5 Steps to Growth Hacking on Reddit (From Growth Expert)

Summary

This video script offers a five-step guide to leveraging Reddit for startup growth, emphasizing the platform's unique user engagement and traffic potential. It features Staffan Ulmert, who shares insights on navigating Reddit's community-driven structure, engaging in subreddits, and crafting content that resonates with niche audiences. The script highlights the importance of authenticity, understanding Reddit's culture, and the organic growth potential that contrasts with other social media platforms.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Reddit is a significant traffic source for startups, with 1-2 billion monthly visits, offering opportunities for growth without a large existing following.
• 📈 Growth hacking on Reddit involves five key steps: understanding the platform, asking beginner questions, preparing to market oneself, engaging in niche communities, and gaining traffic.
• 🏛 Moderators on Reddit have significant control, and adhering to their rules is crucial for successful engagement.
• 🤔 Reddit differs from other social media platforms in that quality content can thrive without the need for a large following or SEO tactics.
• 📝 Starting with an account and joining relevant subreddits is essential for understanding the platform and being productive within its communities.
• 🙋‍♂️ Asking questions as a newcomer on Reddit is encouraged as it helps in learning both about the platform and the specific topics of interest.
• 📍 Mapping out niche-related subreddits is a strategic move to identify where one can effectively market and engage with the target audience.
• 🔍 Utilizing tools like Delay for Reddit can aid in discovering valuable subreddits and provide insights on optimal posting times.
• 📑 Creating and sharing guides or content that adds value to the community is an effective way to organically include links to one's site.
• 🔗 Transparency is vital on Reddit; it's important to be clear about one's identity and intentions when participating in discussions.
• 🚀 Going viral on Reddit can be different from other platforms, often leading to more engaged and converting visitors, despite potentially lower impressions.

Q & A

What is the significance of Reddit as a platform for startups?

Reddit is significant for startups because it is one of the biggest websites in the world with between one and two billion visits every month, offering a potential source of traffic without needing a large following.

What is the main difference between Reddit and other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook in terms of content promotion?

Unlike Twitter or Facebook, Reddit does not require a startup to have a large following before it can gain visibility. Quality content can be recognized and rewarded by the community through upvotes, regardless of the poster's follower count.

What is a subreddit and how does it relate to content marketing on Reddit?

A subreddit is a mini forum within Reddit, dedicated to a specific topic. It is crucial for content marketing as it allows targeted posting and engagement within communities that are interested in the content or product being promoted.

Why is it important for a startup to understand the rules of Reddit before engaging with the community?

Understanding Reddit's rules is important because moderators have significant control over their respective subreddits. Failure to adhere to the rules can result in being banned or ignored by the community.

What is the first step in growth hacking on Reddit according to the video?

The first step is understanding Reddit, which includes creating an account, joining relevant subreddits, and spending time reading and learning from the community to grasp the platform's dynamics.

What does Staffan Ulmert suggest for startups to do in the early stages of their Reddit engagement?

Staffan Ulmert suggests that startups should ask basic questions and learn from the community rather than immediately treating Reddit as a traffic source.

What is the recommended approach for startups when they are ready to start posting on Reddit?

The recommended approach is to map the niche on Reddit by listing all related subreddits and using tools like delay for Reddit to discover valuable subreddits and gain insights on when to post.

How should a startup engage in its niche on Reddit according to the video?

A startup should engage by posting guides or content that contributes value to the community. It should also be organic in inserting links to its site if relevant and improve upon popular posts by creating even better content.

What is the 'skyscraper method' mentioned in the video and how can it be applied on Reddit?

The 'skyscraper method' is a strategy where one identifies popular content and then creates an improved version of it. On Reddit, this can be applied by taking inspiration from popular posts and enhancing them to create original, high-quality content.

How does the video differentiate the experience of going viral on Reddit versus Twitter?

The video differentiates by highlighting that while Twitter can generate massive impressions and traffic quickly, Reddit visitors are more likely to explore and engage with the content, leading to higher conversion rates.

What is the final step in the five steps to growth hacking on Reddit mentioned in the video?

