How to market on Reddit

Reddit, in recent years, has rapidly gained popularity and has become a hotspot for marketers and top brands.

But if you are familiar with the site, you must have realized that its culture poses a relatively major challenge for any company.

Unlike other social sites, Reddit is a double-edged sword that has the potential to both elevate and precipitate your brand image.

On the one hand, you have an extremely active platform with 430 million daily users within your reach. Yet those same users have enough authority to damage your reputation in one small incident.

Yet despite all this, successful companies have skillfully maneuvered the Reddit site to promote their products and services.

Because once assimilated, you can dramatically increase your brand visibility through this platform.

In this review, I have compiled ten smart Reddit marketing strategies that will help you leverage both organic and paid options to generate traffic.

1. Discover Niche Communities.

Reddit offers a wide range of discussion threads consisting of everything from stock market news to do-it-yourself home improvement. But while the site is surprisingly resourceful, its generic nature makes it difficult for brands to stand out.

There are currently more than 130 active communities on Reddit. To find your ground in a highly saturated platform, you need to target specific subreddits to create brand awareness. (By the way, subreddits are groups where users with common interests share posts and converse on discussion threads. In the new version, they have been renamed as communities.)

Select a community that meets your product criteria and explore trending topics to understand your target market. It will allow you to gather data on which group to approach.

Let me share a useful tactic for finding your niche community.

Are you familiar with SEO optimization techniques? E-commerce sites incorporate particular keywords into their content to drive leads to their site. Subreddit filtering follows a similar principle.

To discover communities manually, Reddit provides a search bar at the top of the page. Type your keyword inside the search bar and the results will show both posts containing your keyword and communities. Review the list and join relevant groups.

Reddit Communities

If you want to further refine your search, try Reddit's Improvement Suite. It is a handy Chrome extension that offers additional features to narrow down your data.

Reddit Community

If you want to further refine your search, try Reddit's Improvement Suite. It is a handy Chrome extension that offers additional features to narrow down your data.

2. Present Your Brand as the Best Solution.

Whenever I encounter a certain problem, I often turn to Reddit to see how real people are dealing with it.

Most Reddit users visit the site for this very purpose. They seek real-time experience and respond extensively to comments offering proven solutions.

As one of the most visited online platforms, Reddit is a melting pot for anything and everything under the sun – from politics to hobbies, music, gaming, and even eCommerce. The site's massive user base and community-focused approach make it an excellent platform for sellers looking to spread the word about their products and connect with potential customers. However, selling on Reddit requires some level of finesse, tact, and practicality to maximize its potentials.

If you're looking to sell on Reddit, here are some tips and tricks to get you started:

1. Choose the right subreddits to post your products

The first step to selling on Reddit is finding the right subreddits to post on. Subreddits (short for "subject-based subforums") are Reddit's way of organizing content by topic. There are subreddits for virtually every topic you can think of – from general interest to narrowly defined niches. So, before making any post, research the subreddits that your potential customers frequent and make sure to post your products in the relevant ones.

For instance, if you're selling handmade jewelry, you may search for subreddits dedicated to "handcrafted" products, "jewelry," or "accessories." However, be mindful of each subreddit's rules and guidelines as some may not allow self-promotion, while others require specific formats for such posts.

2. Build a presence and engage with the community

Reddit's user-centric approach to content means that the community takes center stage. As a seller, your goal should be to build a presence on the platform and engage with the community. This means commenting on relevant posts, answering questions, and offering helpful insights or advice without always advertising your products.

By building a rapport and establishing yourself as a trusted member of the community, you'll be better positioned to advertise your products without coming off as spammy or only interested in making a quick sale. Also, you'll gain valuable insights into the community's needs, interests, and preferences, which can help you tailor your products to meet their demand.

3. Make your posts visually appealing and informative

In a platform where users are inundated with thousands of posts every day, making your posts stand out is crucial. One way to do this is to make your posts visually appealing and informative. This means including high-quality images or videos that showcase your products, along with detailed descriptions of their features and benefits.

Make sure to highlight the unique selling points of your products, what makes them different from other similar products, and their value proposition. Also, ensure that your posts are well-structured, easy to read, and free of grammatical or spelling errors.

4. Offer exclusive discounts and promos

One of the most effective ways to entice potential customers on Reddit is by offering exclusive discounts and promos. Whether it's a limited-time offer, free shipping, or a bundle deal, offering promotions can drive traffic to your posts, increase engagement, and ultimately lead to sales.

Make sure to include clear and concise details about the promo, such as the discount percentage, validity period, and any restrictions. Also, be upfront about any conditions or limitations that apply, so as not to disappoint or mislead potential customers.

5. Be responsive and provide excellent customer service

The key to making sales on Reddit (or any eCommerce platform) is by building a relationship of trust and reliability with your customers. This means being responsive to their queries, answering their questions promptly, and providing excellent customer service.

Ensure that you're on top of your inbox at all times, ready to answer any customer inquiries. Also, solve any issues or complaints promptly and offer a quick and efficient resolution. This way, you'll foster customer loyalty, increase your brand's reputation, and ultimately drive more sales.

In conclusion, Reddit presents a unique opportunity for sellers to connect with potential customers, promote their products, and drive sales. However, it's important to approach Reddit as a community-driven platform that prioritizes engagement and trust over aggressive advertising tactics. By following the above tips, you'll be better positioned to make the most out of Reddit and grow your eCommerce business.

Identify threads that might give you an opportunity to take part in a discussion and resolve those questions by presenting your product as the best possible solution.

Here's a perfect example.

Present your brand as the best solution

This response was given to the post "What is the best tinted sunscreen/moisturizer in one? Does it exist?" 

Coming to sunscreen, people are generally concerned about the SPF number and the thickness of the coverage. The lighter the coverage, the better. Because among several comments, this one shared both points, it caught the potential customer's attention.

Avoid scripted sales presentations and use colloquial language to simplify your explanation. For example, customer reviews usually emphasize one of two characteristics, so limit your commentary to a few sentences.

Study their candid structure and imitate it. You have a better chance of generating traffic using this tactic.

3. Create a Discussion Thread.

Creating your own post gives you free rein to shape it as you see fit. You can also create an outline about your business and share a link to your site.

Keep in mind that Reddit users feel an immediate dislike for ads masquerading as posts and would feel no qualms about flagging your thread if annoyed. Therefore, your content should appear authentic.

Take GRR.

The owner of Gecko Rock Resort often creates promotional ads; however, his biggest traffic comes from indirect marketing.

Sales ad post

The screenshot above is of the sales news he posted on a Discount and Deal subreddit, which unsurprisingly received inadequate engagement.

Sure, the community may not be overly active, but direct sales content hardly attracts attention unless you sponsor your own ads, which I will discuss later.

Now check this out.

Subtle marketing

The second post is an extraordinary blend of history and advertising. By sharing his experience, Mike attracted like-minded potential customers who want to enjoy an adults-only resort.

People are interested in stories. You can generate a meaningful reaction on Reddit by using a story structure.

3. Create a Discussion Thread.

Creating your own post gives you free rein to shape it as you see fit. You can also create a draft text about your business and share a link to your site.