Reddit marketing for Consumer products: where to start

If you make something people buy, there is a thread about it somewhere on Reddit. Maybe it is about your brand, maybe about your competitor, maybe about the problem you solve.

Read those threads before you write a word. They tell you what people love, what annoys them and what they wish existed.

What your buyers are asking

These are the kinds of questions that come up again and again. Each one is a chance to be the helpful answer.

• What is the best [product] for [situation]?
• Is [brand] actually good?
• What did you buy that you ended up loving?
• What should I look for when buying [product]?
• Why is [product] so expensive?
• What do you use instead of [popular product]?

Where to look

• r/BuyItForLife. People who want things that last. Trusted for honest durability talk.
• r/Frugal. Value-minded shoppers who like cost-per-use thinking.
• r/gadgets. Tech and gadget news. Focused on news, not shopping help.
• Hobby communities. Keyboards, coffee, headphones, photography and many more have deep, specific communities.
• Community for the problem. Often the best place is a community about the problem, not the product.

Rules change and every community is different, so read the sidebar and pinned posts before you write anything. Our guide on how to read subreddit rules shows what to check.

What tends to work

• Replying with details about how something is made.
• Letting happy customers speak for you, and never writing their words yourself.
• Following up when someone had a problem with an order.

What to avoid

• Discount codes in comments.
• Pretending to be a happy customer.
• Ignoring a thread that criticises you for weeks.

An example of a good answer

Here is the kind of reply that helps. The product and company in it are made up, and the point is the shape: answer first, reasons next, a short honest note about the connection last.

Question: Is a pricey insulated bottle really better than a cheap one?

The big differences are in the lid and the seal. Cheap ones tend to lose cold within a few hours and the lid wears out first. Look at how many layers the wall has, how the lid seals and whether you can buy spare parts. We make bottles, so I am obviously not neutral. I would say buy the one with replaceable parts, whoever makes it, because the lid is the part that fails first.

Post ideas you can use

• A guide that explains what to look for in your category.
• A look inside how a product is made.
• A plain post about a mistake and the fix.
• A comparison of materials and what each is good for.
• A post about repairs and spare parts.

How to tell if it is working

Track visits from Reddit to buying guides, and ask at checkout how people heard about you. Branded searches often rise after a good thread. Our guide to measuring Reddit marketing results has the full setup.

Common questions

Can I reply when someone criticises my product?

Yes. Say who you are, thank them and ask what happened. Do not argue.

Should I run a giveaway?

Only where the rules allow it. Many communities ban them, and some treat giveaways as vote manipulation.

How do I get reviews on Reddit?

You cannot ask for them. You can be good enough that people write them without being asked.