Reddit is one of the internet's most influential platforms, yet many people still don't know exactly how it works.
In simple terms, it's a massive message board where users post links to all sorts of things elsewhere on the internet and participate in lively discussions about anything and everything.
The structure of the site revolves around so-called subreddits (like r/showerthoughts and r/todayilearned) which act as communities where users can discuss specific topics.
Registered members post content such as links, text posts, and images, which other members then vote on and discuss.
While it's not the most obvious place for marketing, brands are very welcome on the platform. According to Reddit, 81% of users like it when brands show up in conversation. And there are social listening opportunities too – with Reddit also sharing that 61% of users give feedback about a brand at least once a month.
Since it was founded in 2005, Reddit has evolved into a complex ecosystem of communities covering nearly every topic imaginable. With over 52 million daily active users and more than 130,000 active communities, it's become a platform frequented by everyone from casual internet users to marketers looking to understand trends and connect with highly engaged audiences.
In this guide:
How Reddit works: The basics
The answer to the question "What is Reddit?" has a few different answers.
In this section, we'll examine how the site is structured, as well as its famous voting system. After that, we'll look at how users gain influence on the platform.
The structure of Reddit
Unlike traditional social networks that revolve around personal profiles, Reddit is organized into thousands of topic-specific communities called subreddits. Each subreddit focuses on a particular subject and has its own set of rules, moderators, and community culture.
Subreddits are named with an "r/" prefix (such as r/science or r/gaming), which represents their URL path on the site. You can find several subreddits covering virtually any interest, from major topics with millions of members to niche communities with just a few dedicated enthusiasts.
When you first visit Reddit, you'll see the front page, which aggregates the most popular posts from across various subreddits. The content you see is curated in a similar way to social media feeds, with the content you interact with directing what you might see next. As you create a Reddit account and subscribe to specific subreddits, your front page will become personalized to show content from the communities you follow.
The voting system
At the heart of Reddit's functionality is its democratic voting system. Reddit users can upvote posts they find valuable, interesting, or enjoyable, and downvote content they dislike or find irrelevant. This system determines which posts rise to the top of subreddits and potentially reach the front page of the site.
Posts with more upvotes gain higher visibility, while downvoted content becomes less prominent. This voting mechanism ensures that the most appreciated content reaches the widest audience, creating a user-curated experience that differentiates Reddit from other platforms driven by algorithms.
The same voting system applies to comments within discussion threads. Quality comments receive upvotes and rise to the top of the discussion, while less valuable contributions may be downvoted and become less visible.
Karma and reputation
As Reddit users participate by posting and commenting, they accumulate "karma" – a point system that reflects their contribution to the community. There are two types of karma:
- Post karma: earned when your submissions receive upvotes
- Comment karma: earned when your comments receive upvotes
While karma doesn't provide any functional benefits on the site, it serves as a reputation indicator and can help establish credibility within the Reddit community. Many subreddits also require users to have a minimum amount of karma before they can post, which helps prevent spam.
Getting started with Reddit
To fully participate on Reddit, you'll need to create a Reddit account and learn how the site and its culture work.
Creating a Reddit account
This process is straightforward, just visit Reddit.com or download the mobile app, then click "Sign Up." At this point, you'll be able to put in your details and set a username. Once you've verified your email address, you're good to go.
Unlike other social platforms, Reddit doesn't require personal information. In fact, most Reddit users log in under pseudonyms, so it's great for anyone who prefers online anonymity.
Finding and joining subreddits
Once you've created your account, the next step is finding subreddits that match your interests.
There are several ways to discover communities. For example, you can use the search function to look for topics you're interested in or browse popular or trending subreddits from the front page.
When you navigate through a subreddit, you'll also see recommendations for other subreddits you might like.
There are also lesser-known multireddits (collections of related subreddits) created by users.
When you find a subreddit that interests you, click the "Join" or "Subscribe" button to add its posts to your personalized feed. Most users subscribe to several subreddits covering different interests, creating a curated browsing experience.
Understanding Reddit culture and etiquette
Before diving into posting and commenting, it's important to understand that the Reddit community has developed its own culture and etiquette over the years.
