Reddit Marketing: The Untapped Strategy Your Business Needs

When I first started building my company, I did what every founder does: looked at the usual social media suspects. Instagram seemed perfect for glossy visuals. TikTok was the obvious choice if you wanted quick virality. LinkedIn looked like the professional route. YouTube? Well, that required a budget I didn’t have. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the real opportunity wasn’t in any of those places. It was hidden in plain sight, on a platform I used late at night just to kill time. Reddit marketing, the untapped strategy your business needs, isn’t flashy. But if you get it right, it’s a growth lever most companies overlook until it’s too late.

The Platform Everyone Underestimates

Let’s be honest—Reddit has always had a reputation. For years it was the messy, chaotic corner of the internet where memes were born and strangers argued about everything under the sun. I’ll admit, even as a user I never thought of it as a place for business. But that picture is outdated.

In March 2024, Reddit went public at $34 a share and raised about $750 million. By the end of the year, it reported $1.3 billion in revenue—$1.2 billion of it from ads. Daily active users jumped 39% year-over-year, crossing 100 million. For the first time, the company was profitable, with nearly $30 million in quarterly earnings. That’s not just “some forum site.” That’s the scale.

Projections for 2025 suggest Reddit could hit $1.8 billion in ad revenue. For perspective, that makes it one of the fastest-growing platforms in the advertising space—outpacing some of the same giants that founders like me usually obsess over.

Why Reddit Works When Others Don’t

Here’s the thing about Reddit: it thrives on trust. A 2024 survey showed that 74% of Redditors said discussions there influence their buying decisions. Another 61% felt that brands who participate seem more “human.” Now compare that to how people feel about Instagram ads. Most of the time, they swipe past them without thinking.

I’ll give you an example. A friend of mine launched a skincare product last year. The advertisements received impressions on Instagram but very few insightful comments. She joined r/SkincareAddiction on Reddit and began discussing products, regimens, and skin types in an honest manner. Her brand was being recommended by strangers without her ever promoting it in threads within a week. That’s the magic—word of mouth at scale, in real time.

Proof in the Campaigns

If you still think Reddit is a gamble, look at the numbers. H&M ran a holiday campaign that generated a fivefold increase in purchase intent, a 1.4× jump in ad awareness, and nearly a threefold boost in brand favorability. That’s the kind of lift CMOs dream about.

Peak Design did something similar with its travel gear. They concentrated on subreddits like r/photography and r/travel rather than saturating every platform with advertisements. Their Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns didn’t just drive traffic—they drove the right traffic.

Then there’s my favorite story: Nissan’s 2014 campaign. They gave Redditors pizzas, gifts, and personal notes to promote the Nissan Versa Note. It wasn’t polished. It was quirky and raw. But it worked, because it spoke the same language as the community. Sometimes, the less “advertisey” it looks, the better it performs.

Authenticity Isn’t Optional

Here’s a warning, though: Reddit is brutally honest. If your content feels fake or self-promotional, you’ll get downvoted into oblivion. I’ve seen brands pour money into ads only to have their posts mocked in the comments. On this platform, polish can actually hurt you.

The code was broken by Spotify. They participated in music discussions, exchanged playlists, and inquired about what listeners were feeling rather than forcing pricey memberships on them. Connection was more important than sales. That approach made their presence feel organic, not forced. If you’ve ever spent time on Reddit, you know how quickly people call out nonsense. That’s why the only way forward is to participate as a person first and a brand second.

Listening Is Half the Value

One thing I wish I realized earlier is that Reddit isn’t just a place to market—it’s a place to listen. Every subreddit is basically a free focus group. Unlike surveys, people on Reddit aren’t holding back. They’ll tell you what they hate, what they love, and what they wish existed.

The gaming industry figured this out ages ago. Bethesda, the studio behind Fallout, has made adjustments to its games based on Reddit discussions. Players notice, and loyalty goes up. For a startup founder like me, that’s a goldmine. Imagine being able to watch your target audience brainstorm product ideas for you in real time. That’s not marketing—that’s R&D.

Ads That Feel Like Conversations

Reddit’s ad tools have also leveled up. You can now target specific subreddits, broader interest categories, or even tap into AI-driven insights through Community Intelligence. But here’s the thing: the best-performing ads don’t feel like ads.

Sponsored AMAs (Ask Me Anything sessions) are a great example. They give people a chance to engage, ask questions, and challenge you directly. It’s scary at first, but it builds real credibility. Other campaigns mimic the tone of organic posts so they blend into the feed. When ads feel like conversations, they stop being interruptions.

Why 2025 Is the Right Moment

So why is now the right time? Simple: Reddit has reached critical mass, but it’s not yet oversaturated. The IPO gave it resources to scale, its ad products are improving, and its culture is still centered around authenticity. That window won’t stay open forever.

Meanwhile, younger audiences are tired of polished influencer content. They want transparency. They want to feel like they’re talking to real people. Reddit, for all its chaos, delivers exactly that. Analysts predict it could be one of the top five platforms for brand discovery by 2026. Whether or not that exact forecast is right, the trend line is undeniable.

Final Thoughts

Here’s what I’ve learned as a founder: Reddit isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. You can’t treat it like Instagram or TikTok. You have to listen more than you talk, and when you do talk, you’d better be authentic. Reddit offers you something no other network does, though, provided you follow those guidelines: the opportunity to gain widespread trust.

The statistics and case studies back up the fact that the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Therefore, it might be time to take a fresh approach if you’re sick of trying to garner attention on busy platforms where advertisements are disregarded. Because Reddit marketing, the unexplored tactic your company needs, may be the thing that makes your brand stand out. Follow for more updates on Business.