the right questions to get the most value from our panel of experts. The executive panel included:

• Susan Billingsley, who leads Reddit’s global business brand and audience marketing. Susan is responsible for crafting impactful narratives that resonate with audiences and drive brand loyalty.
• Rob Gaige, who uses insights from Reddit’s conversations and communities to help brands stay ahead of consumer trends, turning real-time discussions into actionable marketing strategies.
• Nishé Modoyan, who oversees Reddit’s core ads platform, leads go-to-market strategies, and has a passion for identifying products and opportunities for Reddit’s business partners.

Here are the key takeaways and insights they shared during the AMA:

Reddit’s Key Growth Drivers In 2024

When asked about the key elements driving Reddit’s growth in 2024, Susan explained that improvements to the platform, such as better findability and posting tools, have led to increased engagement on conversation pages.

She also highlighted strong international growth due to machine learning-based language translation. On the advertiser side, performance marketing and SMB/mid-market growth have been significant.

Overall, the key driver of growth is people’s desire for human connection and authenticity in a world overwhelmed with information and paid influencers.

As Susan put it, “Really what’s driving a lot of our user growth and even growth within the advertiser communities and the way they’re communicating is just that need for authenticity.”

I added, “I was actually thinking back to when you first broke 10 million users, and I remember saying back then, look, where do you see a company that has a ridiculous growth rate month over month? And this was 10 years ago, five years ago, two years ago, and it just continues and continues.”

Reddit’s Staying Power

Addressing whether Reddit’s growth is a temporary trend, Rob emphasized that Reddit is not a passing fad.

He also highlighted that users don’t grow out of Reddit. They may join as a 20-year-old gamer, but as they progress through life stages, there are always relevant communities for them to engage with. This results in long-term user retention and increased engagement over time.

Rob explained, “If Reddit is a trend, it’s the slowest trend on Earth, given that the platform has been around for 19 years. With half of America coming to Reddit weekly, and the platform being evenly split between men and women, Reddit is ubiquitous.”

Reddit’s Unique Advertising Proposition

Susan broke down three key factors that make Reddit unique as an advertising platform:

1. “Conversations are organized by interest, making it the only platform structured entirely around passions, where people actively signal, ‘I’m into this, I’m interested in this’.”
2. “Our audience is large, growing quickly, and full of highly engaged users with strong intent. Finally, these conversations drive real, impactful decisions.”
3. “Conversations are ultimately driving real decisions,” Susan said. “People come to Reddit hungry for information and validation, which leads to real actions – purchases, spending, and long-term value.”

As a result, advertising on Reddit combines the benefits of social media and search, allowing brands to reach their target audience in a context that drives business outcomes.

Balancing Organic Presence And Paid Advertising

When asked about the relationship between organic and paid presence on Reddit, Nishé explained that while combining both approaches is optimal, companies can start with either organic or paid advertising based on their resources.

She emphasized that authenticity is key and every business has expertise they can share on Reddit, regardless of category.

Nishé noted, “You do not have to take on both. You can absolutely do one or the other, but obviously what I’m going to talk about is the power of doing them together.”

She detailed how Reddit Pro can be used as a free tool to understand communities and trends, which can inform both organic engagement and paid campaigns.

I added insight about matching the approach to the user journey – using ads for purchase-ready users and organic engagement for awareness phases.

How Brands Can Join Conversations Authentically

Responding to a question about how brands can join meaningful conversations on Reddit without annoying users, Susan provided multiple real-world examples of successful brand engagement.

She emphasized treating Reddit users as humans deserving of respect and authentic interaction.

Susan advised, “Authenticity is a really big thing. Just remember that you’re talking to humans. So people on Reddit want to be talked to, just like all of us want to be talked to, you want to be talked to with respect, you want to be talked to as if your opinion matters.”

Examples ranged from Fidelity’s customer service approach to a vegan company’s community engagement, to Keith from Sonos’s personal approach to crisis management.

I highlighted how humanizing brand interactions changes user responses positively. Susan also shared how a publisher discovered new audience segments through organic content sharing.

