September 10, 2025

If you still think Reddit is the wild west of the internet, you’re already behind. For years Reddit sat on the sidelines of marketing plans, overlooked in favour of shinier platforms.

Too messy, too unpredictable, too risky. And guess what, while brands looked away, audiences didn’t. They piled in. And now, Reddit has quietly become one of the most important places to win trust, drive discovery, and shape culture.

Why is Reddit on the agenda for CMOs right now?

• Google and AI love Reddit. Search “best moisturiser for dry skin” and you’ll get a Reddit thread. Google prioritises Reddit content in search results, and AI engines are hoovering it up as “authentic user opinion” (Reuters).
• The numbers don’t lie. Daily active users hit 110 million this year, up 21% year-on-year. Average visits last 18 minutes (Backlinko). That’s not doom-scrolling; that’s deep engagement.

• The money’s following. Reddit ad revenue is growing faster than any other social platform—up 30–50% year on year (Business Insider). And with Reddit Pro delivering up to 17x ROAS and 94% lower CPA than Facebook or Instagram (Single Grain), it’s hard to ignore.

Still think it’s niche. It’s time to rethink.

Strategy for CMOs: Lurkers don’t win. Leaders do

1.Why is Reddit on the agenda for CMOs right now?

Reddit is where people validate purchase decisions. A recent Vogue Business piece revealed 71% of UK users check Reddit after discovering a product elsewhere. That means your brand needs to show up when customers are comparing, asking, and venting.

Reddit isn’t a billboard, it’s a conversation. Treat it less like an ad channel and more like the biggest rolling focus group you’ll ever sit in on. The difference? People here are brutally honest, and that’s gold if you’re smart enough to listen.

Ok, so what do you need to do…

• Subreddits are your lab. Places like r/Advice (+7.2% growth last month), r/CleaningTips (+6.7%), or r/law (+9.1%) are growing fast because people want help. They’re live customer panels where your brand can spot unmet needs and test messaging in real time.
• Be useful, not glossy. Forget polished brand-speak. Share expertise, answer real questions, or even admit where your product isn’t perfect. Sounds counter-intuitive, but honesty actually earns trust on Reddit.
• Show up consistently. One comment won’t cut it. The brands that win here stick around, nurture conversations, and become part of the community rhythm. Think less campaign, more cadence.
• Track the chatter. With Reddit Pro now on mobile, you can monitor mentions and sentiment as it happens. If someone is debating your product versus a competitor, being the first to chime in could tip the scales.

The win for CMOs is in embedding your brand into the messy, real conversations that shape purchase decisions.

Oh and BTW, Reddit is a perfect fit in B2B. There’s a cracking piece at https://immediatefuture.co.uk/blog/reddit-is-a-safe-place-for-b2b-marketing/ if you want to check it out

2. Why should CMOs take Reddit Pro seriously?

Reddit Pro went mobile in August, rolling out on iOS with Android following (Swipe Insight). Brands can now:

• Monitor mentions and conversations in real time.
• Analyse comment traction, not just upvotes.
• Tap into an AI-driven engagement playbook.

Conversations often hit Reddit before they spill onto TikTok or Instagram. With Pro, you can intercept in real time, giving your brand the chance to answer, reassure, or even seed content that will later travel.

Go Pro or go home

Reddit Pro isn’t just a dashboard, it’s your backstage pass to the internet’s most honest conversations. If you’re only tracking your brand name, you’re missing the real action:

• Widen your net. Set alerts for category terms, not just your logo. If you’re in sportswear, you want to be in the “best trainers for bad knees” thread before Nike or Adidas even lace up.
• Follow the chatter. Look at comment analytics, depth of engagement is your clue that a topic has legs. If people can’t stop debating it on Reddit, it’s ripe for content campaigns elsewhere.
• Think flow, not flash. Start by listening, step in with value, then amplify what already resonates.

3. Respect the house rules: What’s the right balance of listening vs promotion?

Redditors will roast you alive if you waltz in with a sales pitch. This isn’t Instagram. Authenticity isn’t optional. It’s survival.

Play nice or get downvoted

Reddit runs on trust, not taglines. The fastest way to blow it? Show up like a billboard in a conversation. The winning formula isn’t complicated, it’s just discipline.

The trust mix:

• 60% listen. Lurk with intent. Absorb the tone, spot recurring pain points, and learn what people really care about.
• 30% help. Answer questions, share resources, point people in the right direction. Think helpful human, not “brand voice.”
• 10% promote. When you’ve earned your place, then (and only then) mention your product.

Stick to that mix, and you’ll be welcomed. Break it, and congratulations, you’re tomorrow’s content in r/Cringe.

