Why You Can’t Ignore Reddit Anymore + Four Mistakes Brands Make
By Christina Milanowski & Shari Spooner
For years, marketers have largely ignored Reddit, treating it like a niche platform: something to monitor, maybe advertise on, but not a serious part of the marketing mix.
Reddit’s influence is now impossible to ignore. Other tech giants have replicated or begun to replicate Reddit’s design.
If that sounds familiar, it should. When some of the largest social media companies in the world start building products that look a lot like Reddit (we’re looking at you, Meta), the market already has spoken.
The data tell the story:
- Reddit reaches more than 450 million weekly users.
- Reddit hosts 138,000+ active communities.
- Consumers increasingly trust Reddit conversations over brand messaging.
- Reddit content frequently appears in search results and AI-generated answers.
- Brands that listen and participate on Reddit gain valuable audience insights and build trust.
We presented on Reddit marketing for brands at Digital Summit Denver recently, and here’s what we shared with the audience:
Fact #1: Reddit reaches 450 million weekly users
Reddit is a social media channel organized around user-created communities called subreddits. While the platform was once host to the “niche corners of the Internet,” it’s grown into one of the largest collections of interest-based communities anywhere online. In fact, there are more than 138,000 subreddits, some with as many as 67 million members!
The difference between Reddit and other social media channels is users are not scrolling passively. They actively are researching products, asking questions, seeking recommendations and sharing experiences.
Yet many brands still treat Reddit as an experiment instead of a core channel.
Fact #2: Consumers trust communities more than brand messaging
Whether someone is researching software, shopping for dinner ideas, planning a vacation or making a major purchase, there’s a good chance they’re adding “Reddit” to the end of their Google search.
In today’s digital world, people are craving authentic experiences and honest perspectives from real people. When consumers constantly are surrounded by ads, both online and offline, it’s no surprise many are tuning them out. Instead, they’re seeking recommendations, reviews and conversations they can trust, and Reddit has become a go-to destination for exactly that.
Hot take: Brands spend millions creating content, while consumers are actively searching for conversations.
Fact #3: Reddit is becoming a major source for search, AI discovery
Reddit content increasingly is appearing in search results and AI-generated responses. Recent research validates major AI platforms ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode prioritize Reddit citations, helping transform Reddit into a top-three U.S. domain as of April 2026!
The discussions happening today are helping shape the answers consumers receive tomorrow.
If your brand is absent from those conversations, you are leaving your narrative in the hands of strangers.
Fact #4: Reddit’s community model is influencing the future of social media
Social media platforms recognize people want more than content feeds. They want conversations, recommendations and communities built around shared interests.
Reddit has spent nearly two decades perfecting that model. And, uniquely, it has built a special space on the Internet that attracts traditional social media users and infrequent users, alike. In fact, more than half of Redditors say they are not on LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest or X (Twitter).
Why do brands struggle with Reddit marketing?
Despite the platform’s growth and influence, many marketers continue making the same mistakes:
They treat Reddit like every other social media platform
Polished marketing messages rarely win on Reddit. Relevance, transparency and value do. Running those Meta ads verbatim on Reddit? That’s not the move to win on a channel that’s seeing increased competition from advertisers. Reddit advertising is growing! It’s experienced 74% year-over-year ad revenue growth — roughly three times more than TikTok and Instagram.
They focus just on advertising
Ads are only one piece of the opportunity. Reddit’s real value comes from community insights, audience intelligence and authentic engagement.
They ignore existing conversations
Your customers are already discussing your brand, your competitors and your industry. Whether you’re listening is another question.
They underestimate Reddit’s impact on search and discovery
Reddit is no longer just a social media platform; it increasingly is influencing how people discover information across search engines, AI platforms and now the next generation of community-driven social experiences.
The brands winning today are not necessarily the ones spending the most money. They are the ones listening, learning and participating where consumer trust is actually being built. Brands that still view Reddit as “just another social channel” are missing the bigger picture.
What’s your projection for Reddit? More growth, flat, decline? (We know the right answer 😛)
If you are ready to dig into Reddit for your brand, contact us to learn more about how our Social Media Strategy team can help set you up for success.
Christina Milanowski is vice president of social media strategy at Curious Plot, where she leads social media strategy team. She has 20 years of strategic social media leadership, developing modern strategies that focus on brand relevance, audience participation and evolving digital behaviors. She enjoys biking around the lakes and streets of Minneapolis, when there isn’t snow!
Shari Spooner is director of social media strategy at Curious Plot with 15+ years of experience on both client and agency sides. She helps brands connect with audiences through smart, effective social media strategies. When she’s not working, you can find her experimenting in the kitchen or planning her next Colorado family adventure.