The key themes were authenticity, human connection, and providing genuine value to communities, whether through customer service, content sharing, or community engagement.

Effective Reddit Monitoring Strategies

When asked about effective strategies for monitoring Reddit both for opportunities and reputation management, Rob explained that while monitoring Reddit can be challenging due to its massive content volume, Reddit Pro is an effective tool for tracking brand mentions and relevant conversations.

Rob cautioned, “Reddit every two weeks generates a Wikipedia worth of content. Just kind of think about the amount of content there is to go through. So it could definitely be challenging.”

He emphasized the importance of identifying subreddits where target customers are most active and understanding that opinions can vary significantly between different communities.

He used the example of Samsung’s Frame TV, which receives very different reactions in home theater versus home design subreddits, illustrating how different communities can have varying perspectives on the same product.

Creating Engaging Reddit Content

Addressing the question of best practices for creating engaging content on Reddit, Nishé emphasized the importance of using Reddit Pro to understand your audience and identify relevant conversations.

Rob then provided three specific strategies:

1. Creating engaging games or challenges (like the U.S. Navy’s submarine hunt).
2. Treating users as early adopters with exclusive access to products.
3. Providing unique access to expert information.

Rob elaborated, “Redditors love games, quests, and tasks. The second thing they love is being treated like early adopters. And third, they love access – give them access to an expert, to exclusive information, to things they can’t get elsewhere, and they’ll geek out with you.”

They emphasized that successful content needs to add genuine value to the community and align with how Redditors naturally engage with content.

Brand Presence Approach On Reddit

When asked about the best approach for brands to establish their presence on Reddit, Rob outlined different models:

1. Fully brand-moderated communities (like Fidelity).
2. Hybrid communities with both brand and independent moderators.
3. Participating in existing communities as a regular member.

As Rob pointed out, “It’s really critical here. The first model, which Susan mentioned with Fidelity, involves company-employed moderators who run and maintain the brand’s subreddit. Then there are hybrid models, and finally, the third model we’ve been discussing, where a brand simply joins an independently run community and participates just like any other member.”

Susan emphasized that there’s no single correct approach – it depends on the brand’s goals, target audience, and available resources.

They suggested that brands can start small and scale up their presence as they learn what works best for their specific situation.

Handling Negativity On Reddit

Responding to a question about how brands should handle negative comments, trolling, and criticism on Reddit, Rob shared research showing that Reddit is predominantly positive, with most negative comments actually being constructive product feedback rather than pure criticism.

He noted that true trolling makes up only 1-2% of negative interactions, and most users view brands more favorably when they respond to criticism constructively.

Rob revealed, “First thing we learned is that overwhelmingly Reddit is a positive place. So no matter what category we study, we find between four to one, seven to one positive to negative, even in insurance conversations on Reddit, it’s a two to one positive to negative.”

Nishé added tactical advice, suggesting that authentic community engagement improves brand sentiment over time.

She also provided specific guidance about managing comments on ads, recommending leaving comments on when seeking engagement but turning them off for pure conversion-focused campaigns.

The key message was that negativity on Reddit is both less common and less impactful than brands might fear, and can often be turned into positive interactions through proper engagement.

Drive Brand Growth With Reddit

Phew, that was a lot of incredible information!

We’re so lucky that Susan, Rob, and Nishé took time out of their busy schedules to share their expertise with us. It’s not every day you get to hear directly from the people driving one of the most influential platforms out there.

If you’re feeling inspired and want to start leveraging Reddit for your brand, you’ve got a couple of fantastic resources at your fingertips.

Head over to Reddit for Business to learn more about working directly with the Reddit team on your advertising and partnership opportunities.

And if you want to focus on building your organic presence and engaging with Reddit communities in a meaningful way, you can connect with me on LinkedIn to talk more.

No matter which path you choose, one thing’s for sure – with the insights from this AMA, you’re well on your way to unlocking the full potential of Reddit for your brand.

Looking forward to seeing you and your brand on Reddit!

Here are the links to each question on the AMA recording on our YouTube channel (make sure to subscribe while you are there!).

More resources:

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