When competing in an oversaturated marketplace like the app world, you need every advantage. The good news is even if you don’t have a large budget, you can still promote your app on Reddit successfully.
One of the most effective and lucrative ways to beta test, build a fanbase and make a tidy profit is to learn how to promote your app on Reddit.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to promote your app on Reddit to set it apart from the millions of others with or without a large marketing budget.
Why Should You Promote Your App on Reddit?
With nearly 100 million daily active users and over 3 billion organic monthly visitors, Reddit is an obvious choice for marketing an app. Interestingly, its size is not its most impressive advantage.
Here are some even more compelling reasons to make the platform central to your marketing strategy:
1. Immediate access to qualified leads
One of the challenges of promoting an app on platforms like Facebook and Instagram is how difficult it is to target the right audience. Fortunately, you don’t have that problem on Reddit.
Reddit is already broken down into niche communities (subreddits) with interests spanning nearly everything under the sun.
So, no matter what your app is for, you are bound to find dozens of subreddits with users passionate about your product.
2. Unduplicated audience
Reddit has a thriving audience of young, engaged followers with high-earning power. Best of all, you won’t find many of them on other platforms.
Nearly 60% of Redditors are not on TikTok or X, 45% aren’t on Instagram, and 30% don’t use Facebook.
This means that instead of repeatedly marketing to the same people on each of those networks, you have access to an almost entirely new demographic.
It’s also worth mentioning that most Redditors are also based in the U.S., which further simplifies your marketing.
3. Link-friendly social network
Unlike other platforms, Reddit does not punish you for including external links in your posts. The only requirements are that you don’t use a link shortener and don’t do it too often.
Promoting your app on Reddit is now better than X, which has begun throttling posts with links. It also means that users can download your app almost instantly.
4. Brand trust is high on Reddit
Social media is a hotbed for misinformation. You never know if a brand or product is what it claims to be unless it’s on Reddit.
Redditors have more trust in the platform than users of other platforms, including LinkedIn, X, Amazon and even Google.
However, this doesn’t mean you can set up a profile and immediately start promoting your app. There are rules around that, but more on that later.
5. Great place for feedback
The community-centric setting of Reddit makes it a great platform to get free, honest feedback on your app.
Members of each subreddit are happy to help with product development, provided you are an active participant and are transparent about what you need.
Besides users, you can also get feedback from other app developers.
6. High possibility of going viral
Redditors are a loyal and passionate bunch. If you create an app they love, you will be showered with upvotes, a ton of engagement and virality.
What makes this even more appealing is the fact that content from Reddit tends to rank high on Google, so you could also benefit from a huge SEO boost.
If you’re already counting the dollars, there is something you need to know before we continue.
Reddit’s Marketing Rules
Reddit is a notoriously difficult website for marketing, as it is “one of the trickiest platforms to crack.”
Many marketers and brands have been embarrassed, blacklisted or run off the platform for failing to adhere to the platform’s strict rules.
That is because they either chose to ignore the policies or didn’t realize that what matters most aren’t the written rules but the unwritten ones.
The most famous example is EA, which has the dishonor of having the post with the most downvotes in Reddit history.
Their crime was simply not understanding how Reddit works and choosing to give a standard PR response to an aggrieved customer.
For that, their post was hit with 680k downvotes!
EA’s handle didn’t understand Reddiquette, so it lost a golden opportunity to appease the community and boost sales. That was the last post ever from that account.
If you find that discouraging, don’t be. The reality is that every subreddit has clearly stated rules. The most important one is the 9:1 rule, which is more of a suggestion, really.
Reddit recommends that you should look to share nine helpful posts or comments before one promotional piece. If you follow this rule, you’ll quickly learn how each subreddit functions.
More than that, you will be accepted by the community. This means you won’t receive the cold shoulder when you unveil your app.
How to Promote Your App on Reddit
Finally, we’ve come to the most important bit of making your app viral on Reddit. These steps are simple, and all except the fifth one won’t cost you any money.
1. Use an active account
If your first ever post in a subreddit is to promote your app, nobody is going to pay attention to you. It is best to use an account that has been active for at least a few months, if not years.
An active account means you have been interacting with other people’s posts for a while and have built trust equity, which is crucial for your app launch.
Using an account with high karma is also advantageous because it makes you more trustworthy. Another advantage is that a high karma account can help you gain access to subreddits with minimum karma requirements.
2. Write a catchy headline
Use a bold, fun and transparent headline when announcing your app. Communicate clearly your value proposition without overselling or seeming like you’re trying to sell.
You can use a headline analyzer tool to help you find the right one. You can also use ChatGPT to give you suggestions but remember to humanize whatever you choose.
Depending on your product, you might want to include a picture or a video demo of your app and don’t forget the link.
3. Customize your post for each subreddit
It is advisable to share your app promotion in every subreddit that would be keen. Even if you mention it in a huge community with tens of millions of followers, you should still cross-post it.
When sharing across subreddits, remember to treat each one individually. Some groups almost seem to have their own language.
They also have their own rules. That is why you should consider customizing the post for each group.
This is also a good opportunity to test headlines in different groups.
4. Reply comments immediately and tactfully
When you promote your app, you need to be on standby to reply to any and all comments. Comments are a great way to interact with potential customers, get valuable feedback and convince them to make a purchase.
The quicker you reply, the more engagement your post gets and the likelier you are to get upvotes or even go viral.
That said, you need to remember EA’s missed opportunity when replying. Your responses have to be gracious and offer a lot of value.
5. Boost your post
If you have a bit of money to invest, you should consider promoting an ad on Reddit. Boosted posts will get you in front of a lot of eyeballs quickly.
However, using an account with high karma is important when promoting content on the platform.
That is because nobody, including Redditors, likes ads. You need to give people a reason not to ignore the post as soon as they see the ‘promoted’ label on it.
Your headline should also be very catchy and should not come off as salesly. Promoted posts follow Reddit rules in that they can up upvoted or downvoted.
You should test the post organically to see how people respond to it before promoting it.
6. Cross-promote on other social media platforms
Last but not least, don’t treat Reddit like an island. When you promote your app on Reddit, you can encourage your followers on other platforms to come and support your subreddit.
This can boost your chances of going viral. The more popular your post gets, the more likely it will be shown on the front page.
You should also encourage Redditors to follow you on other platforms by including links to your other accounts in the comments. After all, the more publicity, the better.
Give Your App the Best Chance for Success
Reddit is an extraordinary site filled with great opportunities for real people trying to sell real products. As a developer, learning how to promote your app on Reddit is well worth the investment.
Follow the rules, be active in your subreddits and you could have a very successful launch even with a tiny marketing budget.