The Better Marketing Blog

Did you know that some of the most innovative marketing campaigns are happening on Reddit, right under your nose? 

For many businesses, Reddit is still an untapped resource because they fear its complex and community-driven nature. In this post, we’ll explore successful case studies of brands that have mastered Reddit and explain how you can apply these lessons to your own marketing efforts.

Why Reddit is Different for Marketers

So, what makes Reddit so different from the other social media platforms that marketers use? 

Reddit is a user-driven community ecosystem. It is built up of thousands of active communities, or subreddits, where users engage in discussions based on their shared interests and values. There are many examples of these, such as r/Affiliatemarketing, where users discuss various forms of affiliate marketing strategies, or, for specific coffee lovers, r/TurkishCoffee. Each of these subreddits provide unique opportunities for marketers to target specific audiences.

The thing is, on Reddit traditional social marketing strategies simply won’t work. Users are quick to spot a promotional message and won’t hold back in sharing their views about it, mostly in a quick-witted and sarcastic way. Often, a brand ends up worse off than when it started. To succeed on Reddit, marketers need to create genuine, value-driven content that resonates with the community. If you get this wrong, you’ll be hung out to dry.

Here’s a quick summary of what you need to know about Reddit: 

• It’s a User-Driven Ecosystem: Reddit thrives on community engagement and user-generated content, making it unique. Authenticity matters.
• Limitations of Traditional Marketing: Traditional ads often fail and users are quick to dismiss overtly promotional posts.
• Value-Driven Content: Marketers should focus on education, entertainment, or problem-solving rather than direct selling.
• Paid Sponsorship Opportunities: Strategically placed sponsored posts can enhance visibility and engagement when aligned with community interests. Again, authenticity is key.

Here are seven Reddit marketing case studies showing how you can do Reddit marketing right.

The Economist: Reddit AMAs

London-based news publication The Economist has tapped into Reddit’s marketing value by strategically allocating staff writers to host conversations (u/theeconomist). One particular area of success has been hosting an AMA, or “Ask Me Anything” thread. On these threads, members are invited to ask any questions they may have about a certain subject. They provide a great means of connecting brands and members, through a common subject.

For example, they recently had their obituaries writer (who would tell the story of an extraordinary life) host an AMA thread. She invited Reddit users to ask anything they wanted to know related to obituaries, and the queries flooded in. Many other correspondents, covering areas like economics, trade, politics, and more, have taken the same approach and the engagement levels have been staggering.

These AMAs are an unusual strategy to build trust with users and position the publication as a credible source of information. And they work.

Key Takeaways from The Economist’s AMA Approach:

• Humanize Your Brand: It’s important that you try to make your brand approachable and knowledgeable. What The Economist has achieved using AMAs is they’ve created conversations with a very responsive audience. They’ve essentially created connection, which is key in humanizing your brand.
• Encourage Open Dialogue: Aligned to humanizing your brand, encouraging open dialogue is a very successful way of leaving the user or member with a positive brand experience. You become a key source of information for them, and this dialogue further enforces connection with the brand. It’s also about quick responses. As you can see in the thread, The Economist responds quickly to members’ queries and comments. This is key.
• Showcase Expertise: Giving members quick insights or information into a subject that they can’t easily get elsewhere is an excellent way of positioning your brand as an authority on a subject. You become the expert on that topic. This means they’ll come back to you when they want more information. Looking at The Economist thread, you’ll see how they are sharing insights that they have obtained through their own investigations. 
• Build Trust: This one is all about authenticity. As we mentioned earlier, members will very quickly see through promotional content. What The Economist does well here is give members relevant information without any sort of hard sell. This creates trust with the audience.

Washington Post Delivering the News for Engagement

Another major publication, The Washington Post, has embraced Reddit as a key platform for engaging with its audience and delivering news in a far more interactive way. Taking the approach of “public service journalism,” The Washington Post has focused on using Reddit (u/washingtonpost) to bring their reporters closer to their audiences.

They’ve done this by posting breaking news as subreddits and then hosting an AMA about a certain news story to answer a variety of questions. By doing so, they’ve not only positioned themselves as an authority on current news but also built trust with their Reddit audience. Now, they receive questions obout their reporting and what’s happening in a certain community.

