Reddit was one of the reasons Y Combinator was started. This post tells the story of how the site came to be. Despite being rejected in the first round for their food delivery app idea, Reddit's founders were offered funding after agreeing to work on a project that would eventually become Reddit. The project was launched on a quick schedule. It had a core set of real users after just a few weeks. Reddit is now a fundamentally useful tool that seems almost unkillable.

Reddit's recent user interface tweaks and removal of certain features on desktop are causing frustration among users. These alterations, which mimic its mobile app and hint at the discontinuation of the old Reddit design, are unnecessary transformations that affect user navigation and experience.

Reddit’s new “Reddit Pro” analytics and data insights suite is designed to help brands make the most of the app and tap into the value of Reddit’s highly active niche communities. The new Pro features include post scheduling and drafts, post performance analytics, and AI-powered industry trends and engagement insights. The tool is currently available on a first-come, first-served basis - brands must sign up to use it.

Reddit revealed new free-form ads that mirror user posts, aiming to bolster engagement and advertiser interest ahead of its IPO. The new format will offer flexibility in content creation and quick information delivery inspired by popular megathreads. While advertisers may benefit from enhanced engagement, users might perceive ads blending with regular content as intrusive.

Reddit started as a monolithic Python application and has evolved its architecture into smaller microservices in Golang. It replaced database snapshots with real-time data replication using Kafka. Reddit has a dedicated metadata store built with AWS Aurora Postgres and it uses Flink Stateful Functions for modern rule-based content moderation.

Reddit IPO'd at $6.5 billion this year. It boasts over 1 billion monthly active users on its platform. Five major phenomena allowed Reddit to reach these milestones, including a shift in its target customer base, an unforeseen global pandemic, and a strategic partnership with Google. Reddit shed its ‘niche and nerdy' image by redesigning the platform UX and supporting interest-based communities, which allowed it to gain broader appeal. The platform's moderation system also allows it to succeed over competitors like Quora.

Reddit has become a more common destination for product search. People now add “reddit” to their Google Search queries to get more honest takes, as opposed to trusting testimonials on product sites. Reddit's Dynamic Product Ads allow advertisers to showcase their items within related subreddits. These ads auto-populate in real time, using images and pricing info from advertisers' catalogs. This feature is currently available in public beta.

The Reddit mobile app for iOS and Android has been updated to emphasize comments, remove hurdles, and reduce friction. Clicking on the comment icon on a post now loads comments faster and takes users straight to the top comment. A context bar with the original post and compressed text, image, or video content will appear at the top of the screen. A click on the thumbnail will take the user to the original post.

Many marketers are missing out on what Reddit has to offer due to a lack of knowledge of the opportunities it presents. Non-salesy community engagement, market research via social listening scans, gathering customer feedback, and creator partnerships are all great ways for brands to get value from the platform. At minimum, companies should use Reddit to listen to customers and understand their needs, but there is additional value gained from engaging with other users' content or even creating posts.

Reddit has partnered with Integral Ad Science (IAS) to offer third-party verification for advertisers, ensuring campaign delivery and brand safety. This integration provides Reddit advertisers with independent measurement tools for viewability, invalid traffic, and brand safety. The IAS integration is set to enhance advertiser confidence by providing reliable data and unified campaign reporting. It is rolling out globally later this year.

Reddit has started to block its site from appearing in search engines other than Google. The site has updated its robots.txt file to block all bots from scraping any part of it. It claims the change was being made following an increase in commercial entities scraping the site. Reddit and Google announced a new deal earlier this year allowing Google to use Reddit data to train AI models.

Reddit's new Lead Generation Ads allow Redditors to provide advertisers with key information (such as name and email) without leaving the platform. During beta testing, advertisers across various industries saw improvements in lead quality and campaign performance. Zapier's integration allows advertisers to seamlessly send leads directly into their CRM of choice, automate lead segmentation and outreach processes, and more.

Reddit's updated robots.txt file now prevents non-Google search engines from indexing its latest content unless they comply with specific agreements. This move, aimed at protecting Reddit's data from being used for AI training without permission, leaves Google as the main platform still showing recent Reddit results.

Reddit's CEO is calling on Microsoft and other companies to pay if they want to continue scraping the site's data. The site is now blocking companies that haven't signed agreements about how its data will be used or not used. Companies like Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity have refused to negotiate. OpenAI's SearchGPT will be able to show Reddit results as the two companies reached a deal earlier this year.

Reddit's plans for making more money from the platform include showing ads in more places and possibly putting some content behind a paywall. The company, which has never been profitable, lost $10.1 million during Q2 2024, down from Q2 2023's $41.1 million loss. It recently blocked all search engines besides Google, OpenAI, and approved education/research instances from showing its content in search results. Reddit seems to be trying to capitalize on how people use its name as a filter for search results.

In a recent earnings call, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman suggested that certain subreddits might be paywalled to boost revenue post-IPO. The platform has stayed notably consistent over the years, lacking the excessive monetization found on other social media sites, but recently the site has aggressively pursued new revenue sources. The most controversial change was to hike up its API fees, which many third-party apps couldn't afford, and more recently the company signed a licensing deal with OpenAI.

Reddit's interactive “Ask Me Anything” posts have gotten several feature upgrades, including scheduling, user RSVPs and reminders, and co-host roles. The updates are designed to make it easier to promote an AMA and help users navigate the Q&As.

The social media marketing landscape is evolving as platforms adjust their algorithms. Meta has shifted away from news content, impacting publishers' strategies. Reddit's organic referral traffic has surged sevenfold due to its partnership with Google. LinkedIn is seeing higher engagement through newsletters, while Meta and X penalize link posts, leading publishers to explore new opportunities. Ad budgets are shifting from X to Snapchat and Reddit, with notable increases in spending from small and medium-sized businesses.

