Why Is Reddit The Front Page Of The Internet? How It Works

Whenever it comes to link building, using Q&A platforms like Quora and Reddit are great ways to build links that send targeted traffic to your site. These links will also help to diversify your general link profile. So, get involved in relevant communities on these platforms, and be sure to add value. But, this isn’t just about jumping straight in and adding a link.

It’s about sharing relevant content and suggestions to help other users who have questions. Remember, I said that link building should be as much about focusing upon tactics that send you great referral traffic. While helping to build your brand as it impacts your organic search rankings.

For beginners, here is a great guide over at Search Engine Journal from Julia McCoy. Where you can learn more about using this tactic as part of your strategy.

What is Reddit?

Have you used Reddit before? The popular website platform by the name Reddit goes by the slogan, “The front page to the Internet.” It has earned this name by creating a platform that allows users with similar interests to discuss and curate the best content on the web.

Reddit is a social news platform that allows users to discuss and vote on content that other users have submitted. To help police the site and prevent spammers from bombarding readers, Reddit came up with “karma” points.

How does Reddit work?

As I mentioned above, Reddit is a community-determined aggregator of content. Making it a social media platform where users submit posts that other users ‘upvote’ or ‘downvote’ based on if they like it.

Fortunately, if a post gets lots of upvotes it moves up the Reddit rankings. And by moving up, it means more people can see it. But, unfortunately, if it gets downvotes it quickly falls and disappears from most people’s views.

Reddit is further split out into sub-communities, or subreddits. Keeping in mind, these subcategories can be created by any user around any subject. Whether it’s something broad like technology, or as specific as a single joke.

Which are the Key Concepts of Reddit?

Previously, as I mentioned, the platform has a lot of users, and they’re pretty dedicated too. But, when it comes to demographics, a majority of users are mostly left in the dark. One of the big pulls for Reddit is that it’s so easy to be anonymous.

This means that you don’t have to supply much more than an email and a username. More recently, there has been even some research on the subject. Back in 2016, the Pew Research Study conducted found that its users were 67% men and 64% between the ages of 18 and 29.

1. Karma

When we talk of Karma, it’s a kind of gamification concept – every user has a karma score. And in many ways, this gauges the quality of a user’s comments and submissions to the site. Based on the downvoting and upvoting explained earlier.

Essentially, if your comments and submissions get lots of upvotes, your karma goes up. And if they get lots of downvotes it goes down. There’s no actual value to this. You don’t get prizes or anything tangible.

Of course, it’s pretty much just signposts to others that you’re a good user of the site. Although there are bragging rights to be noted too.

2. Reddit gold

As for Reddit gold, it’s a premium membership option that offers extra benefits to users. Including turning off ads, the ability to create subreddits only for people with gold membership, and the creation of custom avatars. So, there’s nothing essential for using the site, it’s simply perks.

An important aspect of this is the ability to gift gold to other users. After all, this has become a common way to show how much you like something someone has posted. A person can gift gold for any reason. It could come after a great joke, or even as a result of a heartfelt story.

Additionally, it could just be because someone was feeling generous. The gold also helps Reddit run the site, with a daily goal box on the site at all times. It’s understood that if the target is met, that covers Reddit’s cost for the day. Although this isn’t 100% confirmed.

3. AMAs

Basically, AMAs (Ask Me Anythings) didn’t originate on Reddit, but they’re probably the most popular venue for them now. And just like Quora, AMAs are exactly what they sound like.

In simple terms, a person puts themselves forward and answers questions on anything and everything from users on the site. On Reddit, there’s a whole subreddit for them, r/IamA. These set the format of “I am a ***, ask me anything.”

But, the stars could be replaced with anything from ‘baker’ to ‘nuclear physicist’. And now, other subreddits will conduct their own AMAs based on their specific subject. Such as an AMA from a conductor in a classical music subreddit.

4. Profiles

Perse, the AMAs format has become hugely popular. So much that a number of celebrities have even taken part in them. Including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barack Obama, and Neil Degrasse Tyson. Just but to mention a few who have ambient profiles.

When it comes to its user profiles, although you can stay anonymous, Reddit will still keep track of your activities on the site. More often, this will include a list of your submissions, comments, and a tally of your karma.

In addition to that, it will also show how much Reddit gold you’ve bought. As well as your trophy case of achievements, and the subreddits you moderate. But, even though they’re very straightforward and simple, Reddit has plans.

Why is Reddit a useful business tool?

The Reddit team is currently rolling out new profiles that allow you to choose a picture, include a bio, and write posts to your page. It’s nothing major, but many in the community were worried Reddit was trying to become more like Facebook or Tumblr.

And apart from that, there were also concerns about the anonymity offered by the site. While all users will have to accept the new profile, the ability to stay anonymous has remained unchanged. Ultimately, Reddit is a big community to get potential leads if you’ll use it properly whenever you’ll have time.

