Unlocking Reddit: The Platform Where Communities Drive Real Results
For social enterprises and impact organisations, digital marketing isn’t just about visibility - it’s about building genuine relationships with the right audiences. While many leaders focus ad budgets on the usual suspects like Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, there’s another platform quietly outperforming expectations: reddit.
With over 100,000 active communities (subreddits) built around shared interests, causes, and values, reddit is where authentic conversations actually happen. And for purpose-driven organisations, that presents a rare opportunity to connect directly with people who already care about what you stand for.
That’s exactly what we explored in this week’s Coaching With Purpose session with our marketing strategist Liz.
🧩 1. Why Reddit Is Different - And Why It Works
Reddit isn’t built for polished ads or mass broadcast - it’s built for community and conversation. Each subreddit acts like its own
micro-society, complete with its own style, humour, insider phrases, and cultural norms.
➡️ For impact leaders, that means:
You can reach highly specific audiences based on genuine interests rather than broad demographics.
Your message appears in environments of trust and curiosity, not just scrolling.
Authentic engagement outperforms flashy creative - because redditors value transparency above all else.
✅ Key insight: Before you launch a reddit campaign, spend time listening. Each subreddit has its own culture: for example whether they use emojis, whether they favour witty self-deprecating humour or dry professional tone, what “lingo” they use, what phrases they tend to up-vote. If your brand sticks out like a sore thumb, you could do more harm than good.
💡 Tip: Pick 2-3 subreddits that align with your mission. Study their top posts for a week. Note the language they use, the comments, the style. Then craft your post to match, not just interrupt.
💡 2. Case Study: Siemens Delivers Results with AMA + Reddit Ads
In our session Liz shared a powerful example: Siemens (a major technology-engineering company) ran a campaign on reddit that combined a traditional ad placement with an organic “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session hosted in relevant tech communities. They followed reddit’s native style and respected subreddit rules.
The results were impressive:
46% higher click-through rate (CTR) compared to the German benchmark
24% lower cost per click (CPC) compared to the benchmark
Why did it work? Because Siemens took the time to speak with the community, not just at it. The AMA gave real experts a chance to engage directly with subreddits’ members, answer their questions, show transparency, build trust - and the ad campaign amplified that authenticity.
🗞️ 3. Industry Updates You Should Know
In addition to exploring reddit, we covered two important updates shaping the future of digital marketing for purpose-driven organisations:
Instagram’s Creator Recognition Program: A new initiative by Instagram to give creators clearer attribution and visibility. If your mission-brand works with creators or ambassadors, this will affect how you structure partnerships and content.
California’s Health Warning Laws for Social Media: Coming legislation in California may require platforms to display mental-health related warnings for younger users. This signals rising emphasis on digital wellbeing and ethics in social media marketing.
🔍 4. How to Use Reddit Ads Ethically and Effectively
If you’re ready to experiment with reddit, here are the do’s and don’ts that came out of our session:
✅ Do:
Join the conversation first. Comment and engage in relevant subreddits before you ask for anything.
Use language that aligns with reddit’s tone - straightforward, human, sometimes conversational or humorous.
Test formats like an AMA session, or a poll, or a very “native” post that feels like it belongs there.
Target tightly using subreddit-level targeting rather than broad demographics.
🚫 Don’t:
Dump your usual Facebook ad creative here. It’ll feel out of place.
Disguise your intentions. If users feel you’re hiding a “marketing play”, downvotes will follow.
Skip the research. Every subreddit has its own norms; ignoring that leads to failure.
If your organisation stands for transparency, participation, and purpose - you’ll feel right at home on reddit. It’s just a question of whether you’re willing to meet the platform on its own terms.
💬 5. Reddit Ads in a Nutshell
Best for:
👉 Reaching niche or mission-aligned audiences (tech-for-good, sustainability, wellbeing, specialist B2B)
Strengths:
👉 High engagement, community trust, differentiated from mainstream social ads
Things to watch:
👉 Requires time and authenticity - no shortcuts. You‘ll need to think like a community member, not a brand.
From Awareness to Action with Coaching With Purpose
Every week, in Coaching With Purpose, we help purpose-driven leaders like you translate industry noise into clarity and strategy. This session on reddit was a reminder: marketing doesn’t have to feel manipulative - it can serve. We showed how to adapt platforms where your audience already is, and how authenticity wins.
Join us to learn how to:
✅ Identify where your audiences actually spend their time
✅ Create authentic campaigns that build trust and traction
✅ Keep up with the digital shifts that matter for values-led organisations
🚀 Ready to Grow with Purpose?
If this blog sparked ideas, you’ll love our next Coaching With Purpose live session - where we’ll dive deeper into ethical digital marketing, authentic brand storytelling, and social media strategies that actually convert.
👉 Apply to join today and gain access to expert insights, live coaching, and a community of like-minded leaders shaping the future of purpose-driven marketing.
Because the best marketing doesn’t just sell - it serves.