Should You Use Reddit in Your Content Marketing Strategy?
Reddit can be an integral part of your content marketing strategy when used properly
With the rise of generative AI, many business owners wonder: “Should you use Reddit in your content marketing strategy?” At Charlotte Content Marketing, we believe you absolutely should use Reddit in your content marketing strategy because people crave authentic content from real humans. With so much AI-generated junk content floating around on the web, branded content on sites like Reddit can set your business apart and create authentic connections with consumers.
In this post, we’ll explore:
How Reddit can benefit your content marketing efforts
Why Reddit and user-generated content (UGC) sites are more important than ever for SEO
What steps you can take to get the most from using Reddit in your content marketing strategy
We’ll also cover how to use Reddit to improve your SEO efforts and provide helpful ideas for using Reddit in your content marketing strategy. By the time you’re through, you’ll better understand how Reddit works, why Reddit can be an essential part of your content marketing strategy, and how you can use Reddit to generate more substantial customer relationships.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Reddit is a collaborative site that allows users to create their own content through groups called subreddits
What is Reddit?
Before getting into the details of using Reddit in your content marketing strategy, let’s back up and take a closer look at what Reddit is. If you’ve never used the site before, we’d recommend taking a moment to poke around Reddit yourself to get a feel for its layout.
In a nutshell, Reddit is a website that allows people to create individual groups to discuss topics. These groups are referred to as subreddits, and anyone can create a subreddit about a topic that’s important to them.
What Are Subreddits?
Subreddits can be focused on anything from celebrities to world events and niche topics to inside jokes. Each subreddit has a moderator or moderators who oversee content posted by members of the subreddit.
People join subreddits that interest them, and members of each subreddit can make posts and comment on each other’s posts in an ongoing discussion-style forum. Responses people find helpful can be upvoted to increase visibility, and unhelpful content can be downvoted and eventually hidden from view.
Reddit thrives on conversations between like-minded individuals
What Makes Reddit’s Design Unique?
Reddit is a unique place on the Internet, and it serves as a shining example of how user-generated content (UGC) can significantly benefit people’s lives. The site’s core design is a throwback to the early Internet when BBS, forums, and chatrooms allowed people to share ideas and experiences from across the world.
In a way, the core of Reddit’s design is what makes the Internet what it is and was designed to be: A place where people can share original ideas and communicate about specialized topics on a granular level.
UGC Sites Are Integral to an Open Internet
I started my journey on the web around 1994 or 1995, and back then, the web really was like the Wild West. Chatrooms, message boards, and forums were ways to connect with people from around the world, and people freely shared ideas and opinions without fearing reprisal.
Conversations and experiences were genuine, and no algorithms dictated what content was surfaced or hidden. The best content was the content that got shared, and you could count on content to come from genuine sources (i.e., other human beings).
People have started including “reddit” in searches to find genuine, authentic content
Web Users Are Already Looking for Content From Reddit
In recent years, web users frustrated with the increasing number of spammy websites, ads, and agenda-driven sales content found in search results have begun adding “Reddit” to their online searches. This is done in the hopes of returning results from the site because of the authentic and genuine nature of the content created by users (affectionately known as “Redditors”).
Why Now Is a Great Time to Add Reddit to Your Content Marketing Strategy
So, should you use Reddit in your content marketing strategy? Our experts say yes for a number of reasons.
You May Get Picked Up in Search Results
First, adding Reddit to your content marketing strategy is important because Google has begun including Reddit content in its SGE. Other generative AI technologies like Chat-GPT may also scrape Reddit and similar UGC sites to generate answers to users’ queries. Having content about your business on Reddit increases the odds of your brand being found in search results for relevant queries.
Reddit links don’t add to search engine rank directly, but they send signals to Google
Reddit Mentions and Links Send Search Signals to Google
Second, business and product or service mentions on Reddit and other UGC sites can raise awareness while building trust and authority. Essentially, you want to create a buzz among consumers to get them talking about your business on Reddit genuinely and authentically.
The Interactivity Factor Can’t Be Beat
Third, engaging Reddit users can add value to your brand. In content marketing, things like blog posts, email marketing, newsletters, podcast production, and thought leadership content can all be helpful branding tools, but they don’t always invite engagement. Interacting as your brand on Reddit can take your efforts to a whole new level while helping to develop demand for your products and services.
Links from UGC sites like Reddit are helpful to search engines and users
A Note About Links on Reddit and UGC Sites
Before we look at some ways to use Reddit in your content marketing strategy, we need to address the topic of links. Something to be aware of is that links to your digital properties from a Reddit post aren’t going to be the same as links from elsewhere on the web.
Without going into too much detail, getting links from authoritative sites is an excellent way to get higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). With UGC sites like Reddit, links don’t carry the same weight because anyone can create a Reddit account and start spamming content and links. Reddit knows this, and Google knows this.
To combat link spam, a special tag is added to links placed on UGC sites that basically tells Google not to index the link. In a nutshell, these links don’t add value for improving the search engine rank of your site.
