Is Reddit the New Google?
AI is reshaping how customers shop. Here's what to do about it.
When I got my first job as a Community Manager in 2011 (!), Reddit terrified me. The only people I knew who used it were my engineer friends in Boston who wrote emails with this thing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Even then it was the “front page of the Internet,” but it was presented as a wilderness, and one brands wouldn’t want to touch.
My, times have changed. (Or maybe just me?) Reddit is now public, the cofounder is married to the best athlete of our time, and the platform just got really, really influential.
I say “just,” but of course that’s not true — it’s been growing since I was answering tweets and playing on Quora (more on this later.) But a few things have happened in the past few years:
Reddit IPO’d in March 2024, which meant it had to grow up fast for advertisers, investors, and Wall Street.
In May 2024, Google revealed that searches ending in “Reddit” skyrocketed: over 100 people now add it to their queries every second. That’s 0.1% of global search — not massive, but meaningful.
Critically, in 2023, Google updated its algorithm to prioritize forum discussions. Reddit is now the #3 most visible domain on Google after Wikipedia and Amazon.
Of course, it all comes back to AI, because that’s the world we live in. Platforms such as ChatGPT and Google’s AI tools are pulling information from Reddit, giving power to posts — some that are years old! — where they didn’t have them previously.
Of course, it all comes back to AI.
ChatGPT, Google’s AI tools, and others are pulling data from Reddit, giving new life to old posts, and amplifying trusted, organic content in ways brands can’t easily control.
What that means: we’ve entered the era of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), where visibility in AI-powered search is the next battleground for influence. Just as brands had to develop strategies for appearing in traditional search results, they now have to develop ways to ensure they’re populating in AI-powered search.
In other words, customers — right now — are being served information on your brand that have a huge influence on their decisions. According to Reddit data, 73% of platform users make a faster purchase based on Reddit users experiences, more than any other platform including X/Twitter (63%), TikTok (63%) or Instagram (61%). (Interestingly, YouTube is not mentioned.)
What does it mean for you, and how do you start building an AEO strategy?
Start Researching Conversations. Now.
If you haven’t already looked up your brand, department, or product on Reddit, now is the time. (Well, finish reading this first. And maybe share it with a friend?)
Pick 3 - 8 relevant subreddits (the forums).
See what people have been sharing. Watch them for a while.
What themes are you noticing? Where are people happy? Where are they furious? What are people upvoting or responding to? How recent are the posts?
Gather the insights. These will be the roadmap for the next step.
Act Like a Customer
Play around with ChatGPT, Google AI and the like.
See where and how your brand shows up.
What references are they pulling? Which can you help effect?
Who can you partner with (PR for media hits strategy; Customer Service for understanding of online response strategy, etc) for maximum impact?
Develop Your Perfect Approach
Not all brands — or strategies — are created equal. My recommendation is to get back to good ol’ fashioned community management. You could do this a few ways:
If you have an employee advocacy program or trained customer service reps, this could be a place to develop protocol or understanding of how to interact on Reddit and influence search results. Everything would need to be disclosed (“I work for [Company] and I think [This]”), but it can be an effective way to build trust. Indeed, this is what I did at Eventbrite with Quora, another forum site, and passively gathered more than 3,500 followers.
Fold Reddit into your exec communications strategy, if you have leaders or directors who are present and used to engaging with people about products and the company. For example, a director of a particular product category could be a valuable advocate for responding to a question
You could respond from an official account, which is a more traditional approach. This will likely not drive as much engagement because, well, it’s official and traditional, but it can be useful when well-executed.
Things to Remember:
Always be clear on who is posting
You can’t make people post (obviously) — and you’ll have to be conscious of local laws when it comes to the time they do
What Not to Do
Please don’t create anonymous accounts and post. It’s a core rule of community management and if/when it backfires, it does so spectacularly
Blanket ask employees to post. This ask is already delicate enough and must be done VERY carefully and with clear, intentional guidelines
Ignore Reddit any longer
I didn’t build a Reddit strategy 15 years ago. That was a mistake. (Hey, I was busy.)
But now, there’s still time. Do it before someone else defines your AEO strategy for you.