The perils of ignoring Reddit
Strategic Communications expert Asha Oberoi, IABC NSW Board director and FTI Consulting’s Head of Digital and Insights, talks to IABC NSW on the perils of ignoring Reddit
By Asha Oberoi,
Thanks, Asha, for sharing some of your insights about Reddit with IABC NSW members. We have heard that some in our profession are unclear on Reddit’s role in their communications strategy. You’ve spoken externally about its potential for brands, but also its perils. Let’s dive a bit deeper into what it means for today’s brands.
What is Reddit?
Ok, so let’s start with some background. Reddit was founded in 2005, and its prominence grew after 2010 with the rise in social media and online communities. Its recent surge in popularity could be attributed to the decline in Facebook and X and the fact that Reddit had not been polluted by bots.
Turning to its value proposition, Reddit’s a place where people gather in like-spaces to exchange information, experiences or stories. Here they can gather intel or develop knowledge while conversing with people facing similar situations or problems. If something complex is happening that requires explanation, it’s a really useful tool to make sense of what’s going on affecting someone’s community either personally or professionally. Typically groups are bonded by common goals, needs or values.
Being on Reddit allows for a powerful value exchange but of course, like all online spaces, there are some challenges because it’s not always a source of truth. Like a chat between neighbours at the shops, it may be just gossip and conjecture, and sometimes that can be very damaging.
So, there are clearly communications opportunities and threats for organisations in that description.
Exactly! Given the potential for brand damage and its impact across a business, threatening strategy achievement, productivity and people hiring to name three, what I’m not seeing enough of is organisations taking time to work out how they should be thinking, and what they should be doing, about Reddit.
Too many organisations have this blind spot about Reddit. Yet Reddit is not an online platform that can be ignored. Instead it needs to be brought into a company’s communications ecosystem for monitoring, managing and optimising.
What are three key things communications professionals need to be aware of in bringing the platform into their organisations?
Three key things I know from helping companies understand how to use Reddit are:
Reddit offers insights on risks to brand as well as strategic engagement opportunities
You can find out what’s being said by actively monitoring discussions on Reddit. That way you can uncover insights into customer/stakeholders’ sentiment and get an understanding of how your brand is being discussed and perceived.
Brands can also engage in Reddit, but there are some key things to consider before they do.
Reddit users really value transparency, substance and quality. So if you are planning to use the platform, then the content you provide has to meet those norms and standards. If it doesn’t, you’ll be pulled up really quickly, and that will work against you.
Corporates have to think hard about what their objectives are and whether they will be able to deliver on the standards required. If you’re not living and breathing authenticity, then you should be steering clear of Reddit! Equally you can’t be on it just to tick a box. That won’t win you any friends online at the end of the day.
2. Anonymous platforms like Reddit are early warning systems for cultural and reputational risk.
Your employees are one of your most critical stakeholders. But if they’re brave enough to criticise you publicly on Reddit while still on payroll, that’s the tip of a deeper cultural iceberg. Apart from the obvious signal that something’s not working, the unaudited commentary can provide clear indicators to corporates about how their strategies, actions and communications are landing with their employees.
But you can only hear how people are thinking and feeling, and act, if you make Reddit a channel to monitor and have reporting going up the line. This can be critical intelligence that would otherwise not be accessible in more private groups online. Acting on it could lead to important improvements in engagement strategies and ultimately better business outcomes.
The bottom line is people want to be heard, and they want to know that they have been listened to. If an organisation is not doing enough of that internally, and frustrations remain, then it’s a short hop for some employees to decide to vent externally. I don't think a brand would ever want to ignore that.
3. Regulators and journalists are already searching Reddit for evidence and news stories.
This is one corporates need to be very aware of. Take the example of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) taking supermarkets Woolworths and Coles to court over alleged misleading prices. The regulator trawled platforms such as Reddit and TikTok to collect data before taking action.
It really pays for corporates to know what’s being said, and have a plan for that, ahead of a regulator telling them what they’re reading and the conclusions they’ve drawn as a consequence.
Any final thoughts?
Simple really. For corporates, the opportunity is clear: listen, audit, plan and engage authentically. Ignore these signals, and you risk being blindsided.