Why is Reddit on the up, and why does it matter?
Plus: Threads loses momentum
Several times over the past few weeks, we’ve talked a lot about Google, AI, and the growing challenge of getting your content seen - let alone any organic traffic. Indeed, this has been in the news again this week, and I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how you can best prepare for this.
However, this week I thought it was worth taking a step back, and looking at one of the few winners in all of this: Reddit.
According to new data shared with Digiday, Reddit is becoming a more noticeable and consistent referral source for publishers. That’s right: not Google, not Facebook, not Threads, not even Bluesky - it's Reddit.
Some publishers are reporting 20-45% year-over-year increases in traffic from the platform. It’s not massive in absolute terms yet, but the directional shift is what’s interesting. Reddit, long seen as a community-first, link-hesitant space, is suddenly behaving more like a distribution channel. Why?
A few reasons stand out;
Google’s SGE (AI Overviews) is surfacing Reddit more prominently in its answers - largely because Reddit content is human, trusted, and often signals real-world experience (i.e. the stuff LLMs can’t fake). Remember how much we’ve talked about authenticity and human-generated content? Reddit is a great source for this.
Conversely, Reddit is actively leaning into this role. It’s been agreeing licensing deals with AI companies, making it more visible to Google, OpenAI, and others.
Perhaps most importantly: users trust it. Maybe not trust in the sense that they believe everything they read, but they trust that it's human. In an increasingly AI-shaped search experience, Reddit’s format (real people, real threads, real messiness) seems to stand out.
It’s early days, but it raises real strategic questions for digital teams - particularly those who’ve historically avoided Reddit because of its culture or moderation complexity. As traffic from Google becomes less reliable, do we now need to be Reddit-ready?
I’ve talked a lot in the past about how I think Reddit as an ad platform is underrated and under-used by brands; the cost-efficiencies are great, the targeting is far more interesting than X or even modern-day Meta, and the ad formats are getting better. Combine this with the rise in platform visibility, and it should definitely be something you’re having a look at.
Away from paid, you should also be thinking about how your content or brand might show up if - or when - it’s referenced there. Is your work helpful enough to be linked to organically as an answer to a question on there? Are you monitoring subreddits relevant to your niche? Would someone even bother pasting your link into a thread? If you’re doing all the right things to prepare your content for AI, then it should be.
Further Reading:
Remember Threads? According to new Social Media Today data, downloads are down again, and engagement appears to be softening further. This doesn’t mean Meta is giving up - but it does suggest the “Twitter alternative” story isn’t quite resonating. Advertisers can now run ads on there, but I’m not convinced enough to bet big on it quite yet.
There’s been considerable backlash in the UK over a claim that up to 90% of all risk assessments at Meta and on its platforms will be carried out by AI. Just before we move on from Meta, we’re still awaiting a verdict on the potentially major antitrust trial in the US.
Usage is down for Community Notes on X by over 50% since January - meaning it might be in danger of running up against the EU Digital Services Act.
Remember the days of January when every edition of this newsletter was dedicated to a TikTok ban that never was? Well, it looks likely to remain that way for some time longer, with Donald Trump likely to delay again.
That’s it! If you found this interesting, I would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous and enjoyed this edition, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week 🫶