Beyond the AMAs, they’ve focused on building relationships with moderators to unlock new subreddits, giving them the ability to post a variety of links which is mostly not possible with other social media platforms.

Key takeaways from WaPo’s strategy:

• Participate in Relevant Subreddits: The Washington Post gets involved in relevant subreddits, offering key information that they have on a specific story. It’s important that you find subreddits relevant to your brand and become active in them. Just remember not to try to sell your brand. Be authentic.
• Provide Insightful Content: As The Washington Post does, you should share informative and relevant content that addresses the interests and concerns of Reddit users, especially local communities. This could include articles, infographics, or videos.
• Respond to Feedback: You have to actively listen to and address user feedback. Acknowledging concerns or suggestions shows that you value the community’s input. The above thread is a great example of this.
• Leverage User-Generated Content: Encourage users to share their experiences or opinions related to your brand. This can create a sense of community and foster engagement.
• Monitor Trends and Conversations: Stay updated on trending topics and discussions within relevant subreddits to make sure your content remains timely and relevant. You can see how The Washington Post does this well. Their finger is always on the pulse.

Mint Mobile’s Light Touch with Reddit

Mobile virtual network operator Mint Mobile has had a lot of success in using Reddit (r/mintmobile) to effectively market its brand. The company has quickly become a trusted voice in the mobile space, without the hard sell.

It has taken a lighthearted approach on the platform, providing users with insightful information and posting a variety of FAQs that answer a lot of burning questions that people have on a variety of mobile-related topics: phones, coverage, troubleshooting, security, etc.

By taking part in mobile or network-related discussions, they have attracted a large number of Reddit users who ask them questions directly, which they answer reliably. By doing so, they’ve positioned the brand as approachable and always willing to engage, which is something not many other mobile companies have achieved. By focusing on organic interactions rather than overt marketing, they’ve positioned themselves as a trusted source of information and in turn created a loyal following on the platform.

Key takeaways from Mint Mobile’s Reddit strategy:

• Authentic Engagement: Are you fostering genuine conversations, as Mint Mobile does? It’s a great way of creating real connections with members.
• Community Participation: The Mint Mobile team members actively join discussions in relevant subreddits to keep them visible. This is important if you want to offer insights on a thread that is relevant to your business or product.
• Lighthearted Content: Mint Mobile often uses humor and creativity to make the brand more relatable. This might not work for all brands, but it’s very effective.
• Responsive Communication: They always address user feedback quickly. This goes back to our earlier point on building trust within a community.

Purple Mattress’ Organic Community Engagement

With stores across the US, local communities are important to Purple Mattress. They turned to Reddit to position the company as one that listens and responds.

Their core strategy is creating authentic conversations around sleep health. They have built a community within their own niche subreddit (r/LifeOnPurple) which caters to current and prospective customers. Users post reviews, gripes, questions, and observations for input from the community’s more than 4,300 active members.

Purple Mattress has created, in essence, an enormous global focus group. Through their subreddit, they now have direct line of sight into their customers’ biggest questions and concerns. This is a great strategy if you are looking for customer insights to improve your marketing – and your product.

Key takeaways from Purple Mattress’ Reddit strategy:

• Niche Community Focus: Follow the Purple Mattress example of targeting specific subreddits to meaningfully engage with your audience.
• Encourage User Stories: Create a culture of sharing experiences to foster community belonging. Purple Mattress does this well, creating conversations between the brand and its target audience.
• Provide Valuable Insights: What Purple Mattress has done well here is position the brand as an expert on the subject matter. You can see how the members engage with the brand, showing how much value they place in its responses. 
• Engage Consistently: Make sure that you regularly participate to keep the community active and engaged.
• Respond Thoughtfully: Acknowledge user comments and feedback to build rapport and trust within the community. Purple Mattress doesn’t just respond for the sake of it – they offer genuine feedback and insights.

SpaceX’s Successful AMA Campaign

SpaceX uses the platform to humanize their brand and engage directly with their audience. They’ve created an account that is hosted by CEO Elon Musk, with AMAs providing a unique opportunity for Reddit users to ask questions about anything – space exploration, technology, the future of the company, or even where space travel is going.

