How To Promote Your Business on Reddit
From finding the right subreddits to running paid ads, check out our top tips for promoting your business on Reddit!
Promoting your business on Reddit is a lot different from social media marketing on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. It's really important to understand the distinct Reddit culture, which is focused on genuine engagement and providing value to discussion.
So, we've come up with a comprehensive guide to help you make the most of the awesome business opportunities on Reddit.
Before you start, you need to make your account look credible and engaging, this is where Karma comes in.
Karma shows how much you've contributed to the Reddit community, with upvotes on your posts and comments adding to your score. A high karma score shows you're an active, valued member of the community, which helps you maintain credibility when you want to promote something.
You can also get awards called trophies as you can see on this account:
On the flip side, you can get a negative karma score if you get more downvotes than upvotes, which isn't a good look for your brand.
To get more karma, join in on different subreddits by contributing helpful comments and interesting posts regularly.
Remember, many subreddits won't let you comment or post if your karma is too low, or if they see you're only posting ads for your business. It's crucial to really be part of the subreddit communities related to what you do or like. Everyone can see your comment and post history on your reddit profile.
A great way to build karma and organically promote your brand is to find the right subreddits where your business naturally fits in. Find communities where you can add real value to the conversation.
It's all about discovering groups and other subreddits that align with your business's interests or industry and becoming an active, contributing member there.
For example, if your business revolves around books, look for subreddits about book reviews, writing tips, or genre-specific discussions.
You also want to make sure you're selecting the right subreddit for posting things like deals and giveaways. This will really enhance the effectiveness of your promotion by directly targeting users interested in such content.
Subs like r/giveaways r/giveitaway r/sweepstakes are great for ensuring that your message reaches an audience already looking for discounts or special offers.
When you're the hunt for the ideal subreddits where your target audience is lurking, Reddit's search function may not be enough.
It's a good idea to write down a list of key words or problems that your brand overcomes, be as specific as you can.
Search these terms in google followed by 'reddit', and make a note of all the subreddits you find.
Then you can use this cool tool to find even more linked subreddits.
Lots of people search for Reddit threads on google, whether by accident or on purpose, when they're researching products and services. This means Reddit stands out. Unlike posts on most other social platforms, Reddit threads can easily show up in Google searches, which offers businesses a unique visibility advantage.
So, once you find the relevant subreddit, make sure that before posting, you research relevant keywords that your target audience might use when searching for information related to your business or industry so you can optimise your posts for SEO purposes.
Incorporate these keywords naturally into your post titles, descriptions, and comments so you maximise the visibility of your post not only on reddit, but on Google too.
For example, this Reddit thread comes up as the first result when you google the best places to buy lego:
Once you find the right subreddits, start by consistently engaging in these niche communities without any promotion, by sharing your knowledge, asking questions, and contributing to discussions.
This approach helps you understand the community's dynamics and identify the best moments to introduce your idea or business in a way that feels natural and valuable to the conversation.
The most important thing is that when you do mention your business, it should be relevant and add to the discussion, rather than feeling like an unwelcome ad. Your aim should be to become a recognized and respected member of the community who happens to run a business, rather than someone who's only there to sell something.
Getting the hang of each subreddit's rules is key to staying in good standing- ignoring them can quickly get you banned.
These guidelines cover everything from using the right flairs or tags, to following rules about when certain topics can be discussed.
They also often include removing low effort contributions, making sure your titles are clear and engaging, or using spoiler tags when needed.
All subreddits have their rules clearly displayed when you try and make a post, so do make sure you read them as they're different for each.
It's a good idea to take a look at Reddit's official guidelines, 'reddiquette', and 'how to reddit' before you get posting.
The 90/10 rule on Reddit is an informal guideline that suggests that reddit users should make sure that at least 90% of their posts and comments are non-promotional and genuinely contribute to the community, while no more than 10% of reddit content should be self-promotional. This rule is designed to encourage valuable, community-focused interactions among users and discourage spammy behavior or overt advertising, which moderators and the Reddit community generally disapprove of.
Following this rule will make sure your profile doesn't look like it's designed solely for marketing purposes. It's a good way to measure if you're doing too much self promotion.
Knowing all of these rules will protect you from being downvoted, shadow banned, blocked, and importantly, from your brand getting a bad rep.
When interacting with discussions about your brand or responding to posts and comments, it's crucial to steer clear of sounding like you're reciting information straight from front page of your website's FAQ section.
Instead, aim to be personable and genuine in your responses. Authentic engagement is key; it shows that there's a real human behind the brand who cares about connecting with the community.
By injecting personality into your interactions and genuinely engaging with others, you'll capture people's interest and make them more receptive to what you have to say.
A self-promotion thread on Reddit is a designated space within a subreddit where individuals are encouraged to share their own content, projects, or products. It's a perfect opportunity to do some great advertising without being downvoted.
These threads are specifically created to provide a place for users to highlight their work without violating the general rules against spam or self-promotion that apply elsewhere on the platform, keeping the community-focused and discussion-driven nature of the site intact.
So make sure you're an active member of as many relevant subs as you can find, and get to know which days and times they allow self promotion threads.
A Reddit giveaway is a promotional event hosted within specific subreddit communities, where participants have the chance to win prizes by completing simple actions, such as commenting on a post. Essentially, 1 comment = 1 entry.
