How to Go Viral on Reddit

Val Powell on

Reddit is one of the top most visited websites in the US with over 430 million active monthly users worldwide. It is a social news aggregator, web content rating, and discussion website, where users share links and post content regularly.

How many people use reddit?

Reddit's mass appeal among Internet users makes it fertile ground for shrewd marketers to go viral, bringing tremendous amounts of traffic to their content.

You can help your posts achieve Reddit fame by using the following tips. 

5 Tips for Getting a Viral Post on Reddit

1. Choose Your Subreddit Wisely

Reddit currently has over 130,000 active niche forums or subreddits denoted by "/r/".  Whatever your niche is, chances are, it's got a "sub."

To get started, make sure you're posting in communities relevant to your niche. The users there will likely show more interest in your content than if you posted elsewhere.

For example, say that a health guru creates a low-carb bread recipe. Besides subs like r/cooking or r/baking, they could also go to subs such as r/keto, r/recipes, r/nutrition, or r/healthyfood. 

However, picking the biggest related subs won't always guarantee success. The more subscribers and posts on the sub, the higher your post's chances of getting swamped by other content. What you'll want to do is find niche subreddits that have large and active enough followings to help you go viral but small enough that your post won't go unnoticed. 

Reddit's search engine can help look for related subreddits. But you can also use sites like Redditlist, Subbed, or Metrics for Reddit, which feature the platform's more active subreddits.

They also categorize subreddits into interests like music, lifestyle, or technology, though you can also type in specific terms in the search bar to narrow your options. 

2. Make Your Post Valuable

Just like when you're marketing anywhere else, you'll want to make sure you're posting quality content on Reddit. Something funny, informative, or just purely interesting will typically garner more upvotes and comments from users.

Check out other posts that have gone viral in your niche subreddit or subs.

What are some of the sub's popular topics at the moment? 

It would be difficult to go viral if people aren't likely to be interested in your subject. 

Though it can depend on your niche, a post can also become famous if you relate it to current events.

For instance, popular Reddit topics in 2020 included coronavirus lockdowns. To help other people exercise while stuck indoors, a fitness influencer created a home workout routine that went viral in his community. 

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social news on Reddit, and bring more traffic to your website.

Enroll now in one of the top courses on Reddit marketing!

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3. Pick a Time for Posting

The first few hours after posting is critical to going viral on Reddit. If the post doesn't get that much traction during this period, it won't have a good chance of becoming popular.

However, you can give your post the best chance at success by posting right before or during the sub's peak hours. The more active people there are, the more likely your post will get noticed and upvoted.

Subreddits display the total follower count and the people currently active regardless of whether they're subscribed or not. You can study these first before posting anything.

If you're using web browsers, you can find the sub's peak hours by checking the "About Community" part of the webpage. On the mobile app, the numbers appear right below the subreddit's title header.

Generally speaking, Reddit is most active on Mondays and weekend mornings. But keep in mind that subreddits can still have different peak hours. If you plan on posting in multiple subreddits, you may have to do so at various times of the day. 

4. Be An Active Redditor

The more comments and upvotes your post has, the closer it gets to the subreddit's front page. The posts with the most engagements can get featured on a Redditor's home feed.

You'll want to make sure that your post is constantly active, and one way to do this is by responding to the comments you get. Doing so can lead to further discussions in the comments section, thus generating even more upvotes. 

However, do still be careful with your voice on Reddit. Redditors value authenticity, which means that they'll prefer if you talk to them as a fellow human, not as a business.

If someone complains about an issue with your product or service, show that you sympathize with them and honestly say that you'll work on a solution. Using terms like "The team and I" can make you appear more approachable since you're talking to Redditors on a personal level. 

Furthermore, being active on Reddit before making viral posts can help bring success.

Your Reddit profile shows how much karma you have, which indicates how much value you've given back to the community.

People can also usually view your post and comment history. Being on Reddit for a while and accumulating a considerable karma count can help people associate your name with viral, quality content.

5. Abide by the Content Rules

One key to going viral is not to get your posts removed. Besides Reddit's general content policy, subreddits also have their own posting rules. Moderators can take your posts down if they don't comply, and Redditors can report you for spamming, which then leads to banning. 

For instance, r/architecture lets you post content from your website or other affiliated sites but discourages you from doing this exclusively. Meanwhile, r/productivity only lets you share links from your blog or website if other Redditors ask for them.

Some subreddits outright forbid any self-promotional content. If you're unsure whether your post will count as spam, don't hesitate to clarify matters with the subreddit's moderators. 


Conclusion

Going viral on Reddit isn't just a matter of luck. It's also about creating something valuable, engaging with your audience, and picking a proper place and time to post. But even with these pointers in mind, marketing to Redditors can still be challenging. If you have problems with promoting your brand on Reddit, a digital marketing consultant can help plan and roll out an optimal strategy. 