The final step is to gain traffic by being transparent, respecting the community's rules, and providing organic and valuable content that includes links to the startup's site or product.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to Growth Hacking on Reddit

The video script begins with an introduction to Reddit as a significant source of web traffic, with 1-2 billion monthly visits. It outlines a five-step strategy for leveraging Reddit to drive traffic to a startup without needing a large pre-existing following. The speaker, Staffan Ulmert, shares his experience with building online communities and emphasizes the importance of quality content on Reddit. The script also highlights the role of subreddits and the necessity of adhering to the rules set by moderators to successfully engage with the Reddit community.

05:01

📚 Learning the Ropes of Reddit

This paragraph delves into the first step of the Reddit growth hacking strategy: understanding the platform. It suggests creating an account, joining relevant subreddits, and spending time reading and learning from the community. The speaker recommends specific subreddits such as 'startups' and 'content marketing' for entrepreneurs to gain insights and learn about effective content strategies. The paragraph underscores the importance of learning the platform's dynamics to move forward successfully on Reddit.

10:04

🤔 Asking Questions and Engaging on Reddit

The second step of the strategy is to ask questions as a newcomer to Reddit, which serves a dual purpose: gaining knowledge and understanding the platform's culture. The speaker advises against treating Reddit purely as a traffic source initially and instead encourages users to engage by asking basic questions and learning from the responses. The paragraph also touches on the importance of respecting subreddit rules and the value of learning both what to do and what not to do on the platform.

🎯 Preparing to Market on Reddit

The third step focuses on preparing to market oneself on Reddit by identifying and mapping out niche-related subreddits. The speaker introduces a tool called 'Delay for Reddit' to discover valuable subreddits and gather data insights on posting times. The paragraph stresses the importance of transparency, respecting moderators, and understanding the rules of each subreddit to effectively market one's business or content on the platform.

🔑 Engaging in Niche and Gaining Traffic

The fourth and fifth steps are about engaging within one's niche and gaining traffic. The speaker shares that guides have been an effective way to contribute organically to Reddit, allowing for the inclusion of relevant links to one's site. The paragraph discusses the strategy of creating original content inspired by popular posts, known as the 'skyscraper method.' It also addresses the importance of posting in a way that is not perceived as overtly promotional, suggesting the use of references and organic links to products, including those of competitors, to maintain authenticity.

🌐 Comparing Virality on Reddit vs. Other Platforms

The final paragraph contrasts the experience of going viral on Reddit with that on other social media platforms like Twitter. The speaker shares personal anecdotes of virality on both platforms, highlighting the difference in user engagement and conversion rates. While a viral tweet resulted in a large number of visitors but minimal exploration of the site, a popular Reddit post led to fewer visitors but a higher conversion rate, with users signing up for newsletters and purchasing affiliate products. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the value of Reddit's targeted and engaged user base for business growth.

Keywords

💡Reddit

Reddit is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered users can submit content, such as text posts or direct links, and participate in discussions. It is known for its diverse community and the ability for content to go 'viral' if it gains enough upvotes. In the video, Reddit is the central platform for discussing strategies on how to grow a startup's online presence without needing a large following, emphasizing its role as a traffic generator.

💡Growth Hacking

Growth hacking refers to a set of marketing tactics that focus on rapid experimentation across marketing channels to identify the most effective, efficient ways to grow a business. In the script, growth hacking on Reddit involves leveraging the platform's unique structure and user base to increase traffic and visibility for a startup, as outlined in the five steps presented.

💡Subreddits

Subreddits are individual communities within Reddit, each dedicated to a specific topic or theme. They function as mini forums where users can share content and engage in discussions. The video emphasizes the importance of identifying and participating in relevant subreddits to effectively market a product or service, as they are the building blocks of Reddit's community structure.

💡Moderation

Moderation on Reddit refers to the oversight and management of individual subreddits by volunteer moderators who enforce the community's rules. The script highlights the importance of adhering to these rules when marketing on Reddit, as failure to do so can result in being banned from the community.

💡Content Marketing

Content marketing is a strategy that involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a clearly defined audience. In the context of the video, content marketing on Reddit involves sharing guides, stories, or other forms of content that provide value to the community, which can indirectly promote a startup's product or service.

