Advertising TechnologySocial Media & Influencer Marketing

Reddiquette Tips To Ensure Your Reddit Marketing Is Effective

Reddit is a social community that’s quite different from other social media. Reddit has its own Reddiquette… its own culture, language, and etiquette that can make marketing and advertising challenging. Many businesses bypass Reddit as an advertising channel because the promotion techniques they use on other mediums fall flat with Reddit’s users.

Unique differences of Reddit include:

  • Community Focus: Reddit is built around niche communities (subreddits) that cater to specific interests, making it easier for advertisers to target their campaigns to highly engaged and relevant audiences.
  • User Anonymity: Unlike most social networks, Reddit users can maintain anonymity, which encourages open and honest discussion. This can help advertisers gain genuine insights and feedback on their products or services.
  • Upvoting System: Reddit’s upvoting system allows popular content to rise to the top of the feed, providing advertisers with a potentially organic reach if their sponsored content resonates with the community.

Companies that have worked to understand the culture of Reddit and invested in Reddit Advertising do see results, though. With over half a billion micro-action values (MAVs) annually, Reddit users are deeply engaged, passionate, and promote content that’s valuable… often quicker and to a larger focused audience than other channels that tend to focus on more controversy and recency in their algorithms.

Reddit Marketing And Advertising

Reddit offers a variety of marketing and advertising options for businesses and individuals looking to promote their products, services, or content. Some of the key offerings include:

  1. Sponsored Posts: Advertisers can create sponsored posts that appear in users’ feeds, just like regular Reddit posts. These ads can include images, videos, or links to external websites.
  2. Display Ads: Reddit supports display ads, which can be shown in various formats, including banners, native ads, and rich media. These ads can be targeted to specific subreddits or user interests to increase their effectiveness.
  3. Promoted Posts in Comments: Advertisers can create promoted posts that appear in the comment sections of popular posts, allowing for contextual targeting and engagement with users discussing related topics.

While Reddit offers unique marketing and advertising opportunities, it’s crucial to understand the platform’s nuances and culture to maximize the chances of success. There are a few unique characteristics of Reddit’s user base that can be a disadvantage to your marketing efforts:

  • User Skepticism: Reddit users can be skeptical of advertising and promotional content, so it is essential for advertisers to be transparent, genuine, and contribute value to the community.
  • Fragmentation: The vast number of subreddits and user interests can make it challenging to reach a broad audience. However, this can also be seen as an advantage when targeting niche markets.
  • Learning Curve: Reddit has unique culture, language, and etiquette, which can be difficult for newcomers to understand. Advertisers need to invest time in learning how the platform works and engaging with the community to be successful.

Reddit Case Study: Adobe

True to the creativity for which the brand stands, Adobe’s approach to performance media on Reddit has been entirely unique. See how a years-long partnership built on trust and belief in the inherent good of Redditors led to ads that delivered 3x CVR compared to Adobe’s other top-performing channels.

reddit meet your maker adobe

Read About Adobe Creative Cloud’s Native Reddit Ads

Reddiquette

Reddiquette is an informal set of guidelines and etiquette suggestions for users participating in the Reddit community. It serves as a code of conduct to encourage respectful and courteous behavior, fostering a positive experience for all users. Reddiquette is not enforced by Reddit itself but is highly valued by the community and is considered good practice to follow. When marketing on Reddit, it’s crucial to understand and respect the platform’s unique culture, language, and etiquette.

  1. Community Focus: Reddit is organized into communities called subreddits, each focused on a specific topic or interest. When marketing on Reddit, it’s crucial to target relevant subreddits and tailor your content to fit the community’s interests and needs.
  2. Authenticity and Transparency: Redditors value genuine engagement and authenticity. Avoid overly promotional content and ensure your messaging is transparent and honest. If you’re promoting a product or service, it’s better to explain its features and benefits rather than use hype or exaggeration.
  3. Reddit Lingo: Reddit has its own language and terminology that can confuse newcomers. Understanding these terms can help you better engage with the community and create more relevant content. (Jump to Lingo)
  4. Engage in Discussions: Reddit is a discussion-based platform, and users expect brands to engage in meaningful conversations. Respond to comments and questions on your sponsored posts, and participate in relevant subreddit discussions to build trust and credibility with the community.
  5. Upvotes and Downvotes: Reddit’s voting system allows users to upvote or downvote content, which influences its visibility on the platform. Ensure your content is valuable, engaging, and relevant to the subreddit to increase the likelihood of receiving upvotes and gaining visibility.
  6. Avoid Excessive Self-Promotion: While it’s essential to share your content and engage with users, avoid excessive self-promotion, as it may be perceived negatively by the community. Make sure to contribute to discussions and provide value beyond just promoting your products or services.

