Reddit Marketing: Mastering the Art of Engagement (and Avoiding Pitfalls)

Reddit has been a cornerstone of online culture for over 20 years, birthing numerous memes and housing vibrant niche communities. (For instance, the sneaker subreddit boasts five million members.) Despite this, marketers have often overlooked Reddit in favor of larger platforms like Google and Facebook.

However, in 2024, two significant developments occurred: Reddit went public, increasing its visibility, and its monthly visitor count tripled, largely due to Google’s algorithm shift that favored human-generated content, a Reddit stronghold.

With Reddit’s newfound prominence in search engine results, it has transitioned from a niche platform to a crucial channel for marketers. Yet, while Reddit offers vast opportunities, marketers must tread carefully: Redditors are quick to criticize overt marketing attempts.

To maximize your Reddit marketing efforts and avoid community backlash, familiarize yourself with the platform’s intricacies before diving in.

Table of Contents:
– Why Reddit is a Marketing Goldmine
– Organic Marketing Strategies on Reddit
– Reddit Advertising Options
– Best Practices for Reddit Marketing
– Automating Reddit Marketing

Why Reddit is a Marketing Goldmine

Reddit was already a hub with hundreds of millions of monthly users. Then, this happened:

From July 2023 to August 2024, Reddit’s visibility on Google soared by an extraordinary 1,348%. According to Steve Paine of SISTRIX, the analytics firm behind this data, “No other website has achieved such rapid search visibility growth in the US in the past five years.”

Beyond Google’s algorithm changes, shifting user behavior has also boosted Reddit’s relevance. As AI-generated content proliferates, many users append “reddit” to their Google searches to find genuine human insights. This is especially prevalent in product searches, where Reddit discussions often top the results, even without the “reddit” modifier.

But Reddit’s rising prominence isn’t the only reason to consider it for marketing. Additional factors include:
– Redditors are typically engaged, eager to learn, and tech-savvy.
– Subreddits are highly focused, with passionate members, simplifying targeting for brands. (This compensates for Reddit ads’ limited targeting options.)
– Many Redditors don’t frequent other social media platforms, offering access to a unique audience.
– You might experience a notably lower cost-per-click (CPC) on Reddit.

So, while Reddit offers compelling marketing opportunities, does it mean you should dive in? Let’s explore your options. Like other social media platforms, Reddit offers both organic and paid marketing avenues.

Organic Marketing Strategies on Reddit

Organic marketing on Reddit differs significantly from other social networks. You can’t simply create a business account and expect organic visibility in users’ feeds. Instead, you must engage with topic-specific communities, known as subreddits. Regardless of your industry, there’s likely a subreddit (or several) related to your niche.

Here are some organic marketing strategies for Reddit:

Share valuable, engaging content. Quality content encourages sharing and interaction on Reddit. In her article on using social media without a budget, the founder of fashion brand Bastet Noir shares her success with this approach. Be prepared for potential negative feedback, though.
Host an AMA. An AMA (Ask Me Anything) allows you to discuss your brand openly, as participants know what to expect.
Create a subreddit for your brand. For example, Book of the Month Club has its own subreddit. This offers users a platform to promote your brand (assuming they appreciate your product or service). A branded subreddit can also be a valuable tool for market research and finding beta testers.
Establish a support subreddit for your brand. Here, customers can ask questions. If you choose this route, monitor it closely to ensure no critical issues go unnoticed.
While these strategies can be effective, there’s always a risk of being called out for marketing, so proceed with caution.

Reddit Advertising Options

There are two primary types of paid ads on Reddit: takeover ads and promoted posts.

Reddit offers various takeover ad packages, enabling you to dominate specific subreddits, the entire site, categories, and more. Most packages include a promoted post, a top banner, and an ad in Reddit’s “trending” category.

Promoted Posts

These ads resemble standard promoted posts on social media, appearing alongside regular posts with a “Promoted” tag. Businesses can choose to enable or disable comments. Allowing comments fosters discussion, aligning with Reddit’s core purpose, but requires careful monitoring.