💡SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine's unpaid results. The script mentions SEO in the context of Reddit, noting that unlike other platforms, Reddit does not require SEO tactics such as keyword optimization or hashtag usage, as the platform's algorithm and community engagement drive visibility.

💡Traffic

Traffic, in the context of the internet, refers to the number of visitors a website receives. The video discusses strategies for generating traffic to a startup's website through Reddit, emphasizing the high volume of monthly visits Reddit receives and how it can be leveraged for business growth.

💡Shameless Plug

A 'shameless plug' is a direct and unabashed promotion of one's own product or service. The script mentions a specific subreddit called 'shameless plug' where users are allowed to promote their businesses directly, which is a strategic approach to gaining visibility on Reddit.

💡Engagement

Engagement, in a social media context, refers to the interactions users have with content, such as likes, comments, shares, and upvotes. The video stresses the importance of engaging with the Reddit community by posting valuable content and participating in discussions to build trust and visibility.

💡Viral

To go 'viral' means for content to spread rapidly and widely across the internet, often resulting in a significant increase in views, shares, or mentions. The video contrasts the experience of going viral on Reddit versus Twitter, highlighting the quality of traffic and user engagement that can result from viral content on Reddit.

💡Newsletter

A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication that provides updates or insights on a particular topic. In the script, the conversion of Reddit visitors to newsletter subscribers is mentioned as an example of successful engagement and a way to build a lasting relationship with the audience.

Highlights

Reddit is one of the biggest websites in the world with 1-2 billion monthly visits, offering significant traffic potential for startups.

Growth hacking on Reddit does not require a large pre-existing following, unlike other social media platforms.

The importance of content quality on Reddit, where it can drive traffic without the need for a big following.

Moderators on Reddit have significant control, and adhering to their rules is crucial for success.

Subreddits function as mini forums covering a wide range of topics, providing targeted traffic opportunities.

The necessity of understanding Reddit's platform dynamics before attempting to leverage it for traffic.

Joining and engaging with subreddits like 'startups' and 'content marketing' to learn and understand the community.

The value of asking basic questions on Reddit to learn from the community and understand platform etiquette.

Utilizing tools like Delay for Reddit to discover valuable subreddits and gain data insights for posting.

Being transparent about one's identity and intentions when engaging on Reddit to build trust and credibility.

Engaging in niche-related subreddits by posting guides and contributing valuable content organically.

The effectiveness of the 'skyscraper method' for creating content that improves upon popular existing posts.

The importance of organic and seamless self-promotion on Reddit to gain traffic without appearing overly sales-oriented.

Using Reddit's unique culture to one's advantage by understanding the platform's aversion to overt marketing.

Identifying specific subreddits like 'shameless plug' and 'coupons' for direct business promotion opportunities.

The contrast between going viral on Twitter versus Reddit, highlighting the quality of traffic and user engagement on Reddit.

The higher conversion rate of Reddit traffic, with visitors exploring the site and engaging with the content.

The five-step process for growth hacking on Reddit, from understanding the platform to gaining targeted traffic.

Transcripts

- These are small kingdoms and(mild explosion)

(laughs)

- (laughing)There we go.

- It just said, boom.

(soft music)Okay, today we're going to talk about Reddit.

One of the biggest websites in the world.

They have between one and two billion visits every month.

And all that could generate a lot of traffic to your startup

without having a big following already.

We're gonna talk about five steps

to growth hacking on Reddit.

Following video we're going to tell a real story

about going viral on Reddit

and how that's different than other social media,

such as Twitter and Facebook.

- (voiceover)This is straw startup.

- With us today, we have Staffan Ulmert.

Staffan, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

- I'm here in the Sweden.

I built a music community called Has It Leaked.

We quickly did 2 million visitors from Google per month.

And then I did the same for a newbie movie community

called Where You watch.

I've been on BBC world ,

The Guardian ,The New york times, Vice.

- So why are we talking about Reddit today?

- I think Reddit is interesting

It's a tricky beast, uh, but has a great traffic.

It's been a great traffic source for me.

And they are divided into these subreddits.

It's like a mini forum.

