Reddit is a buzzing online community made up of opinionated and passionate users. The platform is great for learning and sharing information, and creating conversation around it. Within this online community are more concentrated communities centered around specific topics, known as Subreddits. These micro-communities are great opportunities to bring more traffic to your website.
However, Reddit can be an intimidating platform for unfamiliar and inexperienced users. Reddit expects users to contribute to the platform with quality content, not pushy promotions.
In this article we’ll explore how to build your own Subreddit, how to promote your website in related Subreddits, and how to engage properly on Reddit. The combination of these Reddit marketing strategies are designed to help you get more traffic to your website.
How to Build Your Own Subreddit
Do not expect to build your own Subreddit your first day on the platform. You can’t sign up for the platform and create your own Subreddit on the same day.
Before you can create your own Subreddit, you be a member of the platform for 30 days and have enough “karma” built up in your account.
.png)
You earn positive karma with each upvote your posts receive. On the flip side, you receive negative karma for every downvote your posts receive.
In order not to waste time, you should be an active member working to build up your account’s karma while you wait for your 30 days to be up. Once your account is qualified, you’ll see an icon in the upper right corner of the home page that says “Create your own subreddit.”
.png)
Once you click on it, you’ll be prompted to name your Subreddit and set the topics, privacy settings, and age restrictions before it can go live.
.png)
The name of your Subreddit is important: it must be unique to the platform and accurately display what your community represents. You want to make sure it grabs the attention of other users to make them want to join your community. The name of your Subreddit also appears in its URL, so choose wisely.
How to Promote Your New Subreddit
After you’ve created your Subreddit, start creating posts so new users will have something to engage with when they land on your page. There should be several posts for users to scroll through to help them gain a better understanding of what your community is about.
.png)
You also should have enough content so users can feel comfortable posting as well, without feeling like they’re the only active user. The content you post should draw your community to your Subreddit naturally.
Now that you’ve created your own Subreddit, you are deemed a Moderator, or “Mod.”
You’ll receive “ModMail” and now have certain privileges like deleting posts in your Subreddit. Part of your responsibilities with moderating your new Subreddit is keeping up on your requests from users via ModMail.
ModMail also allows you how to communicate with other moderators. This is a great opportunity to build respectful relationships with other Mods, where you promote your Subreddit on each other’s Subreddits. If you feel your content is related and relevant to each other’s communities, reach out to other Mods and ask if you can cross-promote.
There are also Subreddits dedicated solely to promoting new Subreddits. A couple examples are r/newreddits and r/promotereddit. This would be an appropriate place to openly promote your page.
Promoting Your Website in Related Subreddits
Take time to explore the platform for Subreddits that discuss topics related to your website.
Blogging Related Subreddit Post
.png)
Familiarize yourself with these other communities by reading the posts and engaging with them. After you have a feel for the type of content that performs well in these communities, figure out how you can discuss your website in a post that’s beneficial to the community.
.png)
When looking for related Subreddits, consider the size of each community. There are going to be vast Subreddits on broader topics and niche Subreddits on more specific topics.
Consider posting in different sized Subreddits, not just the big ones. Keep in mind that while there might be a large amount of users in one community, your post could get lost in all of the traffic. Smaller Subreddits provide an opportunity to have a discussion amongst a more interested group of users.
.png)
Creating your own Subreddit and promoting your website in related Subreddits are great marketing strategies for helping you get more traffic to your website.
Related Reading: Innovative Marketing Features to Add to Your Website
How to Engage on Reddit
Navigating this online platform is different from engaging on other platforms like Twitter or Facebook. Going about it the wrong way can result in being kicked off the platform.
You want to make sure you’re posting, commenting, and interacting in a way that grows your presence naturally instead of forcefully.
Quality Content and Links
Reddit’s popular-opinion grading system of karma encourages genuine content and greatly discourages promotional posts that don’t provide value. Posting purely promotional content that doesn’t provide any benefit to your fellow users will likely result in a flood of downvotes and a decrease in your karma.
.png)
If your posts continually come across like advertisements, you won’t be able to build a genuine community around your content.
When creating a post, think of topics and questions aimed at creating discussion. Your posts should engage other users to share their opinions, answer other people’s questions, and ask their own questions. A discussion involves a back-and-forth conversation, not a one-and-done answer.
Don’t Over-Post Your Links
Mass-promotion of your website across Reddit can result in you being banned from the site. As the platform is geared toward building community around specific topics, spamming users is greatly discouraged. Trying to shortcut your growth by spamming the platform with links is only going to repulse users.
Conclusion
While Reddit can be an intimidating platform for new users, it provides an opportunity to grow your website’s traffic. Reddit is made up of Subreddits, which are niche communities centered around specific topics.
Two main strategies for helping you get more traffic to your website are creating your own Subreddits and promoting your website in related Subreddits.
In order to be successful on the platform, you have to post quality content that draws users in while refraining from oversharing links.
The more likeable content you post, the more good karma you receive from other community members. Overall, when done properly, Reddit is a great tool for building a loyal community and driving traffic to your website.