The Complete Guide to Reddit Data

In this guide, we’ll outline just how valuable Reddit data can be. Plus, we explore key use cases that can be informed by social listening on Reddit. 

Coming up:

• Why your brand should care about Reddit data 
• How to make the most of Reddit data 
• Brand tracking 
• Competitor benchmarking 
• Crisis tracking 
• Product development 
• Customer journey analysis 
• Best practices for social listening with Reddit 

Why your brand should care about Reddit data

The NFL. Beekeeping. Small cats. Bread stapled to trees. There are communities on Reddit dedicated to just about everything (seriously: r/BreadStapledToTrees is a thing). And brands that tap into these conversations can discover plenty of insights to help them better engage with their audiences. 

Reddit is jam-packed full of super-specific product recommendations. Which running shoes do marathoners wear? What’s the best gaming laptop under $1,000? What’s the most durable travel backpack for solo travellers? Diving into these conversations can help you understand what your audience is looking for and what they value most in the products and services they buy. Plus, you’ll learn what your competitors are doing right (and wrong).

So, what sets Reddit apart from other social networks? 

Reddit is the only platform with in-depth, peer-to-peer conversations organized by passions, interests, and audience. Accessing this data can help you level up your customer understanding – setting you apart from the competition.  

All posts on Reddit sit within communities called subreddits. These are dedicated to particular subjects or niches – and they get super niche. 

Posts are upvoted or downvoted by the community, so content rises and falls based on its inherent quality. This approach means that only the most useful, interesting, comment-worthy content stays above the fold. 

Reddit’s anonymity also means content is honest and open. Usernames are in a small typeface – and often overlooked – on any given post, and profile photos aren’t displayed. This creates a community where users are encouraged to be authentic and open to discussing topics that they might not usually discuss on other social networks where users are more easily identifiable.  

Its anonymity also means Redditors are open about typically off-limits subjects, such as their finances. An individual might not share the budget they have for a car on other social platforms, but with Reddit, this information is openly shared when asking the community for recommendations. 

What makes Reddit so valuable to businesses? 

As we’ve mentioned above, Reddit’s user base is unparalleled. With 400m+ weekly active uniques, brands are almost guaranteed to have customers or prospects using the social platform – meaning relevant insights are readily available. 

Reddit plays an outsized role when customers want “the real scoop” on products and services. Intent is inherent in conversation which makes the platform naturally commercial with deep insights on customer preferences, feedback, and future trends. 

Research shows that 42% of internet users find a Reddit recommendation most influential to their decision while making a purchase – more than expert reviews, influencers, and aggregated star ratings. Redditors also tend to have a greater confidence in their purchase decisions – they make their final purchase decision 9x faster and spend 15% more dollars compared to other social platforms.  

Reddit impacts product satisfaction and lifetime value of customers after purchase. It not only plays an important role in deciding what to purchase, but also whether someone falls in love with what they bought. The data relevance for brands is long term because users continue to engage about their product use over the product/service lifecycle  

Ultimately, Reddit is a goldmine of insight when it comes to tracking brand health, audience sentiment, and purchase considerations. It’s an excellent data source when planning your marketing strategy, seeking product feedback, and better understanding the customer journey. 

How to make the most of Reddit data 

There are hundreds of reasons why users head to Reddit. Some want to connect with peers around a shared interest. Some go to sift through product reviews to inform purchase decisions. Others go to research specific topics, hobbies, or interests – or even for support with problems. As a business, you can study Reddit data with these uses in mind. 

Among other use cases, brands can use Reddit data for: 

• Brand tracking 
• Competitor benchmarking 
• Crisis tracking 
• Product development 
• Customer journey analysis 

Let’s dive deeper into these use cases. 

Brand tracking 

If you have a product worth talking about, it’s almost inevitable that there are conversations happening about your brand on Reddit. Businesses should keep an eye on these narratives to better inform their brand management strategy. 

At a minimum, brands will want to track any mentions about their company, products, or services across Reddit. Conversations about your brand can crop up across the social platform – from comments to dedicated posts – and using a tool like Brandwatch can mean you don’t miss a mention. 

In some cases, you might have a subreddit dedicated to your brand which is run by a third party – someone who isn’t an employee or brand representative. And if you’re serious about brand management, you should pay extra attention to this space. This content is highly relevant, so mentions should be monitored closely. 

Here’s an example using cosmetics brand Glossier, for which there is a vibrant dedicated subreddit (r/Glossier). Let’s say a brand manager is searching for mentions of the brand on Reddit, or more broadly online, but they don’t specify that they want to see conversations within this subreddit. They could be missing out on tens of thousands of relevant conversations per year. 

In the case of Glossier, we found that just 11% of posts and comments in r/Glossier in 2024 actually mentioned the brand itself. (Note: We excluded any mentions authored by the automoderator). 

Without looking at the highly relevant conversations occurring within this channel, a huge amount of insight can be missed.

Competitor benchmarking 

Keeping an eye on competitors is valuable for any brand wanting to stand out – and Reddit is perfect for getting granular on consumer opinions around brands in your market. 

As with your own brand tracking, it can be helpful to monitor competitors to keep an eye on what they’re doing right as well as where things might need improvement.  

For example, here are mentions of car brands on r/Cars. By keeping an eye on the how the volume changes, you can see which brands are up and coming – and which are falling short. Take this chart as an example. 

With a bit more categorization, you can discover how these brands compare on mentions that suggest purchase intent or how they’re discussed by people of different generations.  

