Best Reddit 'hacking' tips?
Does anyone in the community have any solid tips on how to approach and use Reddit as a potential channel for demand and awareness?
In the past, I've used a select handful of subs and have made sure to not post too frequently (I'm talking like once every month) to avoid coming across as spammy. While at the same time, making sure that I am contributing and commenting on threads in those subs.
With that in mind, are there any tactical methods you have used or have seen work on Reddit?
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Here's my impromptu guide as a long-time reddit moderator:
(1) First assemble a list of subreddits you wish to target. The right-hand sidebar typically displays a count of subscribers, but you can also visit ads.reddit.com and begin a campaign set-up, where you'll be able to see accurate counts for most subreddits.
(2) Familiarize yourself with each of these communities. That doesn't mean just read their little blurb -- it means read the content, engage with the community, and get a read on the tone and culture of the subreddit. Each subreddit has its own culture and it's important that your message meshes well with that.
(3) Read the rules! Both reddit's rules and each subreddit's community rules. I can't stress enough that if you make a post that violates one of the subreddit's rules your content will be removed before anyone has a chance to see it.
(4) Do not post to a subreddit too quickly. Each subreddit has different rules for how they flag content. You'll want to make sure you're not using a brand-new account. Also that your account has some positive karma in each of the subreddits you plan to post to. Your content may be shadowbanned silently if you fail to engage with the community and be an actual participant in each subreddit you plan to target rather than simply a "spammer."
(5) When you're finally ready to make a post, the normal rules for content apply: Try to post something that is relevant to the particular community you're posting in. It shouldn't merely promote your product. Avoid posting a link to a personal blog or twitter: Instead, try to (a) create something the community would value such as a free tool, tutorial, or service they can use or (b) get media coverage and post a link to that instead.
(6) Posting times: Weekends are slow. Mondays are busy. People check-out halfway through Friday. Your best bet for maximum exposure is posting early in the morning (6 - 10am Eastern time for US-based subreddits) on Tuesday through Thursday.
(7) Do not make multiple posts about the same product or service in rapid succession, even in different communities. Post once in one community, then continue to engage the communities with valuable non-commercial content. Then post again in another community after a week has passed. If your account comes off as overly-commercial you will be flagged as a spammer and banned from that community. The more you talk about a single topic or product the more likely it is you'll be banned from future discussions.
(8) Borderline case? No problem - reach out to the moderators of that subreddit and engage them in a discussion. Simply ask frankly if it would be okay to post your content there. Moderators are typically friendly, although they may take a while to get back to you. If they like your post enough they may even pin it and drive extra exposure! I wouldn't advice asking for a pinned post, however, as it's frowned-upon in some communities.
Hope this helps! Ping me if you have more questions!
@maxk42 these are great tips! Thanks for sharing that insight and obviously your experience as a mod. Super helpful.
Actionable and awesome, Thanks
Awesome insights @maxk42, thanks for sharing 👍🏼
I also love that if you follow your 'hacks', you're also being a good Redditor. It's a nice sustainable approach to enjoying those communities!
These are great tips! Thank you for taking the time to write all of this down for us!
awesome advices, thanks!
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One thing I've found that has seen some success is DM'ing users who are posting about specific problems that your product can solve. The response rate on these is quite low, but when they hit, its usually a hyper-qualified lead since you know what their pain point is (they posted about it!) and they are interested in your solution as a salve to their problem
Interesting! I'll add this one to the list as well - thanks for the input here.
A project I have been working on recently - very much an MVP - aims to help indie hackers to try and exploit opportunities on Reddit (and a growing list of other online communities).
Currently HighJackar identifies trending topics from several social media data-points and also highlights where these topics are being discussed.
I haven't yet validated whether identifying trends within certain categories (fitness, news, finance etc) is a good idea. It sounds like it might help you in this instance?
I would welcome any feedback on HighJackar and whether you think it help you identify channels for demand and awareness on Reddit. Additionally, if you think it could be altered to help you in this goal I would also welcome constructive criticism!
www.highjackar.com is currently free as I am unsure of the best way to monetise so please give it a visit!
Thanks for passing this along, I'll definitely check it out!
And yes, I'd say that identifying trends within certain categories would be a nice feature. That's something from a subjective lens, and that I'd think people would take advantage of but you'd have to validate that one.