Reddit Marketing in the AI Era: A Practical Guide for Small Businesses

Move over Google, these days the majority of all AI-generated content is sourcing its information elsewhere — Reddit.

No wonder you keep seeing Reddit this and Reddit that half of the time you go to look something up,including when you’re conducting market research for a client or your own growing business.

Naturally, online business owners are finding themselves asking: “Should I be on Reddit?”

Or is it just another platform that will dilute my time and attention and put me at risk of getting ripped to shreds for “shilling” for a business?

We’ve got a lot of experience with Reddit, and know it can be a powerful addition to your social media strategy and drive tons of engaged traffic — as long as you approach the beast with authenticity at scale.

So, let’s dive in and learn how to protect the brands you represent while opening up Reddit’s cutting-edge marketing channel with the help of AI.

Is Reddit Viable for Small Business Marketing?

Yes. With Reddit, you’ve got engaged users who are looking for discussion and authenticity on a platform that’s become an insanely popular resource in AI-generated search results.

This presents a great opportunity for promotion, as long as you can stick to the same faithfulness Redditors have to remaining genuine.

Interested in investing a little more time into learning about Reddit marketing? Then come on and get into the nitty-gritty with us.

Reddit is a large social media platform split up into communities called subreddits (subs). Think of subs as primarily text-based discussion boards organized around topics. These subs are run by moderators (mods), and users are called Redditors.

The currency of Reddit is upvotes and downvotes, which Redditors use to express their opinion on discussions — and which tell the algorithm what content is popular.

So why is this community-focused platform suddenly part of modern marketing conversations?

• First of all, Reddit has a whopping 108 million daily active users, around half of whom (46%) bring in a household income of $50,000 or more. 
• And perhaps even more relevant is its rise to become the top web domain (a Reddit link, how meta) cited by large language models (LLMs) like Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, etc. 
• More and more, consumers are turning to LLMs to uncover information and recommendations, thanks to the personalized and contextualized way in which they answer searches. 

So if you want to get a brand to surface above the competition right where people are seeking it, Reddit is a key channel for achieving visibility.

Why Else Should I Bother With Reddit Marketing?

Reddit posts often rank well in Google, users value the platform’s original content, and it enables you to quickly reach highly engaged niche audiences.

Even if you think you’ve already got enough on your plate when it comes to tactics for driving traffic to your website — here are the deets on why we’d make some room on that plate pronto for Reddit marketing.

It’s Super Visible in Google Search

While newer generations are certainly branching out from the “Google it!” mantra that has defined search behavior for decades, search engines are still the most-used source for finding info online right now.

And that fact benefits Reddit content more than ever.

The same 2024 Google Core Update that rocked many websites caused a massive boost in Reddit’s search engine rankings. Reddit is one of the most visible sites on Google, just behind Wikipedia and Amazon.

It would seem that Google is prioritizing engagement and content that feels “human”: both areas where Reddit excels.

In other words, having a presence on Reddit has become just as crucial in getting discovered as spinning up a blog was when SEO really hit the scene around the turn of the 21st century.

Related: Improve Your Rankings Using These 20 SEO Techniques

Consumers Crave Original Content

Evolving user behavior is also boosting Reddit’s presence in the marketing space.

Just ask around, plenty of Google users now even add the term “Reddit” to their searches to find human-generated content like reviews and recommendations.

This is perfectly in line with Google’s algorithm changes and further increases the relevance of Reddit for brand promotion.

Quickly Tap Into an Engaged, Ideal Audience

As we touched on a bit already, many subreddits are super specialized communities.

This strong focus can be a great thing for markets!

As long as you do your research and make a concerted effort to become one with the group, you can get right in front of real people who should be interested in what you have to offer — sans the expensive advertising, extensive research, or months of trial and error required like with so many other promotional strategies.

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Can I Use AI for Reddit Marketing (And How)?

AI can be a great tool for Reddit marketing, mostly when it comes to research and monitoring tasks.

One of the most unique features of Reddit, and perhaps frightening for marketers, is how thoughtful, opinionated, and skeptical much of its user base can be. In other words, shameless, lazy, and automated self-promotion is not the way to win with this crowd.

So if you want to implement Reddit marketing across multiple clients without it becoming a full-time job, we recommend only using AI for the less “human” parts of the experience.

Here are some of the best ways you can bring AI into your Reddit marketing strategy without deleting the human touch that you will absolutely need for success.

1. Surface Great-Fitting Subreddits for Your Brand

According to Reddit, there are over 100,000 active subreddits at any given time.

Don’t wanna sort through them all yourself to find the ones where your brand slots right into the convo? Don’t blame ya!

Say you’re repping a brand that sells after-market Subaru performance upgrade products. You could ask your AI tool of choice the best place to post about it based on your best keywords, or on the names of your top competitors. In addition, AI could help you quickly find the fastest-growing racing or Subaru modification subs…or better yet, subs that are technically smaller but have the more active users!

Get creative to find different ways to slice and dice your AI query to uncover plenty of subreddits you would be likely to miss manually.

2. Quickly Get Up to Speed on Each Community’s Vibe

Every subreddit has its own culture, and understanding it is so critical to engaging effectively and avoid being labeled as a brand shill.