You can even track how brands compare in terms of complaints about products or services. This might include things like engine issues or poor fuel efficiency for cars, flight cancellations for airlines, or bugs for video games. 

Another obvious competitor benchmark to consider is sentiment. Let’s take a look at crisis tracking to learn more.  

Crisis tracking

As with any social platform, brand crises can play out in a very public way on Reddit. With over 100k active communities, not every conversation is going to be positive. This is where crisis tracking comes in. 

Reddit is a springboard for viral stories. If your brand is gaining negative mentions on the platform, you’ll want to know what’s going on. 

When a crisis hits your brand, every second counts. It can be helpful to use a tool like Brandwatch to set up real-time alerts that detect unusual activity and send automatic notifications directly to relevant stakeholders.

Product development 

Customer feedback is always essential for brands wanting to improve their offerings. And the devil is always in the details: the more thorough the feedback you receive from customers, the better you can tailor your products and services to suit their needs. 

Reddit’s ability to foster in-depth, detailed reviews makes it one of the best social platforms for gathering consumer feedback. 

As well as tracking mentions of your particular products, you can also use Brandwatch to track conversations more generally. For example, track subreddits dedicated to products or services similar to what you offer – or search sitewide for product-related keywords. 

Once these filters are in place, you can sort your data by sentiment or emotions with further categorization to understand what it is about your product, or similar products, that scratches the consumer’s itch. You can also identify where these products fall short of expectations. 

For example, a hotel brand could look at mentions of customer service, cleanliness, or food offerings to understand how consumers feel about these experiences. Or a gaming company might look at mentions of graphics, characters, or sound.  

These filters can help to create opportunities for better products, as well as highlighting how you might market your brand better to your target audience. 

Generating a feedback loop is made much easier with accurate and up-to-date insights, which is exactly what monitoring Reddit data gives you. 

Customer journey analysis 

Redditors are always keen for recommendations. In fact, every second, an average of two redditors ask for a recommendation and receive an average of 19 personal responses. And these recommendations go well beyond the initial stages of the decision-making process. 

From awareness and discovery through to research and ultimately purchase, people ask, search for, or listen to Reddittors at all stages of the buyer’s journey. These conversations can be a goldmine for brands. 

You can analyze top of the funnel conversations to identify common pain points, trends, and competitor mentions across your category. Middle of the funnel mentions, such as users asking about a product’s value, are great to highlight key differentiators between products, as well as to refine your marketing approach. 

Bottom of the funnel mentions can help brands understand deal-breakers at this critical point in the purchase journey. 

Mentions in the post-purchase stage include customers sharing their experiences or asking for advice using products. These mentions can be turned into actionable feedback to improve customer support or product design. 

Let’s take the travel industry as an example. In 2024, r/Travel saw 1.26 million posts, with over 20% being questions. From inquiries about the cheapest airlines to recommendations on hotels with gluten-free breakfasts options, these discussions provide valuable insights across all stages of the customer journey. 

Best practices for social listening with Reddit 

Reddit can be a rich source of useful insights – if you approach the data properly. Here are some best practices for social listening on Reddit. 

Understand the nuances between communities 

From unique language to varying rules and etiquette, each community on Reddit comes with its own nuances. Understanding these subtleties is important for gathering the correct data and interpreting it usefully. 

For example, take literature-focused subreddits – of which there are over 750. From r/ClassicLiterature to r/BadReads, millions of Redditors are engaging in nuanced topics that are suited towards the forums’ specific niches. And mentions about Jane Austen on the "classic literature” subreddit will tell a much different story to mentions about Jane Austen on the “bad reads” subreddit. 

Make sure you do some research on each subreddit before diving in or making assumptions, as you might miss some vital insights that change how you interpret the data. 

Some communities are more niche than others too, so make sure your social listening efforts span a broad spectrum of subreddits. And don’t forget to tailor your approach based on the size and focus of the community – some of the more general subreddits, like r/Gaming, will have a different tone to the more niche ones, like r/GamePhysics. 

Implement proper segmentation 

Segmenting your data is vital for turning noise into useful, actionable insights. So, ensure you pay proper attention to your segmentation process. 

Begin with sentiment. Like any social network, conversations on Reddit are full of different opinions. By categorizing mentions based on sentiment or emotion, you can identify what your brand is doing right (like product features users love) and where you’re falling short (like poor customer service). Plus, tracking changes in sentiment can help you spot emerging trends or even potential crises before they escalate. However, be mindful of sarcasm, as this is common on Reddit and may skew your sentiment analysis. 

Creating categories to segment your data can help you divide conversations into relevant themes. From product performance to customer service, categories can help you better support the different areas of your business with insights from social listening. 

Audience segmentation is another key component for understanding your consumers. By separating different audience groups, you can discover what makes them tick. For example, a college might find that law students value flexible, independent study, whereas art students might prefer collaborative, in-person learning environments. If you’re having trouble setting these up, Brandwatch Social Panels can help. 

Apply comprehensive search techniques 

To draw valuable insights from Reddit, you need to search beyond the obvious. Don’t just stick to brand-specific subreddits – search the entire site for mentions of your brand, products, or broader campaigns. The context in which these conversations crop up might surprise you. 

For example, an activewear brand might monitor the obvious communities – like r/Fitness or r/Running, but what about conversations about affordable running shorts on r/FrugalMaleFashion? Picking up on these somewhat off-the-beaten-track conversations can help you glean even more important insights. 

Your brand is likely to be talked about across unrelated subreddits, so refine your search technique to maximize your social listening potential on Reddit.