Reddit is becoming a first stop for online information. Instead of relying on search summaries or brand messaging, users are turning to the platform for unfiltered, community-driven discussion. For brands, this shift represents a growing opportunity to reach consumers at the point where opinions are formed.

Colin James Belyea, the co-founder of Karmic, a Reddit-focused growth marketing agency based in New Brunswick, says he noticed this shift while researching a topic for work. As his Google searches surfaced more Reddit posts, he kept clicking. “I suddenly realized I had 30 Reddit tabs open,” he says. “I wanted to know what other people actually thought.”

That behaviour is increasingly common, with a recent Reddit study finding that nearly half of users consider traditional search results irrelevant and instead turn to the platform for discussion and personalized advice. The platform now reaches more than 70 million weekly search users, with six million weekly active users engaging through its search experience worldwide. As a result, Reddit threads are frequently cited in search results and AI-generated answers, creating new opportunities for brands to appear earlier in the customer journey.

The platform’s appeal lies in its approach to connecting users with peer recommendations and real-world insights. Belyea notes that businesses in sectors such as technology, consumer electronics, and beauty are taking notice, as consumers in these categories often conduct extensive research before making a decision. He points to brands like home audio company Sonos and collaborative design platform Figma as examples of companies that have built their presence by participating in community discussions rather than relying on traditional advertising.

On Reddit, trust is earned slowly and meaningful engagement is often more important than posting volume. This dynamic shapes how brands approach it. Belyea outlines strategies that can help brands succeed—and common mistakes that hold them back.

Earn trust before seeking attention

On Reddit, trust comes before visibility. Users are quick to spot outsiders and even quicker to reject content that feels promotional. Reddit is built around topic-specific communities called subreddits, each with its own rules, posting norms, and moderators who actively enforce what content is allowed.

Before posting, Belyea recommends that brands spend time observing how each subreddit works. He describes this as “lurking,” where users read discussions to understand norms before contributing. Skipping this step can lead to consequences, he says, as moderators may remove posts or restrict accounts for breaking community rules, including posting promotional links or appearing inauthentic. These behaviours are penalized for undermining the quality and authenticity of community discussions.

For brands, the first step on Reddit isn’t posting–it’s listening. Belyea says this means understanding how users talk before contributing. It involves learning what gets upvoted, what gets ignored, and what triggers pushback or removal.

Do not broadcast, participate

Most social platforms reward frequent posting and consistent content schedules, but Reddit works differently. Credibility comes from participating in existing conversations. Brands that succeed act less like advertisers and more like participants.

“[Brands] cannot just publish,” Belyea says. “They have to engage. It isn’t a megaphone–it’s more like a handshake.” That means engaging in subreddits where their audiences are already active.

Instead of pushing messages out, they can respond to questions and add context to discussions to fit the tone of each community. For example, a beauty brand might engage in threads where users are asking about skincare routines, product ingredients, or concerns like acne or sensitive skin. Rather than promoting a product, it would answer users directly with relevant advice, helping build familiarity and trust over time through consistent participation.

Build credibility through comments

Before creating posts on their own accounts, brands should start in the comments, where long-term value is built. Thoughtful responses in relevant threads can influence potential customers long after they are posted. Over time, they shape how a brand is perceived.

Belyea says brands can start by identifying discussions customers are already engaged in, such as product comparisons, troubleshooting questions, or experience-based threads, and contribute insights. They can then answer real questions and add useful context, gradually building a visible track record of expertise.

Once a brand has established this credibility through commenting, it can create its own posts. One example is “Ask Me Anything” sessions where a team member answers community questions. These posts perform best when they share knowledge rather than promote a product.

Avoid self-promotion at the start 

Self-promotion is another fast way for brands to fail on Reddit. Sharing direct links to a company’s own website, overly sales-driven language, or even casual product mentions can trigger removals, particularly in larger subreddits with stricter moderation.

That caution comes from how Reddit operates: users quickly downvote content that feels unhelpful or low-quality, reducing its visibility and the author’s credibility, or report anything that feels like advertising. Instead, Belyea says brands should focus on answering questions and sharing insights without expecting immediate returns. 

“The value in your content buys you reach,” Belyea says. When users find a comment genuinely helpful, they upvote it, increasing its visibility and signalling trust. 

Measure impact beyond clicks

Reddit doesn’t behave like traditional marketing channels, and neither does its data. Belyea notes it’s a “link-hostile environment”, where posts designed to drive clicks, such as direct links to websites, often receive limited reach or are filtered out. As a result, referral traffic from Reddit is typically lower than from platforms like search engines or other social media channels.

Related: How to Build Connection with Customers on Substack

Instead, Belyea says brands should look at a broader set of signals. These include post and comment views, which reflect how many people have seen a post or comment; karma,  a numerical score that reflects how users value a person’s contributions and influences the reach of their future content; and organic brand mentions, where users reference a brand naturally in discussions without prompting.

“You have to triangulate your Reddit impact,” he says, combining Reddit platform metrics, website data, and direct customer feedback. In practice, this often requires looking beyond standard analytics tools, with brands adding questions to lead forms like “How did you hear about us?” or monitoring when customers reference Reddit in conversations. Much of Reddit’s impact happens before the click, with discovery in discussions shaping later search behaviour and ultimately driving consumer decisions.