AI can help you analyze tons and tons of content at once so you can suss out the tone, top topics, and lingo before you invest real time in crafting content.

3. Generate Creative Content Ideas

Oh hey, did we mention Redditors are super protective of one of the last bastions of unadulterated online conversation?

So we don’t need to reiterate how important it is that you don’t use AI to fully generate content or automate replies, right?!

OK, perfect.

This tactic is all about using AI to observe the best content on a subreddit then help you come up with ideas for awesome new topics that spark the same level of discussion.

Ask AI to check out what people are talking about then brainstorm how you can get in on the action. Maybe that’s by posting genuine and detailed questions, crafting a more contrarian take on a popular subject, or sharing a unique learning experience that flipped your opinion on a hot topic.

4. Get Ahead of the Curve on Trends

AI is really good at uncovering subtle patterns. Ask it to help you find repeated questions, rising keywords, and even less-obvious sentiment shifts in your fave subreddits.

Creating content around soon-to-be-trending topics before they’re saturated shows off your brand’s first-hand knowledge and passion, positioning you as a real expert to follow.

8 Actionable Steps to Natural Reddit Marketing

Natural Reddit marketing comes down to showing up genuinely.

Start by creating a credible profile, joining the right communities, building karma through participation, staying authentic, focusing on solving problems, and beyond.

Step through all of the above with us now.

1. Create a (Non-Cringey) Reddit Profile

To start, you must have an account to interact on Reddit. You could create a business profile to use the Reddit Ads program, but since we’re focusing on organic promotional methods, it’s not necessary.

For small business owners, we recommend going the more personal route instead of using the name of your business. Reddit is anonymous, but we suggest you try to get a name that sounds like you while also representing your space.

Maybe that’s TinaInTech or philtiesflies (Phil Ties Flies). Then, use elements of your profile like your description, banner image, and social media links to share a little bit about your business.

To edit all of these, visit your avatar in the top right corner (desktop) > ViewProfile > EditProfile (under Settings).

This username can’t be changed once you choose it, so take your time!

For marketers who represent several brands at once, you’ll probably want to create different accounts that align with each client’s buyer persona.

So if you’re representing that Subaru parts dealer example from above, you may want to build a profile and name with that in mind — like WRXWins.

2. Find Your People

Once logged into Reddit, you can immediately start searching for topics related to your business using the “Search Reddit” field at the top of the website. These results will show you posts, communities, and comments related to your search.

For example, if you’re helping with marketing for a freelance digital designer, you’d probably want to search terms like “web design,” “graphic design,” and “freelance.” You’re looking for active subs with decent traffic without so many posts and users that anything you share will be buried immediately.

Or, look at the left side of your screen (on desktop) to see filters like Popular, Explore, and All.

Look through these to start seeing what Reddit has to offer. Click the various subs to find what feels right for you. Use the Join button at the top of the page to subscribe to a sub so new posts pop up on your Reddit homepage.

You can always find subs you’re a part of in the Communities menu that should now be shaping up on the left side of your homepage.

3. Grow Your Karma

On many subreddits, there are limitations on actions you can take (like posting new discussions, including links in your posts, etc.) if you don’t have enough karma.

Karma is perfectly named: it represents your reputation on Reddit. You build karma as you get upvotes, which you can do by genuinely investing your time in interacting and sharing content across the platform.

As you start getting the hang of posting, remember that even though you’re acting as yourself, you’re also representing your brand. Anyone can simply click on your profile to see what you’ve posted and engaged with on Reddit.

Also, be careful to mind the rules of each sub to which you’re posting, which can usually be found in the right sidebar when viewing the website on a desktop, sometimes along with other helpful resources and links.

4. Remain Authentic

Again, one of the most important strategies for finding success on Reddit is to be authentic.

A Redditor can be more sensitive than a bloodhound when sniffing out marketing. Typical promotional content doesn’t provide value and merely interrupts the community and culture Redditors and mods try to build in their favorite subs.

So, if you’re going to share something about your brand, be real and unscripted, be transparent about your relationship to it, and be damn sure it’s relevant to the discussion.

5. Offer Solutions, Not Products

The truth is, any good product or service should solve a problem. So when you get on Reddit, your goal should be engaging with people who have that problem; they’re your target audience, after all!

Only once you’ve become part of the community and conversation, and taken the time to add value and solutions, should you even consider mentioning your company. And even then, it’s best to wait until someone brings up something related, such as asking about your experience or credentials.

6. You Don’t Only Have To Give, Try Asking

You’re not just stuck answering questions, you can also ask questions on Reddit as a tactic for drumming up engagement.

For example, Tim Soulo, CMO of SEO super tool Ahrefs, took to an SEO subreddit just after joining the company (and a few times since) to ask one simple question: “What do you think about Ahrefs?”

By genuinely asking about his product and engaging with all the feedback, Soulo was able to generate not only product ideas and goodwill, but also probably turned a few new people on to using and paying for the tool.

7. Share Links Strategically

A user in the r/Entrepreneur sub shared how they finally found their footing with Reddit marketing after applying all the above tips around authenticity, value-adding, and question-asking.