You should read the rules of each subreddit before posting since individual subreddits often have specific guidelines beyond Reddit's general rules.
There's also something known as the "lurk before you leap" rule – this refers to the idea that it's good practice to spend time observing how a community functions before participating.
In general, self-promotion is discouraged unless explicitly permitted by a subreddit's rules.
Original content is valued while reposting content without attribution is often criticized.
You should also be prepared for direct feedback since Reddit users tend to be straightforward with their opinions.
Violating community norms or subreddit rules can result in your posts being removed or even getting banned from specific communities or the entire site.
How to use Reddit
There are a few ways to get involved on Reddit. Here’s what you need to know, starting with a look at the types of Reddit posts you’re likely to encounter.
Types of Reddit posts
Reddit allows several types of submissions:
- Link posts: You can use these to share content from elsewhere on the internet. When creating link posts, you'll need to provide a descriptive title that helps community members decide whether to click through.
- Text posts (also called self-posts): As the name suggests, these are just written posts. They can range from questions and discussion prompts to personal stories or long-form articles. For example, a post on the popular sub r/relationship_advice would typically fall into this category.
- Image and video posts: You can also upload visual content directly to Reddit. Many subreddits like r/pics specifically focus on image sharing, while others may restrict this type of content.
- Polls: You can also create voting polls to gather opinions from the community.
The type of post you should create depends on both your objectives and the norms of the specific subreddit you're posting to. Some communities only allow certain types of posts, so check the rules before submitting.
Effective posting strategies
There are a few tricks for creating successful posts on Reddit.
First of all, compelling titles can draw readers in. Your title is the first (and sometimes only) thing users see, so it should be informative and engaging.
As with other social media platforms, it's also important to post at optimal times. Each subreddit has peak activity hours when more users are online. Posting during these times increases your visibility.
It's also important to provide some value to readers. Whether you're sharing news, asking questions, or posting images, your contribution should deliver something worthwhile to the community.
Beyond that, Reddit users are skilled at detecting insincerity and overly promotional language. Authentic communication works best.
It also helps if you engage with feedback. If your post receives comments, you should participate in the discussion. Responding to comments improves engagement and shows you're actively involved, and this activity can push your post further up the page.
Having said all that, remember that even well-crafted posts sometimes don't gain traction. There's a bit of luck at play here. The voting system contains some randomness, while timing plays a significant role in whether a post succeeds.
Commenting and participating in discussions
Commenting is often the best way to start participating on Reddit since it doesn't come with quite as much pressure as creating a post from scratch.
Engaging in comment sections is a good way to learn community dynamics before creating your own individual posts. It also builds your karma, which may be required for posting in some subreddits.
When commenting, think about the value you might be able to add to the discussion. Comments that provide additional information, ask relevant questions, or offer thoughtful perspectives often work really well.
Don't forget to cite reliable sources and include links if you're sharing information, especially on factual subreddits like r/science.
Finally, just be respectful. Starting a keyboard war is never a good look, and hostile or offensive commenting can get you downvoted or banned.
Reddit for marketers and businesses
While Reddit might not seem like the most obvious place for marketing, there are actually a few ways you can use it to boost your brand.
Why marketers should pay attention to Reddit
Reddit can be a useful tool for marketers for several reasons.
First of all, there are some highly engaged communities on Reddit. Users are known for getting really invested in a topic, so you could find a lot of chatter related to your industry. The anonymous nature of Reddit also encourages authentic feedback and honest opinions about products, services, and marketing campaigns.
Beyond that, there's a lot of scope for trend identification, since Reddit often surfaces trends, memes, and news stories before they appear on mainstream platforms.
Specific subreddits allow you to reach precisely defined interest groups, so you can get quite targeted when it comes to demographics.
In terms of visibility and SEO, content from the site often ranks well in search results, too – partly due to Google's recent updates that prioritize helpful, experience-based content.
Having said all that, it's worth bearing in mind that the platform has a history of rejecting obvious marketing attempts and can be hostile toward promotional content that doesn't follow community norms.
