Reddit isn’t new. But, for many businesses, the idea of marketing on Reddit is a fairly recent concept. However, with over 440 million weekly active users, thanks to Google’s recent prioritisation of helpful content from forum discussions, it now offers an excellent opportunity for businesses to get their brand, products, or services out there.
If you have been considering marketing on Reddit but aren’t sure about the benefits, how it works, or best practices, then stick around - we’ll go through the basics of Reddit marketing so you can decide whether it's really for you, and how to do it if it is.
Possibly the biggest benefit to marketing on Reddit is the niche targeting. Reddit is a forum platform that is made up of thousands of communities, known as subreddits. You can find even the most niche of topics on here so no matter what your business does or what you offer, you are more than likely to find your target audience somewhere on Reddit.
As each niche has its own subreddit, it’s the perfect place to target highly specific groups of people who are most likely going to be interested in what you have to offer.
This one is a bit of a double-edged sword. Reddit users are typically very community centred, and will easily spot promotional content or unauthentic content, which can work against you. However, when done right and by ensuring your marketing efforts are honest, engaging, and offer genuine value to the community, users are likely to respond positively.
Compared to platforms like LinkedIn and Google, Reddit is more affordable, with the average cost per click (CPC) sitting at £0.20-£0.70 compared to £0.50-£5 for Google Ads. Plus, with more specific targeting, the returns are likely to be higher, meaning you can truly maximise your budget.
As we mentioned, Google has been prioritising forums in the search results, as they're seen as more genuinely helpful for users. As Reddit is arguably the largest forum site in the world, you now regularly see it ranking well in the SERPs (search engine results page).
By appearing in a Reddit post or comment that ranks well in the SERPs, you can gain search engine visibility and even generate backlinks to your website, which can have a positive impact on your overall SEO efforts.
Another huge benefit to marketing on Reddit is getting insights into what users think about your brand, product, or service. Reddit users don’t tend to hold back on what they think and this brutal honesty can tell you a lot about what you really need to be doing to resonate with and help your customers.
Reddit’s advertising platform is similar to that of Facebook or Google Ads. You can create ads at ads.reddit.com and manage everything from there.
Campaigns are structured like so:
Ads come in numerous format options:
And your targeting options include:
As we mentioned earlier, Reddit users are very community focused and appreciate honest, genuine discussions. Being too salesly or being too obviously an advert can deter users from your brand. Instead, be subtle and focus on contributing helpful, authentic content that users will value. People appreciate genuine discussions over overt advertisements.
It’s important to actively engage with the community rather than just posting and leaving. Respond to comments and have conversations with users. This will increase trust between you and your audience.
Along with the general Reddit rules, each subreddit has its own rules regarding content types, posting guidelines, and user behaviour, and these can vary quite widely. So it’s important to read and follow the guidelines, as breaching these could get you banned from the community.
Thanks to its niche targeting, unique ability to build trust between brand and consumer, lower costs, SEO benefits, and potential for market research, Reddit is an excellent option for many businesses. If you’re thinking of advertising on Reddit but aren’t sure where to start or how to go about it, then feel free to get in touch with us today. Our PPC experts are always on hand to help!
