Regarded as the “front page of the internet,” Reddit is where 234 million users share links and discuss ideas. Can marketers post about a product or service there? The short answer: yes. But here's how to do successfully.
More information on posting to Reddit here: http://bit.ly/1TruCHd
7. Step 1: Join Reddit
• Create an account
• Don’t risk your personal account
• Keep it brand agnostic
• Embrace anonymity
8. Step 2: Find Relevant Subreddits
• Identify subs applicable to
product or service
• Target subs with lots of
subscribers
• Check out the defaults
• Have backups!
• Shoot for about 5 applicable subs
9. Step 3: Get acquainted with the
community
• Check out other posts
• Comment
• Share a link
• Review all of a sub’s rules
• Don’t get banned!
• Review proper “reddiquette”
10. Step 4. Post about the product
• Share about product in targeted
sub
• Ideally, link to news article
• Seems timely and authentic
• Make sure it’s positive
• Make it relevant
• If possible, find fun or catchy
angle
11. Step 5. Enlist the help of
“friendlies”
• Have a couple known Redditors
upvote your post
• Gives post an initial positive
nudge
12. Step 6. Engage with comments
• Upvote positive comments
• Downvote overly negative
comments
• Respond to questions and
concerns
• DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!
13. Step 7. Gather feedback
• What are users saying?
• Adjust messaging as necessary
• Ask for feedback
14. Step 8. Adjust and x-post
• Post about a product to another
relevant sub
• Smart small, then go bigger
• Adjust link text
Editor's Notes
“Front page of the internet”
Users share information and links
Reporters often trawl Reddit for content for articles, often see this practice on websites like Buzzfeed
Subreddits are smaller communities on the website focused on a specific topic, and the defaults are ones users are automatically subscribed to.
Reddit metrics: http://redditmetrics.com/history
You’ll need a Reddit account to post links and make comments. For your marketing efforts, it’s recommended to create a new one. This is because if you accidentally break a subreddit rule your account might get banned from it.
It’s best to create a new account, and not risk your own personal one.
Each subreddit has a specific focus. Identify one or more that are relevant to your product or service. To reach the largest audience possible, target subs with the most subscribers. If in luck, this just might be a default sub with millions of users following its content. You can easily search different subs here on Reddit.
Ideally, you’ll have about five subreddits in mind as they each have their own mores and norms. This way, if you make a misstep and get banned you’ll have a backup.
Before posting, get a better feel for your target subreddit. This means reading other posts, commenting and even sharing a link. Doing this will give you familiarity with the sub and make your post seem more “authentic.”
Also be sure to review all of subreddit’s rules. Following them will help ensure you don’t get banned. And review proper reddiquette.
Finally, share your product on targeted subreddits. Consider linking to either a news article or product website. Generally, an article might perform better as it’d come across as something someone happened to find. If an article, make sure it’s recent and positively positions the offering.
As for the post, craft it around the subscribers’ interests. Also, find your product’s fun or catchy angle. Fun or helpful posts tend to perform best.
Get an initial boost from other known redditors. Getting a couple friendlies to upvote the post can give it a nudge into the right direction.
This may appear somewhat underhanded, but it feeds into Reddit’s hive mind mentality and can prime the pump for further positivity.
A compelling post will get comments. When this happens, upvote positive ones and downvote overly negative ones. You will also have the opportunity to respond to any skepticism by addressing concerns. But as the saying goes, “Don’t feed the trolls!”
Reddit can act like a focus group with users providing feedback. Note what others say so you can adjust messaging as necessary. These comments will often be blunt but provide valuable insight.
Consider asking for feedback directly. If you’re an app developer, for example, it might be worth seeing what redditors think about a product or idea.
After testing the waters in smaller subs, you might want to try out a bigger group. To do this, first adjust your messaging according to feedback. For instance, if users are unsure about an aspect of your product, address it in your next post. Once adjusted, feel free to cross post, known as an “x-post.”
Before x-posting, repeat steps above: assess the sub, review rules, post beforehand and enlist friendlies.
