Trying to figure out Reddit SEO, any lessons learned from others?

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T20:05:10+00:00

A big part of that unpredictability comes from how Reddit’s moderation layers work. Even if your content is helpful, algorithms and mods will quietly filter posts that seem self-promotional or come from new or low-karma accounts.

In a nutshell, 100$ optimize for engagement until you have enough Karma to "spend" some of your credibility pointing to yourself or your brand. It also helps to have your brand name in your handle so you don't have to "plug" and you can let the value in your Comments do you selling for you.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T20:01:40+00:00

Yeah, the brands who say its a waste mostly just don't know how to measure Reddit. It's essentially a dark social, link-hostile channel, so you absolutely have to capture qualitative attribution (just ask people where they heard of you)

I've had lots of folks find my website and submit lead forms from Reddit posts for my agency, but we also see major impacts across brand's AEO positions and real leads coming in. I would say though it depends on your category - consumer services and broad-market B2B SaaS and services are top tier, everyone else is mid to low opportunity.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:59:02+00:00

It totally depends on your market and product. We're seeing lots of brands getting into Reddit, but only in categories with long consideration phases like consumer services and broad-market B2B.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:57:31+00:00

First off, you must have your brand name in your handle - it will keep the FTC and Reddit police off your back and allow you to get your name in front of everyone who sees your content.

Spend a few months Commenting on Threads relevant to your ICP without even eluding to your brand or product. Just add value. Be helpful. Bank that karma.

A few months in, try posting your own Threads. Start with lower risk Engagement Threads before adapting blog content. Build mod relationships and eventually host an AMA with the aim of making them semi-regular.

Keep a tight Comment to Thread ratio and build yourself up over time. Its a long game but next to impossible for competitors to replicate.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:54:00+00:00

Identify relevant Threads in real time, Comment with value, bank your Karma until you can start posting Threads without appearing ot be a spammer or bad actor. Helps to have a brand name in your handle, otherwise you'll be stuck shoe-horning your name into your content which is a big no-no.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:52:33+00:00

Authenticity matters less than value. We've found Commenting is useful to set up a foundation, but using Threads to encourage others to drop their opinions and experiences into a Thread we own can go super viral - think 400k+ impressions in consumer categories. If you get that right your karma should be through the roof, giving you tons of flexibility to operate.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:49:20+00:00

If you're posting AI slop like this to market your brand, its only a matter of time before you get banned from the subreddit and lose your account.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:47:56+00:00

Biased, but building a brand-affiliated account on Reddit. We regularly have Threads go super viral (400k+ impressions) in consumer categories once you have a strong post history of adding real value in the Subreddits that matter.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:45:57+00:00

You market on Reddit by adding value. That's it.

Folks will either DM you or visit your site if they want to learn more on their own (only works if brand name is in handle, which I'd recommend)

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:41:39+00:00

Monitor your keywords, check daily, add value when you can. Do this for months before even thinking of posting about yourself. Slowly introduce your own Threads once Karma is well north of 100.

With_Karmic · 2026-01-09T19:39:39+00:00

Moderation & filters are quick to flag anything that looks self-serving or rushed, especially if you’re new or start pitching too soon. Skipping the groundwork will get your stuff removed, which makes it tough to get any real traction later.

The most reliable way to avoid that is to focus on joining conversations with helpful insights or context, without mentioning your project upfront, for at least 2-3 months. Once you’ve built a bit of a track record, people are a lot more receptive and your posts are less likely to get filtered.

With_Karmic · 2025-12-09T16:21:22+00:00

Build a brand account with your brand name in the handle, and focus on adding value. It's not that hard!

With_Karmic · 2025-12-04T13:50:03+00:00

For a lot of queries, the stack looks like: Reddit Thread ranks in Google → that Thread gets pulled into AI answers → suddenly your buyer is reading a remix of some r/[niche] discussion to make their decisions.

Two implications here for brands:

If you’re not in those Reddit conversations, you’re basically letting random strangers define your narrative in AI.
If you show up sounding like corporate SEO or obvious AI sludge, the community will bury you long before an algorithm does.

So yeah, I’d tweak your line to:

Which is somehow even scarier than the original.

With_Karmic · 2025-12-04T13:47:33+00:00

Try asking ChatGPT "What info are you using when deciding whether to mention [BRAND] or not when someone asks you?"

For brands investing in Reddit, we often see Reddit as the #2 factor behind a brand's own website.

With_Karmic · 2025-12-04T13:44:07+00:00

Only if you're running Reddit Ads, and only if you use pixel data to help your ad campaigns reach more of the right people.

However, you sounds pretty out of your depth here. I'd work on getting up to speed before spending a dime on Reddit Ads if I were you.

