Learn how to use Reddit for your travel blog. Reddit is a platform to interact with communities with similar interests. Ask a question in a sub-reddit or answer. Learn how to get started.
Why I Explored Reddit
I began with the usual suspects on social media to promote blog posts including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. While they all have their benefits as well as their challenges, I was losing interest honestly.
In some cases, the ROI was certainly not there. Pinterest, for example, has been a hot mess since going public with fewer and fewer visitors to the blog from that platform. Twitter can be challenging as it requires you to constantly engage. Instagram and Facebook have long been a pay-to-play platform.
As a result, I checked out Reddit and have never regretted it. Why? The short of it is I get to interact with real people, asking real questions, and getting real responses! Shocking, I know! Being somewhat of an introvert, I find that Reddit allows me to fulfill a genuine need for information and a corresponding genuine interaction. Weird, but it is in my nature to want to help out.
The Basics of How To Use Reddit
First of all, this is not the platform to spam your links or shout random opinions. It’s actually more like a really great concierge or help desk in a lot of ways. Only, you can be the guest asking for help or you can be the concierge to give the inside scoop to a question posed within a subreddit.
In the first few months of using Reddit, I was pleasantly surprised to find I could interact with real people about wonderful places I have been or ask about places I planned to go in the future. Now, to be fair, there are a vast amount of interests and communities, far beyond travel. I actually participate in blogging, WordPress, photography, and Pinterest sub-Reddits to name a few.
By far, the most rewarding sub-Reddit for me is the r/sandiego community. I am based in San Diego, hence I have the most first hand knowledge about what travelers coming to the area may be interested in. To be clear, finding a specific niche to start establishing credibility is important.
Set Up Your Reddit Profile
Perhaps the easiest way to get started is to simply establish your profile. If you are an established travel blogger or any other blog niche, you likely already have everything you need to get started on a robust profile.
Now, I opted to use my logo instead of avatar, for branding purposes. If you’d like to just establish an account and get to know the platform first, just customize an avatar in the interim. It’s easy and part of the set-up process. Additionally, it is easy to modify your profile as you get comfortable. If you’d like to check out the platform without doing any of this, feel free. You just won’t be able to comment or upvote without an account.
You can find my blog here on Reddit. Feel free to follow or reach out. It currently has the logo and a background of the Hotel Del in Coronado, California.
What Am I Looking At In Reddit?
Like most platforms, there is a home feed where topics from communities you have joined show up. You have options to change what you see in terms of the newest, trending or hot posts. Of course there is the ever present search bar to find specific topics. Feel free to explore the typical communities as well as the more bizarre.
What may be more confusing is the terminology used throughout Reddit. There are lots of abbreviations for example. For a list of them just click here. There are the obvious ones like OP, original post, but even more that are just plain silly.
You’ll also want to pay attention to your Karma. Yes, I said Karma. It is basically a numbering factorization of upvotes or downvotes collected over time. It doesn’t really do anything in particular as far as I can tell but does reflect how active a user may be on the platform.
There are also trophies and awards which help users recognize a user that is active and has content worth checking out.
Quick Tips For A Travel Blog
As a newbie myself, I have taken a slow approach to using Reddit. There are plenty of opportunities to fail at Reddit if you dive into the deep end without learning to doggy paddle first in the shallow end. You are welcome to learn along with me by the way. Here is how I am getting started.
Definitely Do These Things When Getting Started On Reddit
- Follow some users in your niche.
- Use your location and follow local subreddits in areas where you live or where you frequently travel.
- Join a few subreddits in complimentary topics like social media or blogging.
- Download the app and post, comment, and vote on the go.
The Don’t List For Those New To Reddit
Don’t add your website link on repeat. It’s far more productive to provide the information users are looking for with a mention there is more available on your blog. After all, if your profile looks great, they will find your site easily.
On top of that, it is likely someone may want to explore more than one post on your blog site. For example, a user is traveling to San Diego on a future trip. They were looking for things to do in a particular area but discover your article on popular eateries, spending more time on your blog. Listing all your links and posts on San Diego within Reddit is not how the users and communities operate.
Now, keep in mind you are engaging in conversation. This means that jumping in on a post from months ago isn’t helpful. Stick to the newer posts and if someone upvotes or comments, see if you’d like to follow them. If they are commenting in response to your post, respond as quickly as possible. Essentially, don’t leave them hanging!
Still interested in trying out Reddit but have more questions? Here is a link to Reddit 101 which is a cool resource for us newbies.
Looking For More Social Media Tips?
We developed a series on blogging that dives into topics like writing, SEO, image optimization; however, by far the most popular post is Why You Need To Do A Social Media Clean Up. It is a little like spring cleaning tips but for for your social media accounts.
This is really helpful. Pinterest has been breaking my heart lately with all the work I put into the platform and so few viewers as of late. Maybe it’s time to check out Reddit!
Pinterest is a different beast now. Exploring other avenues is just smart anyway. Reddit is definitely an engagement type platform but great to chat with real people about my city, San Diego. Some of the technical subreddits are super helpful too.
Ahh this seems super helpful! I’ve been getting into Reddit more so let’s see how I can utilize it for blogging! Thanks!
Seems really great to find a new audience on Reddit. The city-specific subreddits are awesome to see what travelers are asking about my hometown. Good ideas for future posts and at least I know people are asking which is what Google trie to doo…answer questions.
Hey thanks for the breakdown on Reddit. I just made an account and was so confused about the platform especially the whole karma and communities thing.