5 Ways Reddit Helps an Ecommerce Brand

Reddit is among the most visited sites worldwide. I addressed Reddit and Quora last month, explaining the dos and don’ts for marketers.

Reddit has a strict no-self-promotion policy. Still, it offers a venue to further a brand and establish expertise.

Reddit’s community provides the content, such as news updates, memes, how-to tips, and more. With more than 130,000 subreddits (niche branches), the platform contains seemingly endless topics to discuss with other members.

Members “upvote” what they consider as helpful posts and comments and “downvote” spam or low-value submissions. A member’s ratio of upvotes to downvotes is tallied in a score called “Karma,” reflecting trustworthiness.

5 Ways Reddit Helps an Ecommerce Brand

Join relevant communities. Redditors have a good eye for veiled attempts at selling on the platform. There’s no way to sneak around and slyly earn upvotes.

Consider the screenshot below of a subreddit for skincare (r/SkincareAddicts). A merchant that sells skincare products could join and connect with potential customers. Reddit prohibits inserting links to your site, but you can copy, say, blog text into a post or comment and link the source. It’s an excellent way to repurpose content.

A skincare merchant could join the SkincareAddicts subreddit and connect with potential customers.

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Create an ad. If Reddit’s traditional participation methods are too time-consuming, pay for an ad.

The example ad below is from Steam, a video game and store, placed in the r/SkincareAddicts subreddit.

Steam, a video game and store, placed an ad in the SkincareAddicts subreddit.

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Create your own subreddit. A subreddit can provide a dedicated space to discuss your industry, products, suggestions, and more — all can help meet customers and prospects. Assign “moderators” to answer questions and address complaints.

Ipsy, a monthly beauty subscription service, has a subreddit with more than 13,000 members.

Ipsy, a monthly beauty subscription service, has a subreddit with more than 13,000 members.

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Host an /r/IAmA. “Ask me Anything” is a subreddit for interactive interviews. It’s a fun way to reach a large audience and show your expertise on a topic. The sessions are live and last an hour. Redditors ask the questions. The host responds in real-time.

Reddit’s rules for starting an AMA thread involved sending a request roughly 15-30 minutes before collect questions. A captivating title will help attract participants.

The general formula is: “I’m [insert short bio]. Ask me anything!”

The examples below are a scheduled AMA from actor Jared Cook and an unscheduled AMA from a photographer in Ghana. Both garnered lots of upvotes and comments. AMA’s are widely popular. Celebrities, CEOs, and even former president Barack Obama have hosted them.

These examples show a scheduled AMA from actor Jared Cook and an unscheduled AMA from a photographer in Ghana.

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Obtain feedback on your company. Reddit helps see what folks really think about your products, services, reputation, and more.

Note the Ipsy subreddit below. A member asked what themes or products Ipsy should include in its monthly boxes. This is valuable feedback for Ipsy. Seemingly any marketing professional could benefit from similar queries.

Search Reddit, and you might be surprised what folks are saying about your brand!

A member on the Ipsy subreddit asked what themes or products Ipsy should include in its monthly boxes, providing valuable feedback.