Reddit: How you can use it to spread the word about your business
Article topics
- What is Reddit, and how does it work?
- The benefits of using Reddit as a business
- Is Reddit free?
- How to get started with Reddit
- Top tips for making the most out of Reddit as a business
- Xigen: Your SEO specialist
With over 97 million daily active users, Reddit is currently the 7th most popular website in the world, receiving more traffic than TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn.* This makes it a fantastic platform for connecting with potential customers and building buzz around your products and services.
While Reddit can be a great marketing tool, it’s vital to use it correctly. If you don’t engage with other users or post inauthentic, overly promotional content, you risk receiving one of the worst insults possible: Silence, brand!
We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to getting started on Reddit. We’ll look at how it works, where to post, and how to create exciting, engaging content that people love.
Whether you’re completely new to the concept of Reddit or use it personally but not professionally, this article will answer all your questions.
What is Reddit, and how does it work?
Reddit is a social media network that operates like a forum. Subscribers can start discussions, comment on other people’s posts, and send private messages.
The platform consists of over 100k communities known as ‘subreddits’. These subreddits are managed by unpaid moderators who ensure members (known as ‘Redditors’) follow the rules and stay on topic.
They have the power to remove posts that break the rules and ban Redditors who don’t follow the rules.
You can find subreddits about any topic imaginable, from cooking and digital marketing to memes and politics.
Discussions and comments can be upvoted or downvoted. A red upvote shows you like or support what is being said, while a blue downvote shows you disagree or don’t think it’s appropriate.
A high number of upvotes means a discussion or comment is promoted higher within a subreddit – if a discussion gets a lot of upvotes, it may make the Reddit front page. A high number of downvotes means a discussion or comment is downgraded or hidden.
Individual Redditors receive ‘karma’ based on the number of upvotes and downvotes they get. The more karma a Redditor has, the more likely they are to create high-quality content that others appreciate.
The benefits of using Reddit as a business
Why should you use Reddit as a business?
The same reasons why you’d use any social media platform like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok – to build relationships with prospective customers and foster a sense of brand loyalty.
Only 11% of B2B and 12% of B2C companies use Reddit, so if you can nail your strategy, you’ll have an advantage over your competitors!
Here are some other reasons why building a community on Reddit can serve your business well.
You can appeal to a highly targeted audience
Membership of subreddits can range from tens of millions to just a handful of people.
Each subreddit has its own different demographic. This means that no matter your target audience, you can find the perfect place to engage with potential customers.
You can rank on the first page of Google
Reddit discussions rank highly in Google. People want to see content that provides value and experience, which Reddit provides with its in-built content moderation.
(It also probably helps that in 2024, Google and Reddit struck a deal where Reddit agreed to let Google train its AI models using its content.)
Take for example, this Google search for the query ‘Should I buy an air fryer?’ This is a competitive query, with the top organic results taken by large, prominent sites like the BBC and Good Housekeeping.
However, Reddit appears in position five, meaning you can get your business in front of prospective customers by appearing in the right discussions.
You can get links to your site
Reddit allows links to external sites, meaning opportunities to promote your website if it’s appropriate and relevant to do so.
However, it’s important to note that these links are ‘nofollow,’ meaning you don’t get a significant ranking boost like you do with ‘dofollow’ links.
However, nofollow links still provide value. They can drive traffic to your website and help diversify your link profile – search engines like Google prefer to see lots of different types of website links.
You can get customer feedback
Reddit isn’t just brilliant for engaging with customers; you can also use it to gather market research and customer feedback.
You can ask questions, communicate directly with Redditors, and use the upvote/downvote system to identify the most relevant and popular comments.
Is Reddit free?
Yes, Reddit is free to sign up for and post on.
However, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has advised that some content will be placed behind a paywall later this year.
Which content will be paywalled and how much it will cost is currently unknown.
You can also pay for additional elements like ‘awards’ – virtual tokens you can give other Redditors if you like their content.
How to get started with Reddit
It’s easy to get started with Reddit – you can sign up here.
Enter your email address or sign up with Google, Apple, or your phone number.
Choose a unique username, create a password, and select your interests – this will help Reddit build a home feed for you.
(Bear in mind that once you choose a username, you can’t change it. You can have multiple Reddit accounts as long as you don’t use them to violate Reddit’s code of conduct, for example, by upvoting your own posts.)
Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to start exploring!
Top tips for making the most out of Reddit as a business
Some brands do a great job of engaging on Reddit. For example, we’re big fans of what SEMrush is doing on the r/SEMrush subreddit – the team answers people’s questions and contributes to the discussion without being salesy.
While it’s a very small subreddit, the team do a great job!
If you want to create content that Redditors can’t help but upvote, here’s how to get started.
1. Research subreddits before you post
With thousands of different subreddits, you can find the perfect place to build a community. There’s even a subreddit with 27k members dedicated to Djungelskog, Ikea’s iconic toy bear!