“Nofollow” Links are Still Valuable
On the other hand, these so-called “nofollow” links can still be beneficial as Google sees them as signals. A signal doesn’t denote authority, but it tells Google that your site exists and people are talking about it. This isn’t a ranking factor for your site, but it may add to trust elements used for determining how your site is found and where it falls in relation to similar sites with similar links and content.
Don’t Try to Game the System With Link Spam
Our verdict on creating accounts and spamming links? Don’t do it. It will be a waste of time, but it will also potentially harm your reputation. People who come across spammy content about your brand on Reddit will likely be turned off and may develop a negative view of your business. Beyond that, because Reddit is a community-style forum, people will eventually call out accounts suspected of being shill accounts, further hurting your business’ reputation.
Your content strategy can benefit from incorporating Reddit in several ways
How to Incorporate Reddit into Your Content Marketing Strategy
So, if you can’t create links to boost your site’s rank using Reddit, how should you incorporate Reddit into your content marketing strategy? Thankfully, there are some easy, fun, and productive ways to do this without breaking any rules.
Below are some ways to incorporate Reddit into your content marketing strategy:
Reddit AMAs are a popular format where brands and users can interact
Host an AMA (Ask Me Anything)
One popular post format on Reddit is the AMA or Ask Me Anything. These posts are created by people and brands with experience in a specific area or specialty, and they allow the host to answer questions from curious users. AMAs are popular because they share insight directly from the source on interesting topics, which can boost credibility and help your content get picked up by Google.
If you or someone in your organization has experience in something interesting, hosting an AMA is a great way to boost credibility on the web. You can tell followers on social media about your AMA event, and some business owners will set up a separate livestreaming event where they appear on camera to answer questions from participants while simultaneously answering questions on Reddit.
The real value here is that business mentions and engagement from Reddit users can help your AMA content get found by Google’s SGE. It can also lead to more mentions around Reddit when people reference the AMA in other posts and subreddits.
Crowdsourcing can be an excellent use of Reddit for developing useful content
Use Reddit for Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the concept of asking for feedback about a topic from a group of people who fit into a particular demographic. The benefit of crowdsourcing is that it can invite diverse opinions on an idea while keeping things contained to people who meet specific criteria.
Reddit is a fantastic tool for this since subreddits are separated by niche. As a practical example, suppose you run a company that develops medical imaging software. You want to discover what features people feel need to be improved in currently available medical imaging solutions.
Reddit can be very helpful for gaining valuable feedback from select demographics
Honest Feedback From Relevant Sources
To get the answers you’re looking for, you need to ask for opinions and experiences from people who work with this software daily. The old-fashioned way of doing this would be to research different markets, send out surveys, make phone calls, visit medical facilities, and conduct field interviews. This is time-consuming and may still not result in enough diversity of thought.
In our example, you can use Reddit to look for ideas by asking questions of users in subreddits dedicated to medical imaging and medical imaging software. Because you receive feedback from a large sample of people interested in or working within the medical space, you’re likely to receive valuable information that can be incorporated into your software development.
By creating your own subreddit, you join with likeminded individuals who may become customers
Create Your Own SubReddit
You can also create your own subreddit dedicated exclusively to your brand. There are many advantages to doing this, including:
You control content through moderation
You can start conversations and promote content as you wish
You can interact with customers and build brand awareness
You can generate demand
Your subreddit can receive exposure in search results and help your SEO efforts
If you create a subreddit, you’ll need to consider putting rules in place for posting. Reddit itself also has site-wide guidelines you’ll need to factor into your content development strategy. In theory and in practice, you don’t want to use your brand’s subreddit to try to sell. Instead, use content marketing best practices to create and promote helpful, useful content that fans of your brand will find engaging.
The entire crux of content marketing is that it relies on the content itself to do the selling for you. Instead of advertising a product or service, your content demonstrates how your products and services are useful. Content marketing is a way to build brand support because buyers can imagine themselves using your products or services based on the stories you share in your content.
Our Verdict? Yes, You Should Use Reddit in Your Content Marketing Strategy
Reddit has been and continues to be a fantastic option for innovative content marketing. It’s engaging, personal, and can help improve web visibility through brand awareness and SEO. Take advantage of the site’s culture of sharing and interaction to get the best results, and consider creating your own subreddit for a personalized space to call your own.
Contact Charlotte Content Marketing to Learn More About Content Strategies That Drive Results
If you’re still unsure about how to incorporate Reddit into your content strategy or you don’t feel like you have the time or resources to devote to content marketing, we’re here to help. Charlotte Content Marketing is the premier content marketing agency in the Charlotte, NC, region, and our team is made up of experienced experts who create personalized strategies for businesses across the Carolinas and the world.
Call Charlotte Content Marketing to schedule a no-obligation consultation. We would love to hear about your challenges and provide solutions! Dial (704) 323-6762, or use our contact form to reach our content marketing agency online right now.