It's everything from world news

to collecting Beatles record.

Unlike Twitter or Facebook

quality content or products or services

actually have a shop.

And that pays off.

Pays off without having a big following.

- So the point here really is that

if you create amazing content on Reddit,

you don't have to have a hundred thousand followers

like on Twitter or somewhere of the other social media.

- It's so cliche, but it actually is true.

The downside, however, is that moderators rule the kingdom.

You either follow their rules or you're out.

- So you have to be a little bit more subtle on Reddit.

You can't just, you know,

jump the party and try and sell stuff.

- Exactly. There's an audience ready.

They are ready in that way.

They are divided already

into these mini forums or subreddits.

Unlike Twitter or Facebook, like I said before,

you don't have to have built a following first.

There's no SEO, there's no keywords to use,

there's no hidden hashtags or all that crap

that you have to deal with within uh, Instagram.

Step one, understanding Reddit.

So first of all,

you obviously need to create an account

and then join subreddits

where you can be productive.

And productive, I also mean

that you read and learn and take your time.

As an entrepreneur,

this might include the subreddits startups.

I think it's a good way to start listening and reading

first of all, lessons.

I really like can learn a lot from that.

And then you got lengthier stories,

which are also very interesting.

And then we got content marketing.

I think that's very interesting

about how to use content correctly,

how to get exposure to your content.

Alternative, if you're willing

to reveal your own business venture,

what you are going to do.

There's one called startup ideas

and is also super interesting I mean.

- Yeah, and this is cool, right?

First important, you cannot skip this step

and there are two things here.

First of all, you can learn a lot from this content.

This content is really, really solid content.

Secondly, you're also learning Reddit.

And if you don't learn Reddit,

you're not going to be able to move forward here.

- [Staffan] Step two, ask all the newbie questions.

Don't think of Reddit as a traffic source, straight away.

Take the opportunity to ask those really basic questions.

And these are questions I usually get all the time.

It's the same type of questions.

It's do I need SEO?

How do I find investors?

Uh, do I need a paid campaign?

Uh, how do I hashtag stuff on my Instagram?

Do I need to do that?

Should I use word press?

Reddit is perfect.

Myself have engaged a lot in Instagram marketing.

That's a subreddit, which is very interesting.

I'm very bad at Instagram. So I'm learning a lot.

- So now you're engaging again,

learning what to do and what not to do.

And I think the important area is what not to do too,

because we know the rules are strict.

Every single group you go into,

you have to read the rules.

- Yes.

- And posting, you know,

we'll teach you what to do and what not to do.

It can be frustrating, right Staffan ?

- Can be super frustrating. Yes.

Step three, prepare to market yourself.

So this is your time to map your niche on Reddit.

So list all the subreddits, which are related to your niche.

There's going to be more than one here.

So first of all,

I want to really recommend a very basic, very simple tool.

It's called delay for Reddit.

It's much more than a scheduler.

It's a tool to discover valuable subreddits.

Uh, you just search for the keywords

that you are interested in,

and your business is related to,

and it will find those relevant subreddits.

And it's going to help you with when to post,

it's going to give you a lot of data insights.

So it's, and it's super simple to use

really highly recommend that one.

It's super cheap as well.

Then be very transparent. I can't say that enough.

Don't talk about your company in third person.

Like be very transparent on who you are and why, you know.

- And respecting the moderators obviously right?

And again, we've said a couple of times read the rules.

- Yes yes. Read the rules. - (laughs)

- [Staffan] Step four, engage in your niche.

Okay. Now it's finally time.

Now it's post time. Post, post, post.

What should you post? You might ask yourself.

Okay. So guides have really worked for me.

So that way you contribute,

and it's an organic way to insert links at your site

if it's relevant.

if you don't know what type of guide

you can write about,

or you have no idea and you need inspiration,

copy popular posts and just improve upon them.

Brian Dean a famous SEO guy,

he has this skyscraper method,

which is basically you build one building.

Someone has built a really tall building,

you look at that and just make it even taller.

Um, I think that makes a lot of sense.

- So you are saying,

hey, get inspiration from others,

do create original content,

but you get the idea about the theme

because the theme is popular

and then build a taller building,

build something better than the previous posts.

