---
name: reddit-strategy
description: "Creates Reddit engagement plans with subreddit targeting, value-first posting guidelines, and community building tactics. Use when leveraging Reddit for traffic, research, or brand visibility."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Reddit Strategy

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Build a Reddit engagement strategy for traffic or brand visibility
- Identify target subreddits where your audience is active
- Create value-first posting guidelines that do not get flagged as spam
- Use Reddit for market research and audience insights

**DO NOT** use this skill for spam, vote manipulation, or disguised advertising. Reddit communities detect and punish inauthentic behavior immediately.

---

## Core Principle

REDDIT REWARDS VALUE AND PUNISHES PROMOTION — EARN THE RIGHT TO SHARE YOUR WORK BY BEING A GENUINELY HELPFUL COMMUNITY MEMBER FIRST.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Business / niche** | "What does your business do?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Goal** | "What do you want from Reddit? Traffic, research, community, leads?" | Traffic and market research |
| **Target audience** | "Who are you trying to reach?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Content assets** | "Do you have blog posts, tools, or resources to share?" | Blog posts |
| **Reddit experience** | "Have you used Reddit before? Do you have an account?" | New to Reddit |
| **Time budget** | "How much time per week for Reddit?" | 3 hours |

**GATE: Confirm brief before building strategy.**

---

## Phase 2: Outline

```
1. Subreddit Research — finding the right communities
2. Account Building — establishing credibility before promoting
3. Content Strategy — what to post and comment
4. Self-Promotion Rules — how to share your content without getting banned
5. Market Research — using Reddit for audience insights
6. Growth Timeline — 90-day plan
```

**GATE: Approve outline before full strategy.**

---

## Phase 3: Write

### 1. Subreddit Research

```
## Target Subreddits

| Subreddit | Size | Relevance | Self-Promo Rules | Priority |
|-----------|------|-----------|-----------------|----------|
| r/[name] | [subscribers] | [High/Medium] | [Strict/Moderate/Lenient] | Primary |
| r/[name] | [subscribers] | [Medium] | [Rules] | Secondary |
...

### Selection Criteria
- Active community (posts get 10+ comments regularly)
- Audience matches your target customer
- Self-promotion rules allow occasional link sharing
- Moderators are active but fair
- Size: 10K-500K subscribers (large enough for reach, small enough to be noticed)
```

### 2. Account Building (Weeks 1-4)

```
## Building Credibility Before Promoting

**Rule: Do NOT share any of your own content for the first 2-4 weeks.**

### Week 1-2: Lurk and Learn
- Subscribe to 5-10 target subreddits
- Read top posts from the past year — understand what gets upvoted
- Note the community culture, inside jokes, and unwritten rules
- Read the rules and wiki of every target subreddit

### Week 3-4: Start Contributing
- Answer 3-5 questions per week in your area of expertise
- Share detailed, helpful responses (not one-liners)
- Comment on others' posts with genuine insights
- Build karma through helpful contributions

### Karma target before self-promoting: 500+ comment karma
```

### 3. Content Strategy

```
## What to Post

### Text Posts (highest trust)
- Ask genuine questions about your niche
- Share detailed how-tos and breakdowns
- Post case studies or results (without linking to your site)
- Start discussions on industry trends

### Link Posts (use sparingly)
- Share your content only when it genuinely answers a question
- Follow the 90/10 rule: 90% non-promotional, 10% your content
- Always add context — never just drop a link

### Comments (your primary tool)
- Answer questions in detail
- Share relevant experience and data
- Be genuinely helpful without any agenda

## What NEVER to Post
- "Check out my new blog post about..."
- Links to your site with no context
- The same link in multiple subreddits simultaneously
- Comments that are thinly veiled pitches
```

### 4. Self-Promotion Guidelines

```
## The Reddit Self-Promotion Playbook

**The 90/10 Rule:** For every 1 self-promotional post, you need 9 non-promotional contributions.

**How to share your content without getting banned:**
1. Only share content that directly answers a question someone asked
2. Provide the key insight in the post itself — the link is supplementary
3. Disclose it is yours: "I wrote about this on my blog — here's the summary..."
4. Respond to every comment on your post
5. Never share the same link in more than 2 subreddits
6. If a moderator removes your post, respect the decision and adjust

**Format for sharing your content:**
"[Detailed text post with the key information]. I wrote a longer version with [specific additional value — templates, data, examples] here: [link]. Happy to answer any questions."
```

### 5. Market Research

```
## Using Reddit for Audience Insights

- Search your niche keywords and read what people complain about
- Note the exact language people use to describe their problems
- Track recurring questions — these are content ideas
- Monitor competitor mentions — what do people say about alternatives?
- Use Reddit search for "[your topic] site:reddit.com" on Google

### Research Template

| Question/Pain Point | Subreddit | Upvotes | Your Content Opportunity |
|--------------------|-----------|---------|------------------------|
| [Verbatim question] | r/[name] | [N] | [Content idea] |
```

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### 1. Strategy Checklist

```
## Reddit Strategy Checklist

- [ ] 5-10 target subreddits identified with rules reviewed
- [ ] Account building plan for weeks 1-4 (no self-promotion)
- [ ] Content strategy defined (text posts, comments, link guidelines)
- [ ] 90/10 rule understood and committed to
- [ ] Self-promotion approach follows subreddit rules
- [ ] Market research framework in place
- [ ] Time budget allocated (recommended: 30-60 min/day)
```

### 2. 90-Day Timeline

```
Month 1: Lurk, learn, and start contributing (zero self-promotion)
Month 2: Increase contributions, share first piece of own content
Month 3: Consistent value + occasional content sharing (90/10 ratio)
```

---

## Example: Reddit Strategy for a SaaS Productivity Tool

```
Target subreddits: r/productivity, r/SaaS, r/Entrepreneur, r/smallbusiness
Account building: 4 weeks of answering productivity questions
Content approach: Share detailed productivity frameworks as text posts, link to tool only when directly relevant
Market research: Track "what tool do you use for..." threads for competitive intelligence
```

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Promoting on day one** — instant ban in most subreddits. Build credibility first.
- **Dropping links without context** — Reddit hates naked links. Provide the value in the post itself.
- **Ignoring subreddit rules** — every subreddit has different rules. Read them before posting.
- **Using marketing language** — Reddit users can smell a marketer immediately. Write like a person, not a brand.
- **Cross-posting the same link everywhere** — looks like spam and gets flagged.
- **Arguing with critics** — Reddit piles on. If someone criticizes you, respond once calmly or not at all.

---

## Recovery

- **Account got shadowbanned:** Create a new account and start fresh with a genuine contribution approach. Learn from the mistakes.
- **Post got removed:** Message the moderators politely and ask what rule was violated. Adjust and try again.
- **Zero traction on posts:** Improve post quality — Reddit rewards detailed, specific, and genuinely helpful content. Generic advice gets ignored.
- **Taking too much time:** Focus on 2-3 subreddits only. Set a timer for 30 minutes per day.
- **Getting negative responses:** Develop thicker skin. Reddit is blunt. Focus on the feedback that is constructive and ignore the noise.
