That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?
Especially on the heels of recent news that Reddit’s user base now outnumbers Twitter’s. In fact, Reddit now has the THIRD MOST users (330 million) of any social platform on the web (behind only Facebook and Instagram).
What’s more, Reddit has grown a whopping 30 percent in just the last six months.
But, it’s not just the user base that’s growing. It’s the time users spent on Reddit.
According to We Are Social’s Simon Kemp: “The average user spends 15 minutes 47 seconds on Reddit.com each day, compared to just over 11 minutes for visitors to Facebook.com, and 6 minutes 23 seconds on Twitter.com.”
So, let’s recap: Reddit has the third-largest user base on the web, it’s growing, and it’s users spend more time on Reddit than users do on Facebook or Twitter.
Oh, also: Reddit is continuing to make its platform better.
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In the last year alone, they’ve added user profiles, expanded ad options and improved measurement tools.
So, given all this, the big question is: Why aren’t more brands using Reddit?
The answer is complex.
For starters, I think Reddit’s interface and look and feel have a little to be desired. Let’s be honest, the site looks like a web site from 1997–not 2018. I would argue that’s what makes it so attractive to the internet’s elite (and, it’s probably a strategic decision by Reddit), but I also believe it’s part of what turns brands and marketers off. Why would I want our brand associated with a social network that looks more like Geocities than Instagram?
Second, historically, Reddit hasn’t exactly embraced corporate America. If anything, they’ve kinda given corporations (especially big ones) a bit of a stiff arm. Up until recently, there haven’t been a lot of efforts to attract brands (outside of brands orchestrating AMAs from time to time). Limited ad options existed. And, even the ones that did exist, weren’t easy to use. Quite simply: Reddit hasn’t been courting brands the way Facebook and Google have over the years.
Finally, a big part of resistance from companies probably also comes from the Reddit user base itself. Reddit’s users have a rep. I would say that rep leans internet elite and features those who pride themselves on being ahead of the curve on all things digital and culture. The Reddit power users are a digitally savvy, early adopter set. For example, locally here in MSP, people like Greg Swan, Holly Spaeth and Nathan Eide are most likely Reddit users. But, if I were ask my Mom what Reddit was, she would probably say it was a new promotion at the Minneapolis Public Library. Despite having 330 million users, Reddit is not mainstream social platform. It’s the biggest niche social platform in modern history. And its users (at least historically) have not been big fans of corporate American invading their territory on Reddit.
What do you think? Why aren’t more brands adopting Reddit given the recent data points we’ve seen lately?