At the end of this article, you will have created and customized a Reddit account that represents your business. You will use this account for articles to come, and learn how to engage Reddit and built a reputation in a Reddit community related to your business.
Some turn to buy existing accounts. For example, you can spread your message utilizing Signals from accounts with validated post histories. Leave comments, start threads, and do other things with old, niche-relevant accounts.
Choosing the right username
A good Reddit username communicates to other Redditors who you are and what you do. If the name of your business is available as a username, use that. Also, feel free to add a personal touch to your username (e.g., “bob_company” or “jane_certification”). Choosing a username that represents your business serves two purposes:
1. You are being transparent about who you are on the platform, and redditors value transparency.
2. Most of your interaction on Reddit will not involve you actively promoting your business. Your username will serve as a passive brand mention that allows redditors to look up your business if they choose to do so.
Once you have decided on a username, go to Reddit.com and click the “log in or sign up” link in the top right corner. A pop-up will appear with a form to “Create a new account.” Enter your username, password, and email address and click “Create Account.” If your username choice is taken, try different variations until you find one that is available.
Note: Entering and verifying an email is not required to join Reddit, but we recommend including it for password recovery
purposes and because it helps lift some basic restrictions on your account (e.g., how often you can post or comment). After signing up, check your email and click the verification link. This will bring you back to Reddit and will automatically verify
your email address.
Assignment 1.1 – Create an account & read your first message
Create your Reddit account by following the instructions in the previous section. After you create an account, go to Reddit.com, and you will notice an orange envelope icon near the top-right corner of the screen. This means you have something new in your inbox. Click on the icon to check your inbox, and you will find the automated welcome message that every new user receives.
To complete this assignment: Create a Reddit account and write down your username in your notes. Then read the welcome message and the blog post “How Reddit works” (linked in the welcome message).
You can see the screenshot of the intro message that is sent to all new Reddit accounts below.
Customizing your subreddit subscriptions
Reddit is a vast space with thousands of subreddits (i.e., topic-based communities). When you join Reddit, you are automatically subscribed to 50 subreddits. These subreddits are called “default subreddits.” They are some of the biggest communities on Reddit in terms of subscriber count and are often dedicated to a relatively broad topic (e.g., “funny” or
“television”).
When starting out on Reddit, we recommend unsubscribing from all of the default subreddits and subscribing to your business’s niche communities. This allows you to focus on the niche communities where you can leverage your expertise and build meaningful connections with other Redditors. To unsubscribe from the default subreddits, go to reddit.com/subreddits, scroll down and look to the right sidebar. You will see a list of subreddits with unsubscribe buttons next to them. Unsubscribe from all of these subreddits one-by-one.
Next, go to Google and search for subreddits related to your niche. Search the phrase “Reddit [your niche]” (e.g.”Reddit digital marketing”). The largest and most relevant communities will often show up first. If you are having trouble finding subreddit through google, you can try the subreddit search on Reddit’s website.
Assignment 1.2 – Subscribe to 3 subreddits
Using Google and the subreddit search on Reddit’s website, search for keywords related to your business and explore the subreddits that you find. Read the subreddit sidebar and the recent submissions to determine if the community is relevant to your business. Most subreddits have related subreddits listed in the sidebar and can be a great way to find communities that you can’t find through a search.
Once you have found 3 subreddits, subscribe to each of them by clicking on the right-hand sidebar’s subscribe button. Then return to Reddit.com, and you will see your own customized frontpage when logged in. To complete this assignment: subscribe to three subreddits related to your business.