4. How can brands ride Reddit’s cultural waves?

Culture moves at Reddit speed. Blink and you’ve missed the thread that’s about to set the tone on TikTok, Twitter, and your niece’s WhatsApp group. The trick isn’t to chase everything, it’s to show up where your brand can add something real.

What’s buzzing right now?

• Fashion: Fall 2025 is ruled by “small/big combos” (tiny tops with oversized trousers) and collegiate jerseys. r/FemaleFashionAdvice is full of debate on what’s in, what’s out, and what’s downright tragic.
• Pop culture: Over at r/popheads, the “Teatime” threads are the gossip nerve centre. Music drops, celeb chaos, drama, served hot, daily.
• Human drama: Relationship subs like BORUpdates and BestofRedditorUpdates are pulling in huge engagement. Because let’s face it: nothing keeps us scrolling like other people’s messy love lives.

So before you jump in…

• Join, don’t gatecrash. A fashion brand doesn’t need to start shouting about a new collection. Instead, ask “What’s your most regrettable outfit?” and let the community pile in. It’s conversational, not corporate.
• Mine for content gold. Those debates on Reddit? Perfect fuel for blog posts, Reels, or even creative briefs. If “big trousers, tiny tops” is dominating threads, your campaign idea just landed in your lap.
• Listen for shifts. A pop culture thread blowing up at 10 a.m. can become your social post by lunchtime. Reddit Pro makes it easier to spot these cultural sparks before they hit the mainstream.
• Lean into the drama. No need to pick sides, but if your category touches relationships, self-care, or lifestyle, jump into BORUpdates with helpful, light-touch advice. Done well, it’s credibility with entertainment value baked in.

Reddit works as a cultural early warning system. Track the waves that matter to your audience, add value with wit or expertise, and use those insights to fuel wider brand visibility.

5. How do you measure Reddit advertising ROI?

Reddit is sticky. Users spend 18 minutes per visit (Sprout Social), and 16% say Reddit ads prompted them to research a brand (The Social Shepherd). That’s not fleeting attention, that’s intent.

So how do you prove success?

• Track comment traction. Don’t stop at upvotes. Look at how many replies a post generates and the quality of those discussions. A thread with 50 thoughtful comments beats a post with 500 likes on another platform.
• Measure discussion longevity. Reddit conversations can bubble for weeks. Report how long your brand or product stays active in community debates—that persistence is a signal of cultural relevance.
• Monitor sentiment shifts. Use Reddit Pro’s analytics to benchmark how your brand is spoken about before, during, and after engagement. A thread turning scepticism into curiosity is tangible progress.
• Capture SEO lift. Google loves Reddit. Track when your mentions in threads show up on page one and how that impacts click-throughs to owned content. This is where community engagement turns into discoverability.
• Value referrals and research behaviour. Reddit may not always deliver last-click conversions, but if 16% of users are prompted to research after seeing an ad, show the knock-on effect in your attribution model.
• Benchmark influence, not vanity. Frame success around influence (sparking debate, shaping sentiment, and sustaining visibility) rather than impressions or raw reach.

When you take this story to the boardroom, show how Reddit drives influence across the funnel, from curiosity in a thread, to visibility in search, to consideration in buying.

It’s the connective tissue between awareness and action.

How to put Reddit in your Q4 plans

Reddit has shifted from the internet’s fringe to its cultural front row. It’s now the 7th most visited site in the world, with 416 million weekly active users and session times averaging 18 minutes per visit. That depth of engagement is rare in social, and it’s what makes Reddit such a powerful lever for discovery and trust.

Three dynamics stand out for marketers:

• Discovery is accelerating. Google has prioritised Reddit threads in search results, while AI platforms increasingly quote Reddit as a proxy for “authentic voices.” This visibility is driving growth in advice-led and lifestyle communities like r/law (+9.1% MoM) and r/CleaningTips (+6.7% MoM) are prime examples.
• Trust is earned, not bought. Redditors are sceptical of brand polish but responsive to honesty. In fact, 16% of users say Reddit ads directly prompted them to research a brand. That’s a clear signal of intent, not just attention.
• Influence outweighs impressions. Threads can run for weeks, shaping sentiment long after a campaign burst on other platforms has faded. With ad revenue growing at 30–50% year on year (Reuters), the business case is already catching up with the cultural one.

Our advice, move Reddit out of the “experimental” budget. Treat it as both a discovery engine and a living insights lab. Invest in listening first, then join conversations where you can add value.

Measure influence through conversation depth, sentiment shifts, and search visibility. Metrics that boards understand as leading indicators of growth.

Reddit isn’t just about being seen. It’s about being believed. And in a marketplace where belief drives purchase, that’s competitive advantage.