Focus on genuine engagement, transparency, and providing value to the community to increase the chances of a successful advertising campaign.

Reddit Advertising Versus Traditional Advertising

Let’s consider an example of a company that sells eco-friendly cleaning products. Here’s how you might approach creating an ad for Reddit compared to a more traditional ad platform:

Reddit Ad

Title: “Hey, r/ZeroWaste! We’re a small company making eco-friendly cleaning products. Share your top green cleaning tips, and we’ll send you a discount code!”

Description: “Hi there, fellow waste warriors! We’re XYZ Clean, and we’re passionate about creating sustainable, zero-waste cleaning solutions. We believe that our community can make a big impact by sharing our knowledge and experiences. So, let’s start a discussion: What are your favorite green cleaning tips or tricks? Leave a comment below, and we’ll send you a discount code for 15% off your first order from our online store. Let’s work together to make the world a cleaner, greener place!”

Traditional Ad

Title: “Introducing XYZ Clean: Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products for a Greener Home”

Description: “Discover the power of nature with XYZ Clean’s range of sustainable, zero-waste cleaning solutions. Our products are made from natural ingredients and packaged in reusable containers, helping you create a cleaner, greener home. Shop now and get 15% off your first order with code GREEN15.”

The key differences between the two ads are:

  1. Personalization: On Reddit, it’s essential to tailor your message to the specific community you’re targeting. In this case, the ad is addressed directly to the r/ZeroWaste subreddit, making it feel more personal and relevant to users.
  2. Engagement: Instead of simply promoting the products, the Reddit ad encourages users to participate in a discussion by sharing their own green cleaning tips. This fosters engagement and can help build trust and rapport with the community.
  3. Authenticity: The Reddit ad adopts a more conversational and genuine tone, reflecting the platform’s preference for authenticity over overly promotional content. By being transparent about the company’s goals and values, the ad can resonate more with Reddit users.
  4. Incentive: Both ads offer a discount code, but the Reddit ad ties the incentive to user engagement, rewarding users for participating in the conversation. This can encourage more interaction and help the ad feel more like a part of the community rather than an intrusion.

When creating ads for Reddit, it’s crucial to understand the platform’s unique culture and focus on genuine engagement, personalization, and authenticity. By doing so, you can better connect with your target audience and increase the chances of a successful advertising campaign.

Some Reddit Lingo

Here are some Reddit acronyms and abbreviations that you’ll commonly see:

  • OP – Original Poster
  • AMA – Ask Me Anything
  • TIL – Today I Learned
  • TL;DR – Too Long; Didn’t Read
  • ELI5 – Explain Like I’m 5 (years old)
  • AITA – Am I the A**hole?
  • NSFW – Not Safe For Work
  • NSFL – Not Safe For Life
  • IAMA – I Am A (used in AMA-style posts)
  • OC – Original Content
  • DAE – Does Anyone Else
  • CMV – Change My View
  • YSK – You Should Know
  • IANAL – I Am Not A Lawyer
  • FTFY – Fixed That For You
  • PSA – Public Service Announcement
  • LPT – Life Pro Tip
  • DM;HS – Doesn’t Matter; Had Sex
  • RTFM – Read The F***ing Manual
  • SRS – Serious (used to denote a serious response or post)
  • MRW – My Reaction When
  • MFW – My Face When
  • TIFU – Today I F***ed Up
  • IIRC – If I Recall Correctly
  • ITT – In This Thread
  • OOTL – Out Of The Loop
  • META – Referring to a discussion about Reddit itself or the subreddit it is posted in
  • PM – Private Message
  • WIP – Work In Progress
  • HIFW – How I Feel When
  • FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
  • TMI – Too Much Information
  • POTUS – President of the United States
  • FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out
  • SO – Significant Other

Douglas Karr

Douglas Karr is CMO of OpenINSIGHTS and the founder of the Martech Zone. Douglas has helped dozens of successful MarTech startups, has assisted in the due diligence of over $5 bil in Martech acquisitions and investments, and continues to assist companies in implementing and automating their sales and marketing strategies. Douglas is an internationally recognized digital transformation and MarTech expert and speaker. Douglas is also a published author of a Dummie's guide and a business leadership book.

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