Reddit 101: What You Need To Know

Pop quiz: What’s the most powerful social media platform? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Pinterest? Snapchat? None of the above? The open-source web community known as reddit may be the right answer. Since its humble dorm room beginnings in 2005, the site’s traffic is truly astronomical. Check out some recent stats from the self-proclaimed “front page of the Internet”:  

So clearly, reddit is BIG. But if you’re still not sure what the big deal is, here are some answers to your questions.

So … what is reddit?

• reddit is a giant community and social news site made up of subreddits (forums), which themselves are their own communities. A member of reddit is called a redditor
• Each subreddit is its own forum, dedicated to its own theme or topic. redditors subscribe to and post to these forums and talk with one another
• Karma is earned based upon the number of up-votes your posts receive. (Unlike Facebook, however, your posts can also be down-voted). Top posts and comments move to the top of subreddit threads
• reddit gold (part of reddit’s premium membership program, $) can also be earned and is given by redditors to other redditors for exceptional contributions to the community
• All redditors must follow reddiquette, strict guidelines for posting to and engaging in the communities
• reddit is policed by members of the community, called admins (paid) and mods (non-paid), who serve to uphold the rules, including banning redditors who consistently spam or harass others or routinely flaunt forum rules.

Who’s using reddit?

• Heavy Millennial presence
• Global, multilingual and diverse user base
• Evenly spread across income and education categories
• Users are extremely active (engage longer and more frequently on reddit than any other place on the web)

How can brands get in on the reddit action?

Brands will have to play by reddit’s rules to make any real headway on the site. And be forewarned: reddit is a high-risk/high-reward platform. Users can be harsh and unpredictable. But they’re also an extremely active, extremely influential group – if you can join the conversation there in a positive meaningful way, the power of reddit can’t be underestimated. Basic digital display and in-feed advertising is available, but there are more interactive options. Here are a few examples:

• Branded Content

Get creative with content. Newcastle Brown Ale didn’t spend the big bucks on a Super Bowl ad in 2014 – but they did ask reddit users for ideas on what would make the ultimate, over-the-top Super Bowl ad. Users got into the spirit – and an Anna Kendrick-starring “ If We Made It” anti-Super Bowl Newcastle ad generated as much heat as the genuine article.

• User-Generated Content

Have fun. Lenovo, the computer manufacturing company, challenged video game savvy redditors to help them create an awesome 8-bit style game, with prizes going to the best submissions. The geeks delivered and boosted Lenovo’s profile.

• Subreddit Campaigns

New Belgium Brewing in Colorado couldn’t figure out how to best use a certain image. So they asked the photoshop masters of reddit to “ manipulate, reoperate, obfuscate and out-of-context-ate.” And what they came up with was amazing.

• Listening & Direct Engagement

Get in on the front lines. Transamerica went directly to reddit users by creating a subreddit offering real-time answers to pressing personal finance questions – tricky stuff like Interest rates, student loans, premiums, 401(k)s. The result was ongoing, direct engagement that promoted Transamerica as a useful resource – a total brand win.