Reddit is kind of a polarizing entity. On one hand, it can help you find valuable content to share. On the other hand, it can take you down in an instant if you’ve made a fool of yourself (especially if you’re Amy’s Baking Company). It’s a very personal space that is made up of a large and vocal community, and they’re quick to act if they feel the space is being misused. That means you can’t just drop in, spam them with your content and leave. What you can do, though, is learn the lay of the land, learn what is and isn’t acceptable, and figure out the best way to get involved with the massive community they’ve built. Here’s how.
Use the right topic and the right tone.
Before you jump in and start posting all over the place, you need to make sure that you know where to find the conversations that interest you and how to engage with everyone. Lurk for a while to make sure that you properly identify the best subreddits for your purposes, and then make sure that, when the time comes, you’re posting accordingly. You can find a rundown of the subreddits here.
Use it as a space to offer advice and answer questions.
Smaller subreddits can offer much better engagement and higher quality content. They can also help you find users who are looking for advice that’s well within your area of expertise. Take the time to sift through the smaller topics and posts. Identify ways you can offer your help without spamming them with plugs for your business, while also giving them helpful advice they can act on.
Only crosspost if it’s applicable and not spammy.
If you’ve got awesome, helpful, relevant content to share, you can probably find an excellent subreddit to post it in. You might be tempted to improve the odds of engagement by crossposting it across several topics, but give it some thought before you do. Don’t crosspost unless you’re certain that it’s relevant and won’t come across as spam.
Consider hosting an AMA (if applicable).
It can be tough building trust between a site’s users and a larger brand. If that’s the case, it might be appropriate for you to take part in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) where you take part in a discussion to answer users questions about your brand, your products, or just ask for advice that’s related to what you do. The key to these AMA sessions, though, is transparency and a willingness to handle the tough questions in a tactful way. Make sure that your PR team is on board before taking part, and make sure that you have a way to address the tough or inappropriate questions that might come up.
For more content marketing tips, check out our helpful guides and content curation series.
Photo courtesy of Antonio Zugaldia.