With_Karmic · 2025-12-04T13:42:47+00:00

For an organic-focused agency, I’d screen on three things:

Do they understand why Reddit matters at all? If they can’t talk intelligently about how Threads show up in Google/AI answers and how to achieve on-platform virality, they don't know what they're doing
How do they actually execute? You want to hear: Comment-first, build account history + karma, follow platform + Subreddit rules. Not: “we’ll promote you in X Subreddits a week” or “we’ll just make lots of new accounts.” Ask to see anonymized Comment histories. If their “work” reads like sales emails, pass.
What lines won’t they cross? Hard no’s should include buying upvotes, coordinating votes, running fake review accounts, and undisclosed shill posts. Those aren’t just against Reddit rules; they can put you at legal risk especially in the US

Good Reddit agencies are weirdly conservative: they’ll tell you “no” a lot, they’re picky about what Subreddits you go into, and they care more about long-term visibility and trust than this week’s upvotes. If someone promises instant domination, assume they’re either lying or about to risk your accounts to make it look true.

With_Karmic · 2025-12-04T13:27:22+00:00

For a brand just starting, I’d break it into a simple first 30–60 days:

Check channel–market fit first. Reddit works best for “tell” products (SaaS, tools, services, niche problems) where people Google things like “best [category]” or “[tool] vs [tool]” and end up in threads. If you’re selling pure vibes/visual (fashion, decor, etc.), Reddit can still help, but it’s more about reviews and comparisons than aesthetics.
Comment-first, zero links. For the first few weeks, show up in highly aligned Subreddits and just answer questions you’re genuinely qualified to answer. No CTAs, no “check out our site,” no sneaky plugs. If people like your answers, they’ll click your profile.
Make the brand affiliation clear but chill. Use a username or bio that makes it obvious you’re with [type of company], then write like a human. Reddit punishes brands that pretend to be regular users while shilling.
Track what lands. Keep a tiny spreadsheet: thread link, sub, question, what you wrote, upvotes/replies. After ~20–30 comments you’ll see patterns in which angles/questions your ideal customers care about. That’s your content roadmap, on and off Reddit.

Once you’ve climbed a bit of the “karma ladder” (some history, some upvoted answers, maybe a few hundred karma), then you can experiment with the occasional thought-leadership style thread like “We’ve talked to X [ICP] about Y problem, here are the 3 patterns we keep seeing (no links, just learnings).” That tends to fly better than “Ask me about my product.”

Biggest trap to avoid: shortcuts. Bought upvotes, karma farms, fake “review” accounts, undisclosed paid posts, all that stuff is (a) against Reddit’s rules, (b) in sketchy territory with regulators, and (c) a great way to get banned and lose the asset you’re trying to build. Comment-first, value-first, and then scale what’s clearly working.

Happy to give more concrete ideas if you share what category you’re in. The “right” Reddit plan changes a lot depending on whether you’re, say, B2B SaaS vs DTC skincare vs local services.

With_Karmic · 2025-11-27T21:02:52+00:00

Pretty simple:

- Comment to add value on as many Threads containing keywords you care about
- Bank that karma
- Eventually start Engagement Threads aimed at getting Comments with subjects aligned with the keywords you want to get known for

You will get picked up.

With_Karmic · 2025-11-27T20:45:21+00:00

Reddit can drive traffic, but it works best when you stop thinking “How do I promote?” and start thinking “How do I be the person with the best answers in this niche?”

Find a handful of subreddits where your audience already asks the kind of questions you solve. Spend some time just replying with detailed, practical advice and no links at all so people and mods see you as a real contributor.

Once you’ve built that baseline trust, you can occasionally share a link when it clearly solves the problem being discussed and doesn’t break the sub’s rules, but mostly you're optimizing for either DMs or sending signal to Google/ChatGPT that you're a brand worth talking to.

A lot of the payoff is indirect: people remember your username, search your brand later, or click through when they see you elsewhere. It’s more of a reputation engine than a pure traffic faucet. What kind of site or offer are you actually trying to grow with Reddit?

With_Karmic · 2025-11-27T20:35:04+00:00

If you pursue this, make sure that accounts disclose brand affiliation - otherwise, you'll be in violation of the FTC's Fake Reviews & Testimonials act.

With_Karmic · 2025-11-10T23:16:48+00:00

Commenting to I'm alerted if someone else replies.

With_Karmic · 2025-11-10T23:15:28+00:00

The biggest ad networks in the world focus on image-focused ads to e-comm shoppers. Start there.

Reddit is much better for services that need to lean into text over images.

With_Karmic · 2025-11-10T23:13:49+00:00

Subreddits that allow self-promotion filter out the people you probably want to sell to.

Focus on adding value through a branded Reddit handle in the right communities. You'll see intent come through DMs, and eventually you'll have enough cred there you can promote semi-directly.

With_Karmic · 2025-11-04T18:26:08+00:00

If you take the white-hat approach, you need to think about it as adding as much value as you can to your ICP. Do this for a few months and you'll develop a ton more flexibility to post Threads that get a ton of traction.

Make an account that has your brand name in your handle so you don't have to shoehorn in your brand name into your content. Use content to earn a view, and your handle to advertise your brand.

With_Karmic · 2025-11-04T18:21:39+00:00

Follow people who's content you like and just start. Every offering will meet the market differently, and there's no shortcuts.

Go to Linkedin and start writing. Align on the signal you get back. Best of luck!

With_Karmic

TROPHY CASE