Giveaways on Reddit are powerful because they leverage the platform's vast and diverse user base, attracting attention and engagement with minimal barriers to entry.
The prize should be appealing and very relevant to the subreddit's interests to make sure your giveaway receives maximum participation and excitement.
However, simple comment to enter giveaways can attract low-effort engagement or spam, which may not translate into genuine interest or valuable interactions beyond the giveaway itself.
To drive more meaningful actions, you can require participants to perform specific tasks such as visiting a website, subscribing to a newsletter, or following a subreddit.
These actions can help convert temporary engagement into longer-term connections, increasing follower counts, boosting web traffic, and building a subscriber base. It's important to balance the appeal of easy participation with the strategic goals of building lasting engagement and visibility for your brand or project.
The easiest way to do this is with this template from Gleam:
Posting discount codes in links attached to your post or comment is a straightforward way to catch the attention of potential customers in subreddits related to your products or services.
It's a direct and incentivised method to encourage users to visit your website.
To add more value and for more chance of deeper engagement, you can level up this approach by requiring them to sign up on your website to unlock these discounts.
This way, you not only offer them exclusive deals as an immediate reward but also have seamlessly incorporated them into your email marketing list.
This is great as you now have a means for ongoing communication to promote special offers, and updates, leading to sustained engagement and customer loyalty.
This strategy is super easy with tools like Gleam's Capture template. These templates are designed to simplify the process, making it straightforward for you to set up discount links and track their success.
Give it a go with this easy template:
Establish yourself as a thought leader and expert in your field by creating threads that compile valuable web resources, videos, advice, news or insights on specific topics. This positions your brand as helpful and informative, and will encourage upvotes and engagement.
Considering people appreciate when you put time into giving value to the community, this is an awesome idea which is guaranteed to go down well. Plus, as you will look like you know what you're talking about, people might check out your page and website for more.
Identify pain points or pitfalls of your competitors or search on Reddit for problems your business can solve.
Then, helpfully provide them the resources to fix the issue, and maybe throw in a free tester of your product so you don't seem too pushy
It's much easier to find people talking about needing something that your product solves than on other social media platforms, so this is such a great opportunity to target really high quality leads.
Running ads on Reddit is a smart way to tap into its vast, diverse community. You can choose from different ad styles, like Promoted Posts that appear right in other users' feeds, blending in but marked as "promoted" to keep things transparent.
The cool part is how targeted you can get. You can aim your ads at specific subreddits, interest groups, locations, or even device types, making sure your message lands with the right crowd.
Setting up your ad campaign is pretty simple: decide what you're after (clicks, page views, awareness), craft your ad, set your budget, and pick a bidding strategy. Reddit's system is auction-based, meaning you bid for ad space. They also offer access to detailed analytics, so you can track how your ad performs and adjust accordingly.
The key to success here is authenticity and relevance- Reddit's users value genuine user interaction, so your ads need to resonate with the community.
You can also enable comments on your ads to open up a great channel for two-way communication, allowing real-time interactions and feedback. It can be a valuable way to boost engagement and build trust.
Take a moment to do a quick scan of what people are saying about you beforehand. By staying on top of any potential issues or concerns, you can address them proactively and minimize the risk of negative feedback catching you off guard.
Have a go at sharing insightful stories that shed light on the journey behind your business. Subreddits like r/entrepreneur and r/smallbusiness are perfect places to showcase these narratives.
Share the ups and downs, the challenges you've faced, and the moments that have shaped your brand. By sharing your story authentically, you not only make your brand more relatable but also inspire others in the community.
Try and add something that sets your story apart from others, make it as unique and engaging as possible.
When you take the time to share your experiences and engage in meaningful conversations within these Reddit communities, it leaves a positive impact, and people might follow up with questions.
Hosting an AMA session on Reddit opens up a direct line of communication between you and the community, offering a platform to share your expertise, insights, and the story behind your business. It's an invaluable way to engage with potential customers, answer their questions in real-time, and provide a human face to your business.
To maximize the impact of your AMA, choose subreddits that are closely related to your business niche, prepare thoughtful responses, and be ready to offer advice, stories, or insights that can add value to the community.
While the focus of an AMA should primarily be on engagement and information exchange, it also presents a subtle opportunity to highlight your products or services, especially when they are relevant to the discussion at hand.
Lots of brands use Reddit to check out customer feedback. It's an effective way to tap into honest opinions about your brand. By actively participating and commenting in relevant subreddits, you not only build credibility but also create a direct channel for receiving feedback from other users.
Beyond soliciting feedback, Reddit allows you to monitor spontaneous discussions about your brand. This unsolicited feedback can be gold for understanding your audience's true sentiments.
Addressing feedback, both positive and negative, in a constructive manner showcases your commitment to customer satisfaction, and you can nip any concerns in the bud.
You can then implement changes based on this feedback and circle back to the community to share how their input has led to tangible improvements.
You can also monitor discussions around which products people want to see more of and let them know when they'll be back, almost like a Q&A:
This approach not only enhances your product or service but also strengthens your relationship with your customer base, making Reddit a valuable tool for customer engagement and improvement.
Check out how this brand really changed some minds:
So, now you know how to get started promoting your business on Reddit, and all the tips and tricks to being a valuable and engaging member of the Reddit community.
Charlotte Czarnota
Charlotte is a Growth Intern at Gleam. Share this post if you got something out of it ☺