Why Reddit Should Be On Your Radar

By Callis Team | June 30, 2025

Reddit has quietly become one of the most influential sources for AI-powered online search results. As tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity pull from Reddit posts more frequently, it’s reshaping how brands appear (or disappear) when customers search. If you’re not actively monitoring Reddit, your business could be misrepresented or simply missed altogether.

Chances are you’ve heard of Reddit, but may not have a good understanding of the popular social media platform and the ways you can utilize it in your marketing program. ExplodingTopics reports that, as of 2025, Reddit has half a billion users, with around half located in the United States, and 4.5 billion monthly visits. According to Statista, as of 2025, Reddit has over 108 million daily active users. Consistently ranked within the top 10 social media platforms and growing each year, it needs to be on your radar.

What is Reddit and How Does it Work?

Reddit brands itself as “the heart of the Internet.” Essentially a collection of online community forums, social news and content ratings, Reddit allows users to post links, text, images and videos. This content is then voted up or down by users, influencing the visibility of the content. 

A ‘subreddit’ is a forum dedicated to a specific topic on the Reddit site. Subreddits can cover any topic, spanning pop culture, world news, finance, travel, niche hobbies and more, with up to tens of millions of subscribers in one group. 

Users with an account can customize the topics they see based on interests, so the content listed on their homepage should be relevant. Anyone can search and view content on Reddit, even without an account. Reddit has moderators on each forum, which means that if content becomes inappropriate or breaks subreddit rules in some manner, it can be stopped by the moderator.

Reddit’s Influence on AI Search Results

We recently shared an article about the rise of zero-click search, where AI-generated search summaries are reducing the number of clicks to individual websites. With Reddit becoming a cornerstone of these AI-generated answers, brands are beginning to develop strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), an SEO-integrated approach aimed at shaping how brands appear in AI-driven search results. 

Recent findings shared by Ad Age show that Reddit is now the most cited domain for AI search engines like Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews, and the second-most cited for ChatGPT, behind only Wikipedia. The reasons? 

  • Reddit’s content is human-generated and conversational in tone, which AI models are trained to prefer. 
  • Reddit forums are a place for users to discuss niche consumer-related topics, including reviews and trends across various products, brands, events and industries.
  • It’s an ideal source for AI models looking to answer nuanced consumer-related questions that can’t be found in the polished, marketing-angled content most brands share online. 
  • AI models frequently use Reddit to form opinions on brands, even if the posts are years old or from low-traffic subreddits.

The takeaway? Any Reddit post can make it into an AI response and shape a consumer’s first impression of your brand, whether it’s accurate, up-to-date or not. Your business or industry niche might already be part of the Reddit conversation, and that content could be defining your reputation in AI search.

How Businesses Can Use Reddit Without Overstepping

Although Reddit has incorporated the opportunity to advertise on the platform and is developing new ad tools, marketers may want to take a hard look before diving into an advertising program. Reddit users have grown to love the platform because of its authentic, ad-free curation of user-generated content. Many users may be turned off by companies serving them ads on the previously protected platform.

Due to this ad-wariness and the prevalence of “real,” potentially negative consumer opinions, brands have been hesitant to join the conversation. This mindset is now shifting, as Reddit develops licensing deals with AI companies and brands begin to incorporate Reddit into their GEO/SEO strategies.

It’s important to stay on top of this AI search shift as it is affecting brand image and visibility. Here are ways to join the Reddit community in an organic way that resonates with users:

  • Listen first: Monitor subreddits relevant to your industry niche and pay attention to user sentiments and trends. Identify opportunities to join the conversation or develop content strategies on your social media and website, based on what you’ve noticed.
  • Contribute authentically: Offer help or updates when appropriate, but avoid an overly “sales-y” tone. Add real value to the conversation to build trust; avoid getting downvoted and flagged as an ad or spam.
  • Empower employee responses: Let marketing or product team members transparently respond in discussions from personal profiles to provide relevant information from a credible, direct company source.
  • Create updated content: If Reddit mentions are outdated, publish AI-optimized blog posts to offer accurate, searchable information about your business.

What This Means for Rural Business Owners

For rural businesses, national brand perception may seem far removed, but Reddit is used everywhere. Conversations about outdoor lifestyle, farming and manufacturing, health care and wellness, retail, energy, tourism and even regional events happen in niche subreddits every day.

Engaging with these communities (or at least monitoring them) helps businesses stay ahead of public sentiment, correct misinformation and discover trends early. Joining the conversation provides the opportunity to show up accurately and favorably in AI search results, if done well. Putting your perspective out there increases the likelihood that AI platforms will showcase it in related search results, boosting visibility for your business.

Is Reddit Right for Your Strategy?

Not every business needs to post on Reddit, but every business should understand its influence in search. If your goal is to build trust, monitor reputation and appear in real customer conversations, Reddit now plays a bigger role.

At Callis, we help businesses balance these emerging shifts with proven traditional and digital marketing methods. Reddit might be just one piece of the puzzle, but with AI-fueled search changes affecting online visibility and changing user habits, it’s one worth paying attention to.

As a business partner invested in your success, Callis’s integrated marketing services are backed by data-driven business strategies tailored to your unique business situation, helping you stay ahead.

This article was previously published on February 12, 2019, and updated on June 30, 2025.

Sources

https://adage.com/social-media/reddit/aa-brand-visibility-ai-search-aeo-tips-for-marketers

https://explodingtopics.com/blog/reddit-users#reddit-demographic-data-key-statistics

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453133/reddit-quarterly-dau-by-online-status

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