Market research on Reddit
For marketers, one of the best uses for Reddit is as a market research tool.
For example, you could search for mentions of your brand, products, or industry to understand how Reddit users naturally discuss these topics.
You might also identify pain points and opportunities by reading discussions about products similar to yours.
Don't forget to look at subreddits relevant to your niche, too. A closer look at successful posts could help you understand what content resonates with your target audience.
Finally, don't be afraid to participate in relevant discussions to gain deeper insights through direct interaction.
As long as you're not blatantly promoting a product where it's not welcome, you're still free to engage in discussion. In fact, marketers can find that the intelligence gathered through Reddit observation is valuable even if they never actively promote it on the platform.
Authentic participation vs. promotion
The key to marketing success on Reddit is understanding the difference between authentic participation and obvious promotion.
One way to do this is to contribute genuinely – that means providing value to communities related to your industry through helpful comments and informative posts.
For example, you could set up a business profile and use it to provide expert advice in your niche, without explicitly promoting your products. If your advice is genuinely helpful, people are more likely to look up your business.
It's also good practice to disclose affiliations. If you do mention your own products or services, be transparent about your connection to them.
A good guideline is to make at least nine valuable contributions unrelated to your business for one promotional post – this is called the 9:1 rule.
Finally, there are subreddits with specific threads for self-promotion or days when promotional posts are allowed. If you want to promote something, use the designated promotional channels.
In general, it's best to build a good reputation through authentic participation. This way, any occasional promotion will be better received by the community.
Reddit advertising
For more direct forms of promotion, Reddit does offer a few formal advertising options.
The first is promoted posts that appear in users' feeds and look similar to organic posts but have a "promoted" label attached.
Then there are display ads. These are traditional banner advertisements that appear throughout the site.
Just recently, Reddit also added AMA-specific ads, allowing brands to easily promote Ask Me Anything sessions directly from Reddit Ads Manager. You can even track how many RSVPs were received from this promotion by using Ads Manager reporting.
There are targeting options too, so you can target specific subreddits, interests, and locations.
The benefit of using Reddit's advertising platform is that you can reach specific communities without risking the negative reception that can come with forcing organic promotion. Reddit ads also offer detailed analytics to track performance and engagement.
Advanced Reddit features and strategies
Once you're comfortable with the basic functions of Reddit, there are a couple of advanced features worth trying out.
Reddit Premium and awards
Reddit offers a subscription service called Reddit Premium that provides an ad-free experience and access to r/lounge, an exclusive subreddit.
Premium members also receive a monthly allocation of "coins" used to award outstanding posts and comments. Awards are a way for users to recognize exceptional contributions beyond simple upvotes.
Though it might not have immediately obvious benefits for brands, some marketers have worked out how to use Reddit Premium to their advantage. As a marketing strategy, brands purchase coins to award outstanding content related to their industry, which can help build goodwill and visibility.
Using Reddit's API and tools
For more sophisticated analysis and engagement, Reddit offers an API that developers can use to create custom tools.
There are some clever ways in which marketing teams can use this API. For example, it can be used to aid social listening and track mentions of a brand across multiple subreddits.
It can also be used to analyze trending topics within specific communities or to identify influential users in relevant subreddits.
You could even use it to automate the collection of feedback and insights.
In terms of analytics, Brandwatch is an official Reddit partner, so it'll serve up all of the analysis that you need to see how your brand is performing on the platform.
Moderation and safety on Reddit
If you want to stay on Reddit, you'll need to follow the rules. Reddit's rules are mainly enforced by volunteer users known as moderators, although some Reddit employees work as admins too.
Understanding Reddit's moderation structure
Reddit's moderation happens at two levels:
- Site-wide admins: These are Reddit employees who enforce the platform's overall rules and policies. They have the authority to remove content, ban users, and even shut down entire subreddits that violate site policies.
- Subreddit moderators: These are volunteer users who create and enforce rules for individual communities. They can remove posts, ban users from their subreddit, and customize how their community functions.