- [Staffan] Step five, gain traffic.

Okay. I don't want to sound like a broken record.

I know I have before,

but Reddit hates marketers.

That's number one thing to remind yourself of. Right?

So when you go into insert your link

to your business or your product,

make sure that either being upfront

that hey, this is my product uh, so, you know,

just so you know,

or make it very seamless and organic.

I'm going to have some, a few examples for you.

So if I post an extensive guide,

uh, at the bottom, I often place a link which says,

hey, this guide was originally written for,

and then site X or my site.Right?

So it might not be original content.

Uh, so it works like a reference.

- So does that generate enough traffic

just to have a link at the bottom?

- If it's good enough, for example,

it's going to get a permanent placement

and people are going to go to that post,

they're going to have questions in the end,

they will click on that link

and see whatever happens, you know.

Or in that guide,

uh, you can place a link to a product directly,

a product I'm selling,

but also include links to other company's products.

It doesn't have to be your competing company of course,

but just to make it, you know, kind of seamless

like Amazon, Amazon, your site,

Amazon, Amazon, that,

okay that might be too obvious,

but just make it flow,

make it organic, make it something like,

hey, I really recommend this.

- So you're saying that,

hey, it can look like

a one sided promotion of your business,

but if you do mix it up a little bit,

then it can be done.

- Yes.

And one thing I find works really well for me is,

okay, I really don't have time

to maybe write those extensive guides.

I've written a ton of guides.

I can see that my client maybe have built

a very impressive site from the beginning and you know,

written lots of guides or posts or whatever

they shared it to Facebook,

they shared it to Instagram,

maybe gotten a few likes and then died out

and maybe it doesn't perform that well on Google.

Take that stuff and put it on Reddit.

And I also want to add, you know,

it's okay to promote your business directly

on a few subreddits (inaudible)

There's one called shameless plug(giggles)

and there's one called small businesses.

And Oh, I want to mention the coupons.

There's one called coupons, which is super popular.

People go crazy over there.

So that's uh, highly recommended

- Finally we'll talk about something interesting.

We'll tell a story about going viral on Reddit,

um ,but also why actually it's different

going viral on reddit

compared to say Twitter or Facebook.

- I went viral on a twitter, semi viral on Reddit

at around the same time.

On Twitter, it was my tweet

was about Taylor Swift's upcoming album.

Um, it blew up.

Got 1 million impressions within 24 hours.

That's a lot and resulted in 90,000 visitors

because I had included a link to my site in that tweet.

And a number of outlets wrote about me,

Vogue, Yahoo, Metro, MTV, all that's good,

good press for me.

Compare it to Reddit.

I had written a guide on clothes

which got really popular

and it got 27,000 impressions

and it resulted in 2000 visitors to my site.

Now, Okay. That doesn't sound too impressive

compared to the 1 million impressions,

but there's a big difference here.

The Twitter users, which came to my site,

They didn't really explore the rest of the site.

They just jumped back straight back to Twitter.

And my Twitter account is, I mean, it's years in the making

with I have 30,000 followers.It's not a lot,

but I've been running that Twitter account

for many many years.

- I think there's an important point here that

this is a business strategy from Twitter and Facebook.

They are trying to create more closed communities

where people stay.

Reddit is different in the way

they do not mind linking to others

and are more integrated with the world.

- Exactly.

To get the ball rolling

and get to the million visitors or impressions

already on the other hand,

my account was brand new,

I had no trust, no following.

And I got uh, tons of impressions anyway.

And unlike Twitter, visitors actually converted.

Only 2000 visitors, yes

but 8% of those signed up to my newsletter.

I got, sold a lot of affiliated products

at the same at the time.

- And that's really one of the important points here is that

on all the social media,

you just have a lot of people flying by

but in these subreddits you get the exactly right people

that are relevant for you, your service, your business.

(soft music) Okay. There you have it.

Five steps to growth hacking on Reddit.

Step one, understanding Reddit.

Step two, ask the newbie questions.

Step three, prepare to market yourself.

Step four, engage in your niche.

Step five, gain traffic.

Thank you very much for watching.

(upbeat music)