I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a fan of Reddit. Yes, it has its fair share of problems — as does any social media platform — but it’s unique in a big way. Before I expound on that, here’s a figure that may surprise you:

Reddit has about 97 million daily active users (shoutout to r/dataisbeautiful). That number is nearly split down the middle between users who are logged in (44%) and those who are logged out (53%). That split matters for one main reason: Even people who don’t have an account are turning to Reddit for information.

Sure, behemoths like Facebook have figures in the billions, but Reddit screams “Opportunity!” louder than most. Here’s why.

What Is Reddit and Why Is It Increasingly Popular for Search Queries?

It’s no secret that Google prioritizes ads, sponsored content, AI-generated material and engineered SEO pieces. While these mediums in and of themselves are valuable for claiming sought-after SERP real estate that you should have a strategy for, there’s no debating that they can bury insightful user-generated content.

Reddit is rich with discussions between real-life people — maybe even your customers. Not brands, not businesses. While those entities do have a place on the platform via Reddit ads and sponsored posts — and can make an account and interact with other users — that’s not the main draw.

Succinctly, Reddit is a compendium of communities, called subreddits (subs), where users gather to share a mutual interest. Each is independently moderated and has its own set of rules and unique customs.

There are a massive amount of subreddits that cover all kinds of topics — casual, practical, philosophical, educational — nearly anything you can think of. If your business is big enough, it may even have its own subreddit, like r/Sephora. Brand-specific communities may be user-created and user-moderated or created by the company itself.

Whether there’s a dedicated sub for your brand or not, there’s a chance people are still talking about your business, products or services in other Reddit communities.

r/BuyItForLife is a great example of a product-oriented community committed to helping members find high-quality products that last a really, really long time. Folks aren’t afraid to put poor-quality products on blast here, either, as a warning to others.

That’s why people like Reddit. It’s “real,” or, at the very least, more real than a biased sponsored post. So, by searching for your brand, you get unfiltered opinions, which is reason No. 1 why you should try it.

5 Reasons Why You Should Search Your Brand On Reddit

Here’s a tip before you dive into this exercise: Don’t be afraid of what you might find. Reddit users’ opinions can be unfiltered and, at times, harsh. Be prepared to encounter criticism. Instead of taking offense or replying in heated haste, take time to understand what people are saying and why, and use what you learn to improve your business accordingly or clear up any misunderstandings.

1. Explore Unfiltered Customer Feedback

On forums, people tend to feel like even the smallest observation could be useful for their fellow shoppers. Customers post things in online communities that you’d never learn through your own feedback channels.

When people want “the truth” about your company, they know you’re a biased source. Sure, you can provide testimonials that prove you have satisfied customers — but forums don’t editorialize, and that’s important for sniffing out the good, the bad and the ugly.

On Reddit, users could be candidly talking about your brand — what they like, don’t like or something they wish was different. If you notice a trend in this candid customer feedback, it could mean it’s either time to double down on something beloved or repair something that’s not working.

2. Understand Market Perception and Sentiment

Within and throughout that unfiltered feedback, there is tons to learn about public sentiment, brand loyalty and your overall reputation in your industry. While there are other ways to measure these types of metrics through traditional market research, the organic nature of online forms can reveal things you might not uncover through other means.

Are your customers generally happy or unhappy with your product/service/customer support process? Why? And, how can you improve the customer experience? Some online forum users may even be discussing plausible suggestions that could help you improve your business.

3. Get Competitor Insights and Learn About Industry Trends

People on forums are keen to recommend products and services they believe are genuinely worth it. That means, in a discussion that involves your brand, you may notice users pointing others in a competitor’s direction — or vice versa.

By monitoring discussions like these, you can identify what your competitors are doing well — or not so well — and adjust your strategies accordingly.

4. Collect Inspiration for Future Content

There’s ample opportunity to use Reddit discussions as inspiration for blogs or social media posts. If what you’re reading is good, try creating content that echoes and builds upon what people love about your brand.

Even if the feedback you’re seeing on an online forum isn’t what you expected, there is still immense value in those critiques. Reddit discussions can reveal common customer pain points, unmet needs or features they wish existed. Read them, understand them and then use them to inspire content that directly addresses those issues.

5. Detect Potential PR Issues Early

Reddit’s old slogan was, fittingly, “The Front Page of the Internet.” Lots of people see trending headlines and viral videos on Reddit first. It’s incredibly easy for posts on the platform to go viral, and once they reach r/all, or the “Popular” page it’s impossible to rein them back in.

If your brand is big enough that a PR problem could cause harm, you may be able to detect early signs on Reddit and take proactive steps to address them before they escalate.

Using Reddit As a Tool To Improve Your Brand Image and Business

Brands may not always be welcome to weigh in on a forum discussion. That’s why you should approach online communities as a tool more than a channel to engage with customers.

Do some searching and identify what’s bothering your customers. Then, figure out how to change your website, processes or offerings to address those problems. You can even use forum discussions to track how customers respond to your changes over time.

That’s how you can turn 97 million daily active Reddit users into 97 million opportunities to improve your business.