This dual-layer moderation system explains why content standards can vary significantly between subreddits. What's acceptable in one community might be prohibited in another, so it's essential to understand each subreddit's specific rules.
Content policies and prohibited content
Reddit has site-wide policies that prohibit certain types of content across all communities, including:
- Illegal content, including child pornography and other exploitative content
- Involuntary pornography and sexual or suggestive content involving minors
- Content that encourages or incites violence
- Harassment, bullying, or invasions of privacy
- Impersonation and deceptive practices
- Spam and vote manipulation
Violating these policies can result in content removal, account suspension, or being blocked from using the site altogether. Beyond these platform-wide rules, individual subreddits often have additional content restrictions.
Navigating controversial communities
Reddit hosts thousands of communities with diverse viewpoints and some subreddits can contain controversial opinions or heated debates.
If you're using Reddit for marketing research or community engagement, it's important to be aware of community biases and political, cultural, or ideological leanings.
This means considering the source. Think about whether a particular community represents your target audience or if they're just a vocal subset.
Ultimately, it's best to avoid toxic communities altogether if you can. Some subreddits develop unhealthy dynamics and engaging in these spaces rarely benefits brands.
If you try the "lurk before you leap" strategy that we mentioned earlier, it'll give you time to seek out appropriate subreddits and avoid any that might pose reputation risks.
Successful marketing examples on Reddit
Here are a few examples of brands that have made marketing wins on Reddit. You never know, you might find inspiration for your own marketing strategy on the platform.
AMAs (Ask Me Anything)
One of Reddit's most popular formats is the AMA (Ask Me Anything), where individuals invite Reddit users to ask them questions about their expertise, experiences, or projects.
A few brands and notable users have taken part.
For example, The Washington Post has a very active presence on the platform and regularly hosts AMA sessions featuring specific members of their team – from reporters and podcasters to fact-checkers.
Bill Gates is another famous active user of the platform. The Microsoft founder regularly participates in AMAs, answering questions about technology, philanthropy, and current events. He also does the occasional bit of promotion – like sharing memorabilia and home video footage from his early life to coincide with his memoir, Source Code.
For marketers, organizing AMAs with company experts can humanize a brand and provide authentic engagement when done with proper preparation and transparency. And AMA-specific ads can make promoting these discussions a whole lot easier.
Community engagement success stories
Some brands have successfully built positive relationships with Reddit communities through thoughtful engagement.
For example, a well-known music streaming platform often pops up in music subreddits. By doing so, their team is collecting feedback that directly influences product development.
In a similar vein, a leading provider of creative tools often engages in design and creative subreddits, with team members providing support and collecting user insights.
These successes share common elements: long-term engagement, authentic participation, and providing genuine value to the community beyond promotional content.
Creative marketing campaigns
While direct promotion is generally unwelcome on Reddit, some creative approaches have succeeded.
For example, when Ryan Reynolds launched his Aviation Gin, his team used humor and self-awareness in both organic content and advertising to successfully promote the launch on Reddit.
In terms of bigger brands, a well-known toy company has also been known for creating custom content specifically for relevant subreddits. By doing so, they showcased products while adding value to communities.
Even this major streaming platform has used Reddit to release exclusive content and Easter eggs for shows with dedicated fan communities on the platform.
The common thread among successful campaigns is that they respect Reddit's culture while finding creative ways to promote products without disrupting the user experience.
Is Reddit right for your marketing strategy?
Reddit represents one of the internet's most influential and unique communities. Since it's driven by interests rather than social connections, it offers marketers an interesting set of challenges and opportunities.
Success on Reddit lies in understanding and respecting its distinctive culture. Approaches that work on other platforms – like overtly promotional content or broadcasting the same message across multiple communities – typically fail on Reddit and may even get you downvoted.
But if you're willing to invest your time in authentic participation, Reddit offers the benefit of direct access to passionate, interested communities, as well as unfiltered consumer feedback.
For many brands, the platform works best as a supplementary channel rather than a primary focus – a place to gather insights, engage with core enthusiasts, and occasionally promote relevant content in appropriate contexts.
The key is to remember that on Reddit, participation comes before promotion.
