What is a Reddit entrepreneur?
Reddit is the front page of the internet. It’s got a community of dedicated people for basically anything you can think about. From video games and movie debates, to political analysis and business advice. If people can talk about it, you’ll find it on Reddit.
So as you can imagine, with a lot of people tuning into Reddit everyday, there are a lot of business opportunities on the platform as well.
So what is a Reddit entrepreneur? How can you use the platform to your business’ advantage?
Let’s break it down.
Reddit in a snapshot
Reddit has 52 million active users on a daily basis. On top of that, it has over 400 million registered users. That number’s also been rising in the past year. So not only is it a huge platform, it’s also growing.
But how does it work?
Reddit is built like a forum. It’s made up of categories of content (also known as subreddits), that anyone can follow. Besides following the conversation, any user can also create a discussion on a specific topic (also known as a thread), or respond to other threads.
So for example, someone with an interest in affiliate marketing can follow the r/Affiliatemarketing subreddit, and discuss the topic with like-minded individuals (over 80.000 on this specific subreddit).
On the same site, someone with an interest in home decoration can just search for “home decoration” in Reddit’s bar, and find this:
And these are just two examples. There are over 3 million subreddits on the platform. And that number is growing.
People on Reddit are also very engaged. The average user spends over 10 minutes on the app each day. Sure, it’s not as high as other social media platforms. Facebook for example takes the cake for time spent on the platform by its users, with an average of over 40 minutes.
But it’s important to look at what users do on Reddit. The ecosystem is much more engaging. While Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube will do their best to bombard users with new content and communities for them to join, Reddit lets you bask in your corner of the internet for as long as you want.
Reddit also rewards interaction much better than other social media platforms. Thanks to its gamification system, users are always incentivized to interact with what’s discussed on the platform.
So in short, Reddit is a very engaged community of people with clear interests. If you’re passionate about something, you’ll definitely find other people interested in the same thing on Reddit.
Entrepreneurship tips on Reddit
You shouldn’t imagine Reddit users as random people with nothing better to do than just scroll through a forum. Everyone uses Reddit. A programmer from Silicon Valley, a veteran from Eastern Europe, or a cybersecurity expert from Brussels – all three are just as likely to have a Reddit account.
And that includes accomplished businesspeople or investors. So the first type of “Reddit Entrepreneurs” are people that discuss business and investment ideas on the platform. It can provide extremely valuable insight and help entrepreneurs of any type achieve more in their professional endeavors.
Compared to studies, blog posts, or courses, Reddit discussions are more personal. The platform is actually famous for cutting through the fluff of any topic, and providing real help to its users.
So if you’re looking to leverage Reddit to your benefit, look for the subreddits that tie into your professional activity.
The best place to start is the forum related to your niche. Just search for your market in Reddit’s bar, and find the closest community to what you’re doing. Don’t be afraid to branch out though!
For example, let’s say you have a cybersecurity blog. You can follow subreddits about cybersecurity, privacy, data analysis, security software, and a ton more. If you’re passionate about your business, these communities won’t be hard to find.
Besides that, you can follow these popular subreddits for entrepreneurs:
- r/entrepreneur
- r/growmybusiness
- r/venturecapital
- r/ladybusiness
- r/investing
- r/productivity
If that last one sounds appealing, don’t forget to read our roundup of the best tools for team productivity.
However, tips are not the only thing Reddit is good for. A Reddit entrepreneur can find more avenues for growth on the platform.
Monetizing Reddit
The title of this heading might be a bit misleading. That’s because there’s no real way to monetize a strong presence on Reddit. However, like any other platform where people can gain an audience, you can still use your influence on Reddit to drive a business further. And that’s what a Reddit entrepreneur usually refers to.
Let’s see how to do that.
A genuine presence on Reddit
The first step in leveraging a Reddit presence for your business is to be an active Reddit user. People on this platform will see through a hap-hazard money grab. The only reliable way to leverage a presence on Reddit is to actually be active in some communities.
So create an account, and start following the subreddits you’re interested in. If you’re actually passionate about the topics you follow, you’ll start interacting genuinely with like-minded people. It’s not a chore, and you shouldn’t see it as a task. Using Reddit is actually fun.
So you shouldn’t have any ulterior motives in this part of the process, nor should you see it as a “business process”. Just go out there and mingle. With enough activity on the platform, your account will gain more credibility.
Join the “Job Board” Subreddits
Reddit has a few communities dedicated to helping people make an extra buck on the platform. These include subreddits like:
- r/forHire
- r/BeerMoney
- r/Freelance
- r/SlaveLabour
Of course, if you have a well-established business and you need Reddit to help boost your bottom line, these communities won’t help. However, if you’re just trying to get extra side income, all of these can be great places to leverage your skills (or extra time) in exchange for money.
However, if you want to really level up your Reddit hustle, you’ll need to do a bit more.
Create valuable resources
Since Reddit doesn’t have a monetization scheme for its users, you’ll need another platform to send traffic to. That can be a blog, a Youtube channel, or even just a simple landing page. However, your best bet is with a blog optimized for affiliate marketing.
One user, by the name of The Modest Man, grew his affiliate earnings to $10.000/month, using Reddit as one of his promotional channels.
So how did he pull it off?
Is it still possible?
Modest Man had a niche – fashion and style advice for shorter men. He created a blog about it, wrote valuable resources, and monetized his traffic with affiliate marketing. On Reddit in particular, he genuinely helped other users with his advice and product recommendations.
That was always his goal, to actually help people on Reddit.
Then, whenever the opportunity appeared to plug one of his articles, he did it.
So anyone can pull it off. Whether you’re an active member in a popular subreddit, or even create your own subreddit to discuss a particular niche, Reddit can be a viable source of traffic. The only thing you need to do is impart true value in your interactions, and then send the traffic you get to a platform you can monetize.
Not sure how to start monetizing? Clickbank is a good place for beginners. If that doesn’t ring a bell, Authority Hacker has a guide on how to make money with Clickbank.
In conclusion
A Reddit Entrepreneur can mean a lot of things. After reading this article though, you now know that a Reddit entrepreneur can be a person following investment tips on the platform, or even someone pulling in 5 figures a month with the help of Reddit.
But it won’t happen overnight. To get any mileage out of Reddit, you’ll need to interact genuinely on the platform. So create an account, and start browsing subreddits. We’re sure you’ll have a great time while doing it!