Musk’s candid and approachable responses not only bring to the surface his personality, but also emphasize SpaceX’s commitment to transparency and innovation. The results are impressive, with a high level of engagement and interest from users. This has led to increased brand visibility and a stronger connection with both fans and potential customers.

Key Takeaways from SpaceX’s AMA Campaign:

• Direct Engagement: SpaceX’s AMA is a great example of how to create good direct engagement with an audience. This creates personal connection, which is key in successfully creating a positive brand experience. 
• Showcase Leadership: Featuring high-profile figures can enhance credibility and draw interest. For the general public to have the opportunity to engage directly with Elon Musk is a huge deal.
• Encourage Open Dialogue: It’s important that you look to create open dialogue with your audience, something which SpaceX has done well with its AMA.

Blizzard Entertainment’s Connection with Gamers

Gaming giant Blizzard has attracted a huge following on Reddit (r/Blizzard), with over 95,000 members. The company uses the platform to connect fans, discuss new releases, talk about old classics, publish company news, and more.

Their official subreddit has become a place where gamers and fans go to discuss new ideas and to talk about Blizzard’s games. There are also many unofficial and extremely popular subreddits that are dedicated to each of the company’s hit games.

One example is r/Overwatch, a community for the game Overwatch, which has a staggering 5.8 million members. There members discuss tips, talk about upcoming events, and share a plethora of memes dedicated to the game.

Key takeaways from Blizzard’s Reddit strategy: 

• Highlight User Content: Blizzard’s content really gets the community involved. You can do the same if you highlight the right type of user content and give members real value through your responses.
• Provide Quick Updates: Blizzard is a great example of this. Through Reddit, they have the opportunity to share key insights into games and updates that members can’t necessarily get elsewhere. Depending on your business, you should look to do the same.
• Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom: If fans want to create their own spinoff subreddits, let them run wild! Take a look at how successful the Overwatch subreddit is. 

Maker’s Mark Winning with Traditional Ads

Traditional ad campaigns can also work on Reddit. Eleven years ago, bourbon whisky brand Maker’s Mark used Reddit to target niche audiences with a well-crafted and clever campaign. And it worked extremely well.

What they did was launch a seasonal ad with copy playing on the Reddit mascot, Snoo. The ad features a bottle of Maker’s Mark with a snowy backdrop and the copy, “Let is Snoo.” Users loved it.

As one user commented, “First time I saw an ad and came to read the comments in three years. Very effective, Maker’s Mark. Good job knowing your audience.” Another user said, “I like it. I will buy 3 bottles of Maker’s Mark tomorrow instead of my usual 2.”

Key takeaways from Maker’s Mark’s Reddit strategy: 

• Understand the Culture: Familiarize yourself with Reddit’s unique humor and community norms to create relatable content that will drive engagement. Maker’s Mark nailed this.
• Use Humor Effectively: Aligned to the above point, light-hearted and witty messaging can capture attention and encourage sharing. You can see how successful Maker’s Mark is in this area, using clever humor to really get noticed by members.
• Target Niche Subreddits: Maker’s Mark first identified who their target audience is and then created marketing messaging that not only speaks to them, but creates significant engagement. Know who you want to target and find the subreddits that they are active on.
• Create Shareable Content: Create ads that encourage users to discuss and share within their communities. The Maker’s Mark ad is a great example of this.

Marketer’s Takeaway

Reddit offers brands of all types a unique opportunity to engage with target audiences in a user-driven ecosystem. The key is to create a place where discussions are based on users’ shared interests and values. It’s all about being humble and authentic, whether you’re engaging in subreddits or hosting an AMA.

If you’re looking to go the traditional advertising route, make sure you understand the Reddit audience that you are targeting, and don’t be afraid to use humor. Your ad has to fit into the “Reddit vibe,” and give users a reason to share it. If you do, you’ll have a loyal army of Redditors on your side. 

If you’re ready to replicate these successful campaigns on Reddit, then try Media Shower’s AI-powered content creation platform to plan and execute your Reddit marketing strategy.  Sign up for a free trial!