How to Ramp Up Your Website Traffic with Reddit

Val Powell on

If you are not familiar with Reddit, you might find it overwhelming and confusing at first glance. The truth is, you are not alone in thinking that it is one of the most perplexing and intimidating social networks you will come across on the Web today. Anyone new to Reddit might find it difficult initially to make sense of anything, much less post marketing content that won’t be met with disapproval. However, this social sharing website can open a whole new world of opportunities for your business or website, as long as you are prepared to understand how you can provide value to the community.

Reddit is a big online community where you can post pictures, text, and links, as well as find almost any information you need. Everyone can vote on posted content, and the best ones rise to the top. The more downvotes a content receives, the more it becomes less visible. While these may seem sufficient reasons for you to steer clear of Reddit, there is much to gain once you get the hang of it. 

An important fact you should be aware of is Reddit users around the world number by the millions. The official figures on the company’s website reveal that they have more than 430 million users worldwide and over 30 million views monthly. If these facts are not impressive enough, you might be interested to know that Reddit is one of the US's top visited sites today, with more than 2.5 million exiting subreddits. What this means for you is that there is so much potential for your site to get traffic once you learn the right way to build your presence. To get started, you first need to get a sense of what this online community is all about and understand how you can provide users with value.

What Exactly Is Reddit?

In 2005, Reddit founders Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian began working on the social news platform's idea and initial development. Over the years, the website has gained many exceptionally loyal Redditors—or registered users—who are brought together by similar interests and the enthusiasm to curate and discuss popular content on the Web. Links from other sites that users submit are always relevant to each particular community. When you post your own quality content, it has the potential to drive traffic to your site.

However, karma is something you should pay special attention to on Reddit. Take note that Redditors have the choice to upvote or downvote your submission, and keeping your downvotes to a minimum will earn you a high karma score. This can boost your Reddit credibility and make it easier to build trust within the communities. Submitting valuable content is one of the best ways to receive upvotes and increase your karma.

Subreddits

Collectively, subreddits are the niche communities that make up Reddit. A subreddit is focused on a specific topic and has its own rules, moderators, and coding systems. They are much like topic categories that always begin with /r/. Entering a subreddit out of nowhere can be tricky because moderators can ban you if you don’t follow the rules. That being said, it is imperative that you take the time to go through the guidelines and submissions before posting. You can also create your own subreddit if you meet specific criteria, but make sure your category is aligned with your business, and you can contribute something insightful and valuable.

Learn how to harness the power of

social news on Reddit, and bring more traffic to your website.

Enroll now in one of the top courses on Reddit marketing!

Get started now

Reddit as Part of Your Marketing Strategy 

Using Reddit to increase traffic to your site may be more simple than you think. As long as people are interested enough in your content to click your links, then there really isn’t much more you need to do. Of course, if driving traffic were that easy, then everyone would have been doing it already. Incorporating Reddit into your marketing plan is only as effective as the effort you put into sharing quality content with the community.

Read the Guidelines

As previously mentioned, subreddits that you join should have something to do with your niche to make it easier to post authentic content. Reading the rules is a must before any post, regardless of your niche. Every subreddit has different rules, and violating them can result in the removal of your post or worse, your permanent ban. 

It can be a while before you can post anything, and it’s crucial to first get a sense of a particular subreddit’s content. For the most part, new accounts are generally distrusted, and posting in your chosen subreddit is the usual way to gain the trust of the users. Be very careful with jumping in and marketing your site because you will likely get downvotes almost immediately. Wait until you’ve earned some positive karma before mentioning your site. It would be a good idea to observe how others in the subreddit are posting links to their site successfully.      

Submit Value

After you have participated a bit and let Redditors become acquainted with your presence, you may want to show more of what you have to offer. You can submit content that you believe subreddits would find valuable, insightful, interesting, or amusing. Your submissions and link does not need to be your own because your ultimate goal should be content that people actually want to read. Besides, you run the risk of being banned if your posts qualify as spamming. In other words, don’t submit anything just for the sake of submitting—people easily get turned off by excessive self-promotion. 

Be Authentic

If you create subreddits, make them engaging, and post content that is distinctive and actionable. Make it a point to be active on your subreddits and offer comprehensive replies to comments. If you have a high user engagement, it’s easier to achieve a large following and turn them into brand advocates.

You might want to consider hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) where you start a post telling something about who you are and what you do. Redditors can then ask you related questions, much like in an interview. This can become the ideal opportunity for you to mention your site naturally and drive traffic. Redditors enjoy AMAs that provide interesting and detailed information, and you should take advantage of this chance to get a lot of buzz. 


Conclusion

While many website owners don’t see Reddit as a major driver of traffic, it may be worth your while to explore this source. Passionate Redditors who love your content on the community will likely love your content on your site. As long as you provide plenty of value, then it’s almost impossible to go wrong.