Types of Promoted Posts:

Free-form ads: Combine text, images, videos, and GIFs in one ad.
Image ads: Feature text and images.
Video ads: Autoplay within the Reddit feed.
Carousel ads: Showcase multiple swipeable images or videos.
Conversation ads: A unique Reddit ad type appearing under a post before the first comments.
Product ads: Contextual shopping ads (e.g., camping products in a thread about camping advice).
AMA: Ask Me Anything campaigns drive engagement and introduce users to your brand. (Remember, Redditors will genuinely ask anything, so be authentic and avoid sales pitches.)

Targeting Options

Reddit offers fewer targeting options than platforms like Facebook. On Reddit, you can target by location, gender, interests, subreddit, device (mobile vs. desktop), and time of day, but not by demographics like income or connections. (Custom audience targeting is available, though.)

Despite limited targeting options, subreddits offer a unique advantage. Reddit’s vast user base self-organizes into highly engaged communities, making it easier to reach them. For example, promoting a productivity app? The r/productivity subreddit, with three million members, is an ideal audience.

Objectives

When creating a Reddit ad, you’ll select an objective:

Brand awareness
Conversions
Traffic
Video views
App installs

Each objective offers different ad types and payment structures. For instance, with the traffic objective, you pay per click and can choose from link, video, or gallery ads.

Reddit’s ad algorithm optimizes your ads to reach the right audience at the right time based on past Reddit behavior.

Recent updates to Reddit’s ad platform have incorporated advanced features from competitors like Google and Facebook. One such feature is automated ad creation, generating up to 25 ad variations. After testing, the best-performing version is delivered to users.

How to Market on Reddit Without Facing Backlash

Redditors are open to discovering new products and services—that’s part of the platform’s appeal. Here’s how to leverage that without it backfiring.

1. Familiarize Yourself with Reddit Before Launching a Campaign

If you misstep in organic marketing, you’ll be called out—and it will be painfully obvious if you don’t understand Reddit before starting.

For instance, the creators of a hair towel attempted to market their product “organically” by posting as a user in r/curlyhair, where people discuss curly hair products and techniques. They were quickly exposed.

Get to know your community. Spend time in subreddits they frequent. Read the subreddit rules (some prohibit marketing altogether). Learn the acronyms used by your audience. Here are a few common ones:

OP: “Original poster” (the person who created the original post)
ELI5: “Explain it like I’m five” (use simple language)
TL;DR: “Too long didn’t read” (a brief summary of a lengthy post)
TIL: “Today I learned” (a new fact or interesting tidbit)
AMA: “Ask me anything” (a Q&A session, often with a founder, industry leader, or someone with relevant expertise)
Subreddits often have a sidebar with specific acronyms and rules.

2 Engage in Subreddits Your Audience Frequents

Whatever industry you’re in, there’s a subreddit dedicated to a related topic. Do you run a particle physics startup? There’s a subreddit for that. Seeking enthusiasts of reading, computers, AI, Airbnb, futurology, or financial independence? You’re covered.

Begin by searching for key terms in your industry. For example, if I were developing a Reddit strategy for Zapier, I might start by searching “marketing automation.” You can then explore posts and communities related to that term and identify regular contributors.

Consider searching for your brand name, too. People might already be discussing you. You can even use Zapier to set up a Reddit automation that notifies you whenever someone mentions your brand.

Once you’ve identified a subreddit, the delicate task of engaging begins. Remember the golden rule: Redditors dislike being marketed to. Be helpful, not salesy. As you post and interact, Redditors will visit your profile; you may generate some traffic by including your brand’s URL there.

After establishing a posting history and reputation in your subreddit, you can subtly mention your brand as a solution to a problem raised by another user (provided the subreddit’s rules permit it). Be transparent about your association with the brand and maintain authenticity (i.e., avoid copying information from your sales page). Since your goal is to be helpful and credible in the decision-making process—and to avoid sounding like a PR robot—consider recommending other brands alongside yours.

An exception to these engagement rules is if your brand is already being discussed in the subreddit. In that case, jump in wherever you can be helpful.

3. Stand Out

Reddit isn’t your typical social media platform. Most users are anonymous and participate in interest-based gro