1. It encourages your users to submit

Reddit is not a platform to shout your message at your fans, but rather a place to interact with them. Along with calling their followers “petrol heads.” For instance, consider how the sub-Reddit of the popular car show Top Gear drives engagement with their followers.

The popular car show encourages its customers to submit their favorite car pictures. And each week, this sub-Reddit group selects the best picture and features it along with the name of the person who submitted it in the sidebar of their sub-Reddit.

This gives followers a sense of ownership in the community. Giving followers this voice increases the interaction in the community and is more likely to create brand advocates. In addition to that, you can read and learn more about How to Create a Subreddit.

2. It helps improve customer service

It’s important to realize, even popular brands will have customers who need help. So, in order to build your reputation and improve your customer service delivery, that’s why you’ll need Reddit support. A good example is the Xbox 360 subReddit that has done quite a great job.

The Xbox 360 sub-Reddit provides a place for people to discuss this popular product. While the Microsoft sub-Reddit funnels customers with questions into the right channels to get resolved. By redirecting users with product issues to the proper channels.

In return, this increases their customer service deliverance. While allowing Redditors to discuss and share photos, videos, and experiences they had with the Xbox product. This sub-Reddit provides customer service by doing the following. Such as clearly identifying the purpose of the sub-Reddit, and creating a section of helpful links.

It’s also important to outline directions on the best ways to get fast customer service. Bearing in mind, it costs less to maintain a customer than to acquire one through other marketing channels. A big benefit of improving customer service is that it helps keep customers happy and wanting to stay with your brand.

3. It allows you to create a network

The most important thing is that anyone can create a sub-Reddit. And with the right strategy, you can easily build a network — (several interlinking sub-Reddits) around an idea.

This is what the SFW Porn Network has done. They created a network of interests like nature, cars, and cities for people who are “addicted.” Hence the word “porn” in the name. So, it’s not actually explicit material for discussing these types of images and posts.

The following helped them create this strong network. Like having a common naming convention (subject + porn), and having common navigation that links all of the sub-Reddits. As well as monitoring to make sure the images and content are of high-quality.

Above all, if you have one popular sub-Reddit, it’s easier to get those followers to go to another sub-Reddit on a similar topic. The benefit of creating a network is to amass a large following inside the growing and active Reddit community.

4. You’ll easily create news and calendars

Of course, it’s really simple to create news and calendars through Reddit. Now that brand advocates and followers always want to know the latest news and upcoming events.

For example, fans of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team may want to know about the game schedule. As well as the team’s standing in the NL East, and other vital information. The Phillies sub-Reddit does this by having an updated calendar and league ranking board in the sidebar.

However, you need to consider using some of the following tips in your sub-Reddit sidebar. And for that reason, to ensure your followers stay in the loop. So, consider the following; a calendar of events, display the company news, increase the percentage of the goals reached, etc.

Not forgetting, the key benefit of displaying news and events to your followers is that when they visit, they are immediately updated with important facts and status.

5. Reddit helps you perform interviews

As an example, the Breaking Bad sub-Reddit got its fans involved by holding interviews with the cast of the show. Whereby, the actors themselves answered the most popular questions that Redditors wanted to ask.

By consistently doing this, not only did it grew the size of the community but it also brought it closer together. While eliminating the wall between actors and fans. Considering, the main benefit of this approach is again to allow the community an opportunity to be heard.

As well as enable them to interact in a memorable way. Thus facilitating the opportunity for fans and celebrities to communicate is a great way to create a strong memory for those fans.

6. Allows you to create long-lasting communities

Out of the many sub-Reddits I’ve searched through, none compares to the community built by the Game of Thrones sub-Reddit.

Not to mention, the group does not do just one thing right but has taken several steps to create a strong, tight-knit community. In general, there are different strategies they use to really make their community stand out. Like, get everyone into character.

The best part of joining a community is connecting and talking with others with the same interests. But, beyond the amazing look and feel of Game of Thrones sub-Reddit, there are a few things they’ve done to make sure followers get into character.

Such key and memorable things include that you first, give your followers a name. Secondly, make it easy for readers to add items (like add Game of Thrones flair) to their name. And lastly, provide a link for users to download wallpapers in the background, etc.

What About Spoiler Alerts?

Before I conclude, there’s nothing worse than finding out the final score of the big football game before you are able to watch it.

And just like how co-workers can spoil things around the water cooler, someone can easily spoil the ending of a Game of Thrones episode on Reddit.

With that in mind, that’s why their subReddit has taken several steps to avoid such possibilities. And in the end, this ensures that their followers don’t get their favorite show spoiled.

Here is what you should do;

Have a posting policy.
Create theme modes (like normal, talk only, mute talk, show spoilers).
Also, create a spoiler guide and link to it often.

While like any other large website Reddit has its toxic aspects, but in the end, the site can be hugely rewarding. Especially, if you can get to the front page of Reddit.