Reddit hasn’t just been at the top of your Google search results recently—it’s also been top of mind for savvy B2B marketers. But before your brand goes full steam ahead, cruising for those upvotes, you’ll want to double-check that your strategy fits the unique Reddit space.
Reddit has been on a serious upward trajectory over the past year, starting with their Google partnership in February 2024. This agreement promised to prioritise “authentic, human conversations and experiences” across Google products and to “facilitate more content-forward displays of Reddit information.” Since then, Reddit has seen a staggering 400% increase in visibility on Google, so even non-Reddit users now see more content than ever before. RRDT (Reddit Inc.) also made an impressive stock market debut in March of 2024 and became a publicly traded company, which helped to bump its profile even further.
The other side to this right-place-right-time scenario for Reddit is the rise of AI-generated content and a corresponding desire for real, human, authentic online connections. If there’s one thing you’ll find on Reddit, it’s honest, no-sugar-coated content—good, bad, or otherwise. The proof is in Reddit’s impressive recent increase in active users, with Australia falling into the top 10 countries for active user bases at 23.5 million.
The numbers speak for themselves, and Reddit does boast a large, highly engaged audience with huge B2B marketing opportunities, but there’s a catch. To succeed in this space, you must think like a Redditor, not a marketer. This is not your average social media platform, so the usual strategies don’t apply, and the Reddit community will sniff out an imposter from a mile away. So, if there’s one key takeaway, it’s to find the right people to strategically represent your business within this highly specific community, and you’ll be golden.
Like organic social media content on other big platforms, this type of post does not use a paid budget to reach a larger audience. Similarly to a traditional influencer marketing strategy, this content can come from the brand itself or a brand representative—but this is where the lines get a bit blurry.
Many Subreddits have strict rules about promotional material, and even if your brand does find a loophole, tread lightly (Redditors can be ruthless). That said, posting transparently as a brand to the right Subreddits and providing helpful, entertaining and genuine responses or questions can be a valuable gateway to reaching your target audience. There are over 3.4 million Subreddits, so honing in on the conversations that are hyper-relevant to your organisation requires an avid Redditor and an expert on your product offerings.
This segues into the grey area of brands posting “covertly” on Reddit via a regular user in disguise—comparable to an influencer not disclosing a brand collaboration. Brand advocates, be they internal staff or customers, can be hugely beneficial within the Reddit community because of their authenticity. Still, it’s hard to fake and a dangerous game to try. As mentioned, Redditors don’t hold back and can sniff out sneaky marketing tactics a mile away.
But it’s not all scary news. When done well, organic Reddit content has the potential to build meaningful connections with individuals who fit your ICP in a comparatively less saturated social media space. Plus, Reddit can be a valuable tool for social listening to understand people's questions and sentiments about your business or product offering.
Here are some ways that B2B brands can interact with the Reddit community.
Participate in relevant Subreddits: Respond to threads or post questions, but only if you provide value in a non-sales-focused manner. Less is more, and observe more than you participate. Here is an example of how a B2C fashion brand successfully engaged with the Reddit community by understanding the space and its customers; the same strategy applies to B2B.
Create a Subreddit for your brand: This could be a support channel, particularly suitable for SaaS providers and tech-based businesses, or a niche-interest-based Subreddit to build community. There are many options for going about this, but close monitoring is required, specifically with the support route.
Monitor the Reddit conversation: See what Redditors say about your business by searching for your brand name or setting up a brand-mention automation. This type of conversation can provide contextual and honest insights to enhance your buyer’s journey, customer journey and customer experience.
The paid side of Reddit is more straightforward, though the same strategic nuances still apply, and a misstep could result in less-than-kind feedback. If you dare venture into this new (B2B advertising) territory, you’ll be rewarded with less competition, potentially lower CPC and an opportunity to insert your brand into the active conversation your buyers are having.
The two main types of Reddit ad units are takeover ads and promoted posts:
Takeover ads fall under the High Impact Offerings category, allowing advertisers to “combine different ad formats and placements into one high-performance ad package. Your ads will be the first thing redditors see across the home page, first feed placement, search page, popular page and more.”
Promoted posts are “paid advertisements that appear in a redditor’s feed. They look like native posts and aren’t disruptive to the scrolling experience.” These ads are available in seven post types: free-form, image, video, carousel, conversion, product and AMA (ask me anything).
Reddit's ad objectives are comparable to Meta's, though targeting is more limited. Aside from one key differentiator, you can target specific Subreddits. Understanding where your ICP is active can be the golden ticket to Reddit advertising success. Be specific, do your research, and tailor your ads accordingly.
For more nitty-gritty intel on Reddit advertising, there’s appropriately a dedicated Subreddit to precisely that, and you can find it here.
If you have a Redditor in your midst, a solid strategy, and a thick skin, then Reddit could be an excellent fit for your B2B organisation.
It’s still early days, so we will continue to learn from brands doing Reddit well and from others who take one for the team with epic failures. Regardless of how this community network progresses, the requirement for marketers to be experimental and authentic to cut through the digital noise is clear. As they say, no risk, no reward.
Join us on LinkedIn to continue the conversation on all things B2B; we’ll see you there.
