Reddit is the Wild West of insights and ideas
If parasnailing enthusiasts can find community, you can too
There’s nothing like a quick scroll on Reddit to get your creative juices flowing if you’re lost for ideas. I pull it up to test my theory and in 5 minutes on the r/casualUK community – a UK-based subreddit for non-political news, commentary and discussion – I have read about:
The longest lies people have ever told. Including a woman who told her husband the darts was the highlight of her year so she didn’t have to get off the sofa…and is still getting dart-themed Christmas presents five years on.
The fact that – according to the label – you’re not supposed to eat Heinz ketchup 8 weeks after opening, even after refrigerating. Mind. Blown.
The winner of the World Conker Championships who is being investigated for cheating concerns after he was found with a steel nut.
My brain is officially buzzing. I see a Christmas advert for Etsy. A content piece on how to use ketchup in everyday dishes. And a new villain for a children’s TV series because…
But beyond being a fun prompt if you need an injection of rabbit-hole creativity, Reddit is really great for getting insights. Reddit was where we finally had that aha moment when creating the KatKin brand story. After focus groups, stakeholder interviews, workshops and more it was a Reddit thread asking “what’s more hardcore, cats or dogs” and its wildfire responses that sparked our creative idea around hardcore love. If we hadn’t done a deep dive into cat topics and communities, that idea may never have been born.
Reddit’s tagline is “dive into anything” and it really means it. Structured around subreddits there are hundreds of thousands of communities that centre around everything – from broad interests like r/PlantBasedDiet or; to fandoms (the Nobody Wants This subreddit has over 10m community members); to the more niche end of the spectrum: a community for fountain pen enthusiasts or witchesvspatriarchy for example (although we imagine, not that niche on this newsletter).
Communities can submit links, text posts, images or questions, start discussions, upvote and downvote content and take part in AMAS – ask me anythings – with experts or community members. And within those communities, it does really feel like people say what they mean. It has a no-holds-barred feel that makes it great for finding insight. Especially if you don’t have a healthy consumer research budget. Less filtered than Insta, less contrived as TikTok and more unbuttoned than LinkedIn. The wild west of insight, if you will. Here’s how to make the most of it.
How to use Reddit for insights
Use the search bar to find discussions: Be as specific as possible with your keywords. "Vegan restaurants in New York" or "best organic formula for babies.
Find relevant communities: identify the subreddits that align with the community or topic you’re researching (e.g. r/childfree or r/parasnailing)
See what topics are trending in there: sort posts by "Top" (see the best posts from "All Time," "This Year," etc.) to see what topics, projects, or ideas are most upvoted. Or “Hot” section to see discussions that are active and generating buzz.
Take part (or even host) AMAs: Ask me anythings are hosted by experts or members of a particular community within subreddits (or in the r/iAmA channel). Ask questions, see what other people want to know and read the comments.
Ask questions and engage with the community: post questions, get feedback, advice and new perspectives. You could ask “what’s the most frustrating experience you’ve had with paint?” in a home decor subreddit or “what do you think of my idea in r/Startups. Some subreddits allows polls too.
Analyse competitors’ mentions – Search for mentions of your competitors in relevant subreddits. Look for recurring complaints, praises, or suggestions to understand how consumers are feeling about competitors.
Look out for emerging trends: In Subreddits like r/Futurology or r/Technology. Following these discussions can give you insights into where certain industries, technologies, or social movements are heading, sparking creative ideas for the future.
The Brand - Diem
The problem with Reddit is that historically it’s had a more male-dominated user base. You just need to see the titles for the highest-growing subreddits to see that. (Lots of titties). Diem is a female-founded startup that aims to address gender bias in search engine results by creating a social search engine tailored for women and nonbinary individuals. Dubbed both “the Reddit for girls” or “Google, but for hot girls” they’re on a mission to turn candid, real-world conversations you might hear in a bathroom stall into searchable, accessible resources for everyone. Think conversations and discussions on friendships, freezing eggs, toxic masculinity, chronic pain and orgasms. Read about them on tech crunch here or sign up for their newsletter (good name).
The Vortex
This Peanut campaign was built on a solid foundation of insight from their own platform.
Last week Rachel Karten’s newsletter on Keith, the Sonos employee and subreddit hero went viral.
This is an ask me anything on reddit by a lobster diver who was swallowed by a whale. (The fact that the most upvoted question is actually about his Cape Cod hotspots is actually hilarious.)
How Reddit has become a go-to for crisis comms.