It all started with them asking a genuine question in a large sub deeply relevant to their brand. The important thing to note is that they did not mention their business or drop a link to it.

After getting a good discussion going in the comments, a question naturally arose that enabled them to add more context: Where are you located? With that, the owner could share a little more about their business and a link. They avoided coming across as spammy while still garnering a reported 1,000+ clicks on that one link alone.

This exemplifies that folks on Reddit aren’t wholly against marketing, they just prefer that the businesses doing it respect the community and the people in it.

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8. Consider Hosting an AMA

Focusing again on adding value, Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) posts are a popular way for subject matter experts to get in front of a crowd. What they give in expertise they gain back in exposure to new people who may become their biggest fans.

The interesting thing is that AMAs are one of the few times when Reddit users will gladly and knowingly engage with obvious marketing messaging, as many of the most popular AMAs are hosted by famous or successful people pushing their next big thing. For a great example, see this wildly popular AMA featuring Nicolas Cage promoting his movie “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.”

As a small business owner, we only recommend hosting an AMA if you have an especially interesting story to tell — such as how you broke into a really tough field, made your first million by 22 selling rugs online, and so on.

Be sure you choose a relevant and active sub where you’re already a community member to host your Q&A sesh.

How Can I Track My Reddit Marketing Metrics?

Track and build upon your Reddit marketing success using AI-driven content analysis, Reddit’s built-in metrics, link tracking, website traffic data, and social listening tools.

How?

Check out our suggestions on the best tools and strategies for measuring engagement levels, discovering what resonates in each community, and strengthening your Reddit results.

1. Engage AI for Measuring and Replicating Reddit Success

Try asking AI to analyze the most popular posts and highly-engaging comment threads in a certain subreddit over the last month.

Your goal here is to surface patterns related to their topics, structure, tone, and even timing that may not be as obvious to the naked eye. Similarly, AI can also help you identify recurring themes, questions, and phrases that spark intrigue.

Use this information to build a repeatable framework for creating and posting authentic content that keeps evolving with your community.

2. Check Out Reddit’s Built-In Metrics

Reddit makes it pretty simple to see how your posts and comments have performed, which can offer insights into what kinds of content each different sub responds to the best.

For comments, the metrics aren’t as rich — just the number of upvotes and downvotes. But for each post, you can see the total views (for posts younger than 45 days), upvote rate, comment count, and number of shares.

To find this information, view your profile and toggle from Overview to Posts or Comments.

3. Track Links Shared on Reddit

A common way to see how links shared on Reddit perform is to attach tracking codes to them.

One popular way to do this is by using the Campaign URL Builder in Google Analytics to add UTM parameters to links you want to track clicks on.

This is a somewhat drawn-out process, but not technically difficult.

💡Pro tip: If you’ve never played around with this tool from Google before, this guide from HubSpot provides a detailed walkthrough.

4. Monitor Website Traffic

You can also see how much traffic your website receives from Reddit overall using Google Analytics. This helps measure the impact of Reddit marketing when you can’t include a specific link.

To do this, you’ll use the Traffic Acquisition report, which we show you exactly how to do in our deep dive into GA4 Reports: A Comprehensive Guide to Acquisition, Conversions, and More.

5. Apply Social Listening

Social listening tools (Brand24, Hootsuite, etc.) provide a creative way to pick up on the sentiment around your brand, your competitors, and the industry as a whole on Reddit.

Set up your social listening platform to collect references to words and phrases related to your brand to better understand how people are talking about it across Reddit. This information should be helpful in understanding what the general public really thinks about your offerings, giving you ideas for brand improvement and more fresh, relevant Reddit marketing.

Ready to Wield AI in Reddit Marketing?

Reddit is unlike any other social platform. However, the things that make it special are the same things that can make it feel a little unapproachable from a marketing perspective.

That said, when using AI to scale your marketing with conviction and care, Reddit can be a game-changer for small businesses and startups looking to build relationships with their audiences.

Remember, Reddit’s focus on genuine interactions is key — so find your people, stay authentic, add value, and stick with it.

FAQs About Reddit Marketing

Is Reddit marketing effective for small businesses?

Yes. Reddit can be highly effective for small businesses because it offers access to engaged niche communities and strong visibility in search results.

How can AI help with Reddit marketing?

AI is best used for research tasks like finding relevant subreddits, analyzing community tone, identifying trends, and brainstorming discussion-worthy content ideas.

What should I avoid when marketing on Reddit?

Avoid blatant self-promotion, automated posting, ignoring subreddit rules, and dropping links without context. These behaviors will make your brand stick out like a sore thumb and can lead to downvotes or bans.

How long does it take to see results from Reddit marketing?

Results vary, but consistency is always key. Many brands see engagement on the platform after weeks of genuine participation, but getting measurable traffic back to your website could take longer.

Does Reddit content show up in Google and AI search results?

Yes. Reddit posts frequently rank well in Google and are heavily cited by large language models, making them valuable for long-term visibility.

What metrics should I track for Reddit marketing success?

Track post views, upvotes, comments, and referral traffic in Google Analytics, and sentiment using social listening tools.