Also called: reddit.com, the front page of the internet
Definition
Reddit is a network of topic-based communities, called subreddits, where people post links, text, images and video, then comment and vote on them. Votes decide what rises, and volunteer moderators run each community.
Reddit is a site made of thousands of separate communities. Each one, a subreddit, is about a single topic: a software category, a city, a hobby, a profession. People post into those communities, other people comment, and everyone votes. The votes decide what gets seen.
Reddit was launched in 2005 out of Y Combinator. As of October 2026, Reddit, Inc. lists more than 130 million daily active uniques, more than 514 million weekly active uniques, over 100,000 active communities and more than 26 billion posts and comments on its company homepage.
How it works
- Communities. Anyone can create a subreddit. Each is named r/something and run by volunteer moderators who write its rules.
- Posts and comments. A post can be a link, text, image, video or poll. Comments nest under it in threads.
- Votes. Every post and comment has an upvote and downvote arrow. Net votes push content up or down in sorts like Hot and Best.
- [Karma](/glossary/karma/). Votes on your contributions add up to a rough reputation score on your profile.
- Two layers of rules. Reddit's sitewide Reddit Rules apply everywhere and are enforced by Reddit's admins. On top of those, each community has its own rules, enforced by its moderators.
- Pseudonymous accounts. Users (redditors) pick a username. Most do not use their real names.
Why it matters for marketers
Reddit is where people go to ask other people what to buy, what to avoid and what actually works. A thread titled "best CRM for a 5-person agency?" is a buyer telling you exactly what they need.
Those threads also live a long time. Reddit pages rank in Google, and in February 2024 Reddit announced an expanded partnership giving Google structured access to Reddit content through its Data API. Reddit is also the most-cited domain in AI search across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews, according to Peec AI's March 2026 US data. A useful answer in the right thread keeps getting read for years. More on that in Reddit SEO and AI search.
Example
A founder of a scheduling app searches Reddit and finds a two-year-old thread in a small-business subreddit asking for Calendly alternatives. It still ranks on page one of Google for that query. A specific, honest comment comparing three options (including theirs, with the affiliation stated) gets read by everyone who lands on that thread from search.
Common mistakes
- Treating Reddit like one audience. Each subreddit has its own culture and rules. What works in one gets you banned in another.
- Posting before reading. Many removals come from breaking a rule listed in the sidebar or wiki.
- Announcing instead of answering. Redditors reward answers to the question asked, not product launches. See our Reddit marketing strategy guide.
- Gaming votes. Buying upvotes or voting from multiple accounts is vote manipulation and gets accounts suspended.
Frequently asked questions
Is Reddit free to use?
Yes. Reading, posting, commenting and voting are free. Reddit Premium is an optional paid subscription that removes ads and adds a few extras.
Can businesses use Reddit?
Yes, through organic participation that follows each community's rules, through Reddit Pro (free business tools) and through Reddit Ads. Reddit's spam policy asks people whose posts mostly link to their own business to be careful about posting frequency.
Why does Reddit show up in so many Google results?
Reddit threads hold first-hand answers to specific questions, which is what many searches are looking for. Google also has a data partnership with Reddit, expanded in February 2024.