If you spend a significant amount of time on the internet, there is a high likelihood that you have come across Reddit. As of October 2023, Reddit is the 3rd most visited site in the U.S., as per Semrush, and the seventh most visited worldwide. Here, you can see Google is the most visited website in the United States in October 2023, attracting nearly 35.1B monthly visits. The second-placed YouTube received 21.5B visits in the same period & Reddit.com also performed strongly, generating nearly 4.12B visits.
So, what is Reddit, Is Reddit social media, how it works, and who uses it? This comprehensive guide will explain all that simply so you can get the most out of Reddit. To give you a glimpse, it’s a massive collection of forums where people share news & content or comment on other people’s posts. This Reddit blog has everything you need to know, so let’s delve into this.
Is Reddit Social Media?
Reddit is a social media network with a forum-style discussion structure. It is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website like a forum.
Reddit comprises more than a million communities called “subreddits.” Each sub focuses on a different subject and engages in comments. A sub’s name starts with the letter “r,” a part of the Reddit URL.
— Examples Of Subreddits:
Reddit is divided into sub-groups or sub-subreddits. Any Reddit user can set up these sub-groups around any topic, whether a wide topic like technology or a specific topic like a joke. For instance:
— r/wallstreetbets, aka WallStreetBets or WSB, is a subreddit where participants discuss stock and options trading.
— r/nba is a subreddit where people talk about the National Basketball Association.
— Whereas r/boardgames is a subreddit where people discuss board games.
— Some weird subreddits, like r/birdswitharms, are devoted to pictures of birds with arms.
Reddit Glossary You Need To Know
Although the concepts are not new to experienced netizens, Reddit uses its own terminology for many functions.
— Frontpage:
The home page of Reddit or the user’s main feed. Users can choose the type of posts they see on their front page by subscribing to their favorite subreddits.
— Upvote/Downvote:
Reddit displays posts and comments to show popularity by user voting. If users like a post, click the up arrow to upvote it. If they don’t, they click the down arrow to downvote it. Posts with the most upvotes appear highest on the home page feed, while downvoted posts fall to the bottom.
— Hot/Controversial/Rising:
These terms classify posts by voting patterns. Hot means the post has huge upvotes, as most people liked. Controversial means it has a relatively equal number of upvotes & downvotes. Rising means that a post accumulates upvotes quickly, even though it’s new.
— r/:
A prefix denoting a subreddit taken from the site’s URL. For example, r/wallstreetbets is a subreddit where participants discuss stock and options trading.
— u/:
A prefix denoting a Redditor’s username is used, like r/.
— Custom Feeds (Multireddit):
Custom feeds allow Redditors to create personalized feeds based on multiple communities
— Karma:
Exclusive to Reddit, karma counts the accumulated number of upvotes and downvotes you receive.
— AMA or Ask Me Anything:
It is like an open conversation between an individual or group and your subreddit’s community members.
— OC or Original Content:
Oc means that the original poster made the content, whether an image, video, or text on the post.
— NSFW or Not Safe For Work:
A cheeky way to say a post contains nudity, violence, foul language—anything you wouldn’t want your coworkers to see. Reddit flags NSFW posts so users can filter.
How does Reddit work?
Users who register on Reddit can share various types of content, including links, text posts, and images. Other users can then vote for posts either positively or negatively.
Posts that receive a lot of upvotes move up the rankings on Reddit, making them more visible to other users. Conversely, posts that receive downvotes quickly drop the rankings and become less visible to most users.
Each subreddit has its own set of guidelines and rules. Violations of these rules can lead to permanent bans (both from the community and the platform).
Each subreddit has a group of moderators actively curating the content and looking for anything that’s not allowed or inappropriate. On the other hand, Admins are a level above moderators because they can shut down entire subdomains if they’re found to violate Reddit’s guidelines.
What is the Difference Between Reddit & Other Social Media Channels
Reddit is a social media platform that differs from other social media platforms because it is based on communities (subreddits) instead of people. Because its members are anonymous, it is considered a social media forum, which makes it friendly and user-friendly.
Like other social media platforms such as Facebook & Instagram, where you can like posts on Reddit, you can vote on the content. And besides that, you can comment.
Use These 13 Organic Marketing Tips & Leverage The Power of Reddit Community
Reddit can bring lots of benefits to a business. Since Reddit is based on creating communities (subreddits) based on various interests, we can only imagine what a community that supports specific brands and products can do on Reddit.
Building a community is hard. It requires a lot of trust and hard work for any brand. A brand that thrives on interacting and gaining feedback from people should definitely choose Reddit in its social media strategy.
The organic side looks much different on Reddit than on other social networks: you can’t just create a business account & post content that shows up in users’ feeds organically. Instead, you find and engage with topic-specific communities (AKA subreddits). No matter what industry or niche you’re in, there’s a good chance there’s a subreddit (or two…hundred) on a related topic.
Here are a few ways you market organically on Reddit:
1— Participate in Relevant Subreddits:
Engage authentically in communities related to your niche. Share valuable insights, answer questions, and build a positive presence.
2— Follow Subreddit Rules:
Respect community guidelines to avoid being marked as spam. Abide by subreddit rules and contribute positively to the discussions.
3— Share useful, engaging content:
If you create worthy content, people will share and engage with it on Reddit. If you choose the controversial route, be prepared for possible negative reactions.
Related: What Is Google E-E-A-T In SEO? Guidelines You Must Follow
4— Timing is Key:
Post content when your target audience is mostly active. Timing can impact the visibility and success of your posts.
5— Optimize Post Titles:
Craft compelling and concise post titles. Titles that generate curiosity or provide immediate value tend to attract more attention.
6— Host an AMA (Ask Me Anything):
Hosting an AMA (ask me anything) lets you talk about your brand without being sneaky: people know what they’re signing up for.
7— Establish Personal Connections:
Network with other Redditors genuinely. Building relationships can lead to word-of-mouth recommendations and increased visibility for your content.
8— Give more than you take:
Most Reddit communities ask you to contribute 80% of the time, and brand-promote only 20% of the time. That ratio can increase or decrease depending on your content and target community.
9— Create a subreddit for your brand:
Here’s an example: Book of the Month Club’s subreddit. It gives your users a place to market for you (assuming they like your product or service). You can also use a branded subreddit to market research and find beta testers.
10— Create a support subreddit for your brand:
This is where your customers could ask you questions. If you go this route, monitor it closely so no important issues slip through the cracks.
11— Don’t even think about using shills:
Whether it’s fake accounts, hidden paid sponsorships, or employee upvoting requests, Redditors have it all, and they’re pretty fed up with marketers trying to take advantage of them.
12— Use Reddit’s Advertising Opportunities Sparingly:
While primarily focused on organic growth, consider using Reddit Ads strategically to boost visibility for specific posts or announcements.
13— Monitor Trends and News:
Stay updated on subreddit trends and relevant industry news. Participate in discussions around trending topics to stay visible. These can all be effective strategies, but it’s always possible you may get called out for trying to market—so tread lightly.
To Sum Up:
Where other social media platforms are built on the premise of centralizing a following around your account (your Facebook likes, Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections), Reddit’s community structure means it will occupy a very different place in your broader strategy and a different kind of brand engagement.
Viewed this way, Reddit is an outreach tool. It won’t replace the audience-building you do on traditional follower-based platforms, but it should open a new door for how you create and share original content related to your brand. Check our informative blogs as well to get more info.
