reddit-strategy

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.