When it comes to online social platforms, it is difficult to differentiate between many of the services. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn tell you their individual services are different from and better than the competition, but in reality there is little difference. While the approach and style might be different, the goal is the same. We all use them to share content, express views, and attract attention to our personal or professional profiles.
Reddit is, without question, a forum that allows users to share content with one another on its site. Unlike the competition, Reddit is a platform that offers greater control to users through a sort of democracy. You have the freedom to post pictures, videos, and other content to a Reddit page, or subreddit, and comment on other posts just like various other platforms. However, Reddit’s system of upvoting and downvoting is entirely democratic and controlled by users.
If you post good content, people upvote your stuff. If you post annoying or worthless content, you receive more downvotes. These features help determine the visibility and popularity of your content and your profile. So, how can you improve your visibility and generate web traffic to your site through Reddit? We have some helpful tips below.
Know Who Uses Reddit
Reddit claims to be the “front page of the Internet,” a nod to its perceived popularity with millions of web surfers each day. While the claim is a bold one, it might not be too far off. According to the Pew Research Center, as noted by Business Insider, 6% of all adults on the Internet now use Reddit on a daily basis. However, that is a pretty broad description that doesn’t give you any insight to its actual users.
The data from Pew Research Center went on to breakdown the information into age groups and gender groups. Generally speaking, men were more likely to use Reddit in every age group, and the 18-29 age group was the most popular. Among all Internet users, 15% of men aged 18-29 use Reddit. The next largest group was 30-to-49-year-old men.
Get to Know the Audience on the Platform
Reddit consists of main pages and a variety of subreddits. There are more subreddits floating around in the environment than you can possibly imagine. Some popular subreddits include cute things, strange things, and even strange cute things. Technology and online marketing are growing in terms of visibility in the subreddit community. Finding the right audience for your product, service, and/or brand is dependent upon appealing to those subreddits, in addition to larger Reddit communities.
Let the Audience Get to Know You
Just like any other social media platform, your level of activity on Reddit will ultimately determine your success. When you find people that you are confident will enjoy your product or service, you need to engage with them. Talk to them, respond to comments, and offer helpful advice that is within your field of knowledge. Once you establish a reputation as a viable source of knowledge, you can start posting your own submissions on Reddit. Those people that have interacted with you in the past will recognize your knowledge and follow you, both on Reddit and off the service to your website.
Timing is Key
The timing of posts, comments, and general activity can have a tremendous impact on the success of your actions on Reddit. It is worth repeating time and again, if you post information at a time when few people are actively engaged on social media, it’s equal to not posting anything at all. Kissmetrics put together a comprehensive infographic on the timing habits of users on various social media platforms.
When you post to Reddit and actively engage with other users, you should aim to do so during a few key time periods during the day. Activity on social media sites, in general, spikes around 5 p.m. EST each day, with other smaller spikes occurring in the early morning hours and around noon. All times are listed in EST for a good reason. The infographic points out that 48% of the US population lives in the Eastern time zone, while 33% resides within the Central time zone.
As for the logic behind the times when activity spikes, it’s simple. In the morning, residents in the Eastern and Central time zones are just settling in at work and procrastinating instead of getting down to business. At noon, those individuals are taking lunch breaks and residents of the Pacific time zone are just strolling into the office. The 5 p.m. spike is representative of the end of the work day.
Know What to Submit
Lastly, if you want to generate traffic from your Reddit profile, you need to share content that is worthy of a reader’s time. Relevant content is what people are looking for online, and it is the content that will attract their attention and generate interest in your website. What are the best types of content to share to get attention? Search Engine Journal highlights popular content that is easy to generate:
- Infographics: Successful infographics on Reddit are those which avoid narrow topics and instead focus on funny, political, or generally interesting trends.
- Interviews: You can either share a link to a relevant interview that appeals to your follower base, or you can host an interview for a subreddit.
- Drawings: If you are artistic enough, drop a humorous or interesting drawing into the comic subreddit.
- Videos: Like other media content, people just want to view videos that are funny. Drop it into the appropriate subreddit and your job is done.
- Questions: Asking questions that generate emotional responses can drive a lot of comments and discussion around your profile. Pay attention to popular trends and generate a question based upon that idea.
Reddit is a great tool, just like Facebook and Twitter, for generating traffic and increasing visitors to your website. Your success or failure on Reddit eventually comes down to your patience and the time you put into your activity on the site. With good effort, you’ll be able to increase the traffic flowing between your website and your Reddit site.