Choosing the right subreddit (or subreddits) is key. It’s far better to engage with a few relevant subreddits than to spam several subreddits with low-quality posts.
The easiest way to find subreddits is to use the search bar. Type a keyword that’s relevant to your business and explore the options that appear. It’s always worth reading through a few pages of posts to see what people are saying!
If you’re still not sure, r/findareddit has a list of subreddits to help you, or you can post a message asking for help.
Once you’ve found a subreddit you want to engage on, read the rules. Each subreddit has its own set of rules it enforces, as well as Reddit’s general rules.
Some subreddits may have rules about posting promotional content. If you don’t follow these rules your posts may be deleted. In the worst-case scenario, you may receive a ban.
For example, the subreddit below only allows promotional posts in a specific thread.
If your account is more than 30 days old and you have an appropriate amount of karma, you can create your own subreddit.
Some brands run their own official subreddits (like Purple Innovation). However, this does involve additional moderation and promotion work.
2. Build up your karma
Reddit is all about karma. The more karma you have, the more likely Redditors are to trust what you have to say.
Plus some (but not all) subreddits only let you post if your Reddit account is over a certain age or if you have a certain amount of karma. This is to stop spammers from flooding subreddits with low-quality content.
The best way to build karma is to contribute to other people’s discussions. Add your thoughts and upvote posts that contribute to the discussion.
This will not only raise your karma but shows that you’re happy to listen to what other people have to say.
Make sure your comments add value and are respectful. If people don’t like your comments, they can downvote them, which can mean you lose karma.
This Reddit guide explains how karma works and how to get it.
3. Don’t be overly promotional
The golden rule of posting on Reddit as a business – don’t promote your product or service on every post or comment you make.
As you can see from the comment below, Redditors have a lot to say about brands trying to openly sell on the platform!
Being overly promotional can lead to downvotes and negative publicity, as well as potentially being banned from your subreddit of choice.
Your ultimate goal should be to show you’re an experienced, authentic, and skilled expert in your chosen field.
If you promote your product or service in a relevant discussion (for example, if a Redditor asks for product recommendations), be transparent and advise that you’re affiliated with the business.
4. Create quality content
If you start discussions on Reddit, make sure they provide value. Your posts should educate, engage, or entertain your fellow Redditors.
Many subreddits have rules about ‘thin’ or ‘low-effort’ content, meaning moderators may remove your post if you don’t put the effort in.
What you can offer depends on your industry and the subreddit you’re posting in. You can ask questions, comment on a news article, share tips, or share links to valuable articles.
Of course, just because you’re a business doesn’t mean you can’t bring the funny. Relevant and original jokes, memes, and images can go down well with your target audience too!
5. Consider an AMA
An AMA, or ‘Ask Me Anything’ is a Reddit discussion where a Redditor shares their experiences and other Redditors can ask them questions.
AMAs can take place on a specific subreddit or in the dedicated r/AMA subreddit, where as the tagline goes, ‘the mundane becomes fascinating.’
Hosting an AMA is a fantastic way to share your knowledge and experience and tell people more about you and your brand.
People who take part in your AMA will expect a quick response, so book a few hours to answer questions. Sorting comments by ‘new’ rather than ‘best’ can help ensure you respond to everyone.
Be mindful that some AMAs are more successful than others. If your AMA doesn’t do as well as you were expecting, it might be that your angle wasn’t quite right or you promoted it at the wrong time.
6. Use Reddit advertising
If you don’t have the time and resources to build a community around your brand, there is an alternative option – Reddit advertising.
Reddit offers a range of advertising options. You can target specific subreddits and interest groups and use various ad formats including images, videos, and carousels.
You can also import campaigns directly from Meta ads to save time and ensure consistency.
As Reddit ads are underutilised compared to other advertising platforms like Facebook, X, and Twitter, the average cost-per-click is lower. This makes Reddit a great option if you want highly targeted ad campaigns at a low price point.
7. Track your performance
When you post on Reddit, it’s essential to monitor your results to see if your hard work is generating leads and conversions.
As well as upvotes and karma, track the amount of traffic that Reddit drives to your website and the number of sales generated. Adding a UTM tracking code to any links you use on Reddit can help you precisely monitor which subreddits and discussions are driving results.
Reddit offers a free tool for businesses called Reddit Pro. This helps businesses monitor their performance on Reddit, track mentions, and identify the best subreddits to post on.
Xigen: Your SEO specialist
Reddit isn’t right for every business. You need to dedicate time to contributing to relevant subreddits and identify the optimal time to promote your business.
However, if you put the effort in, it’s well worth it!
If you’re considering Reddit as a marketing tool, we recommend signing up for an account first. Join some subreddits, see what people are posting, and comment and upvote on posts you like. This will help you understand how the platform works and see whether it’s right for your needs.
Looking for a digital marketing company to help get your business to the top of the search engine rankings? From comprehensive keyword research to improving site performance, our team of SEO experts will get you ranking!
Note: Information in this article is current as of June 2025.
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