Reddit Marketing: A Full Guide

Why should I use Reddit to market my business?

Though not a traditional means of social media marketing, Reddit offers many advantages similar to other online platforms, along with some unique benefits that can help take your business to the next level.

1. Reddit helps you reach massive, savvy audiences. 

According to Matt Tutt, a digital marketing and SEO consultant, one of Reddit’s biggest draws is its sheer popularity. 

“It’s one of the most visited sites on the web … especially in the U.S. amongst young, often well-educated, fairly ‘switched-on’ audiences,” Tutt explained.

However, Tutt warns that this “switched-on” mindset can pose unique challenges for marketers: “Reddit users are often wary of being advertised to, so as a channel, it can be fairly volatile.”

2. Reddit helps you access niche, highly engaged communities.

Reddit is comprised of various communities, or subreddits, written in the format r/[subreddit] and each centered around a specific interest area. These may be as broad as r/healthyfood or r/marketing, or as niche as r/constructiontech or r/veganbeauty.

Charlotte Sheridan, director of Quokka Agency, emphasized that Reddit’s unique structure helps brands pinpoint their target audiences by providing access to niche communities that many other online platforms can’t reach.

“While you have ‘interest-based’ targeting on platforms like Meta or TikTok, Reddit audiences can be a little more nuanced, which can be a great opportunity for brands that really want to get specific with their target audience,” Sheridan explained.

3. Reddit supports deeper, more intentional interactions.

Miruna Dragomir, chief marketing officer at Planable, noted that Reddit stands out as a rare platform where meaningful conversations thrive.

“Reddit is powered by communities that self-organize around subjects they are really passionate about,” Dragomir said. “Users aren’t passively scrolling so much as actively looking for insights, recommendations [and] discourse. If you do it tastefully, the effect can be [powerful].”

One such effect is a boost in brand visibility and authority, explained Michael Capote, chief marketing officer at German Car Depot.

“The platform’s emphasis on expertise builds thought leadership, which translates to brand authority,” said Capote. “Positive Reddit comments tend to get expanded visibility across multiple platforms, which produces organic brand awareness that extends past the first community.”

How to use organic search on Reddit

Reddit threads often appear on the first page of Google search results, especially for more niche or specific queries. Additionally, as Tutt noted, many users discover new brands on Reddit before searching for more information elsewhere. The following expert strategies can help you take advantage of this organic search visibility. [Read related article: Paid vs. Organic Social Media: How to Strike the Right Balance]

Contribute to high-visibility threads.

One of the simplest ways to boost your presence in organic search is to answer commonly searched Reddit questions or respond to popular threads. As Jay Mandel, a brand coach and founder of the Marketing Accountability Council (MAC), pointed out, Reddit threads consistently rank on Google and show up in AI-generated summaries. 

“[Reddit content] stays live and searchable indefinitely,” Mandel explained, which means that you’ll show up in search results even if your own website isn’t ranking directly.

Build trust in your niche communities.

In addition to showing up in popular threads, Dragomir recommends diving deep into your niche to boost organic rankings and brand presence, especially with more targeted or long-tail searches.

“You can … build a brand by becoming a respected voice on a particular subject and simply engaging in relevant subreddits to help contribute toward that effort,” Dragomir advised.

When taking this approach, consider your target audience, which subreddits they might frequent, and the information they might be seeking. Then, identify how you and your brand can provide genuine value to that audience.

“If you show up with a broadcast mindset, you’ll get buried,” cautioned Sarah Schmidt, president of Interdependence Public Relations. “But if you show up with value — solving a problem, sharing expertise or sparking real discussion — you’ll earn trust, and with it, organic visibility that often outperforms paid impressions.”

Use backlinks and branded subreddits wisely.

While building backlinks is typically a good technical SEO practice, self-promotional links are often flagged as spammy on Reddit, so it’s wise to share them sparingly.

“If you’re sharing a link, you’d better share something worth reading,” Mandel advised.

Tutt noted that many companies create their own branded subreddit, considering it an extension of their brand’s owned social channels. However, for businesses that take this approach, a solid strategy — including resources for moderation and ongoing maintenance — is crucial.

“You shouldn’t just create a subreddit for the sake of it,” Tutt emphasized.

How to advertise on Reddit

In addition to organic approaches, you can also use paid advertising on Reddit to reach your target audience. Reddit Ads allows brands to create promoted posts that target Redditors based on interests, keywords and subreddits. 

Here’s how to get started:

1. Create an account: Set up a free Reddit Ads account using your name and business information.
2. Choose your ad format: Traditional options include text, image, video and carousel ads, as well as free-form ads that can mix these elements. Reddit-specific formats include Conversation Ads, Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads and Reddit Takeovers.
3. Define your target audience: Tailor your audience based on interests, subreddits, communities, demographics and other aspects.
4. Set a budget and bidding strategy: Choose your campaign budget, duration and bidding strategy. Different pricing models are available, including cost per click (CPC) and cost per thousand impressions (CPM).

Mandel believes Reddit’s ad platform is underrated and especially effective for niche B2B and “challenger” DTC brands, thanks to its low CPM/CPC rates, detailed targeting and subreddit-specific placements. But success depends on your approach.

“Solve problems; don’t just sell,” Mandel advised. “Ask questions, invite conversation … [and give] prompt replies. Comments signal engagement.”

Mandel also recommends studying the subreddit you’re advertising in and using your “real voice,” not marketing speak.

“If your ad feels like it was written by someone who’s never used Reddit, it probably was — and that’s why it failed,” Mandel explained.

Tips for marketing on Reddit

Reddit can be a powerful way to connect with your audience, as long as you engage the right way. Follow these best practices to help ensure your Reddit marketing efforts land.

Understand the culture of Reddit.

Reddit functions differently from other social media platforms. Each subreddit has its own individual rules, guidelines and general culture. Some of these are explicitly listed — often in the About section, the right-hand sidebar or pinned posts — while others require keen social listening and inference.

“You can’t fake fluency here. You have to embed, contribute and understand the culture, subreddit by subreddit, before ever mentioning your product,” Schmidt said. “Some of the best-performing campaigns I’ve seen came from brands that partnered with moderators [and] hosted AMAs with real humans, not talking heads.”

Engage in real time.

Sara Vicioso, growth marketing manager at Workshop Digital, stressed that flexibility is key when it comes to posting on Reddit.

“Reddit thrives on real-time conversations, and the best strategy is to leave room for authentic engagement when opportunities pop up,” Vicioso advised. “Social listening tools can help track relevant conversations, but those moments can’t always be planned in a content calendar.”

Be helpful, not promotional.

Shared interests are the driving force behind Reddit communities — so helpfulness, not promotion, should be your default approach. According to Capote, businesses that try to promote directly on Reddit through a polished, corporate tone tend to fail.

“The advanced detection capabilities of Reddit make businesses underperform in their marketing efforts,” Capote cautioned. “Any vote manipulation or multiple account usage for content promotion will trigger instant community backlash, which could lead to account bans.”

Dragomir agreed, emphasizing the savviness of Redditors.

“This is a community based on honesty, and we all dig through your history,” Dragomir explained. “Get it wrong here, and the damage can be out of proportion, so brands need to engage here with humility and a sincere intention to provide some value.”

Her advice? Share helpful information, answer questions without pitching your product and let the community know who you are.

“Helpfulness without any calls-to-action builds so much more goodwill and long-term credibility than any campaign ever could,” Dragomir added.