Reddit has published its “2025 Annual Moments Planning Guide,” which outlines important dates and events for the coming year.

Reddit has launched a “Reddit ads inspiration library”, which provides an overview of the best-performing ads running on the platform across various verticals. The tool allows users to filter ads by campaign budget, placement, format, industry, or objective. Reddit also announced a beta “AI copywriter” and an image auto-cropper, both designed to simplify the ad creation flow.

Reddit threads are gaining massive visibility on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and X through reposted content like screenshots, story narrations, and reaction videos. TikTok's popular format of pairing narrated Reddit stories with gameplay and YouTube creators reacting to controversial posts like “Am I The Asshole?” have helped drive Reddit's presence off-platform. However, while this cross-platform content increases awareness, it hasn't translated into significant traffic back to Reddit itself. The trend shows Reddit's growing mainstream influence, though much of the engagement remains on other social platforms.

Reddit's evolution from a niche forum to a social media giant with over 1 billion monthly users is a compelling narrative of strategic growth, community engagement, and innovative marketing. Founded in 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, Reddit was initially a slow starter, struggling to attract users and generate revenue. The founders faced a classic cold start problem, which they tackled by creating fake user accounts to simulate activity on the platform. They also engaged with targeted online communities and reached out to bloggers and journalists to promote Reddit. The turning point came in 2006 when Condé Nast acquired Reddit, providing the resources needed for growth. By 2010, Reddit had crossed the 10 million monthly visitor mark, transitioning from a platform for internet enthusiasts to a broader social media site. The introduction of features like "Reddit Gold" for monetization and the ability for users to create subreddits fostered a sense of community and engagement. From 2011 to 2015, Reddit experienced explosive growth, particularly after its competitor Digg faltered due to a poorly received redesign. This shift allowed Reddit to attract users seeking a more user-driven experience. The introduction of "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) sessions with high-profile figures, including President Obama, further solidified Reddit's reputation and user base, reaching 200 million monthly visitors by 2015. The period from 2016 to 2020 marked a significant transformation as Reddit launched its mobile app and invested in advertising technology. This mobile-first approach attracted a younger audience, and by 2020, the platform saw a surge in daily active users, particularly during the pandemic when people sought online connection and community. As Reddit continued to grow, it faced challenges such as scaling its infrastructure, moderating content, and balancing monetization with user experience. The platform had to navigate issues related to offensive content and user interface design, which at times alienated potential users. However, these challenges prompted Reddit to innovate, leading to improvements in moderation tools and a redesign of its interface to enhance user engagement. By 2021, Reddit had reached a valuation of $10 billion, with revenues climbing to $350 million. The platform's growth strategies included leveraging competitor mistakes, engaging influencers through AMAs, and developing advanced advertising solutions that blended seamlessly with user-generated content. The introduction of features like live streaming and community points further enriched user interaction and engagement. Reddit's marketing campaigns, such as the viral 5-second Super Bowl ad and the "Up the Vote" initiative, showcased its ability to connect with users on a deeper level, reinforcing its identity as a platform for community-driven content. The lessons from Reddit's journey emphasize the importance of building niche communities, leveraging influencer engagement, gamifying user interaction, simplifying onboarding processes, and utilizing effective communication strategies to keep users engaged. By staying true to its community-driven roots while adapting to user needs, Reddit has successfully navigated the complexities of growth and remains a significant player in the digital landscape.

Reddit has recently implemented a controversial policy change that requires moderators to obtain permission from the platform before making certain adjustments to their subreddits, such as turning them private or marking them as not safe for work (NSFW). This decision comes in response to widespread user protests that occurred last year, during which moderators took action against Reddit's new API pricing by making thousands of subreddits private or limiting their content. The announcement was made by Reddit's VP of community, who emphasized that moderators must now seek approval for changes to what Reddit refers to as Community Types. This includes making subreddits restricted or changing their status from NSFW to safe for work (SFW). However, there are exceptions; for instance, moderators can still temporarily restrict posts and comments for up to seven days without prior approval. Additionally, requests from smaller subreddits—those with fewer than 5,000 members or less than 30 days old—will be automatically approved. The protests last year were triggered by Reddit's decision to charge significant fees for access to its API, which led to the closure of many popular third-party apps. In response, users turned subreddits private or limited their content, which prompted Reddit to take action against some moderators. The company has since acknowledged that another similar protest could have serious financial implications and has taken steps to prevent such actions from occurring again. Laura Nestler, the VP of community, noted that the ability for moderators to change subreddit settings had been misused in a way that could harm Reddit as a whole. The new policy aims to protect the platform's integrity and ensure that community access does not change unexpectedly. While Reddit still encourages users to voice their concerns, it has made it clear that protests that harm the platform will not be tolerated. The policy change has sparked backlash among users and moderators, with some feeling that it undermines their authority and reduces them to mere custodians of the platform. Critics argue that this move reflects Reddit's increasing focus on profitability and control, potentially alienating the very users who contribute to its content and community. As Reddit navigates its path toward profitability, particularly through advertising, it faces the challenge of balancing user feedback with its business objectives. The recent changes signal a shift in how the platform operates, leaving users to decide whether to adapt to these new rules or seek alternatives.

Reddit has recently implemented a significant policy change that requires moderators to seek permission from the company before making subreddits private. This decision, announced by Laura Nestler, Reddit's VP of community, alters the way moderators can manage the visibility of their communities. Previously, moderators had the autonomy to change a subreddit’s Community Type settings, which determine whether a subreddit is public, restricted, or private. Now, any such changes must be approved by Reddit, which could limit the ability of moderators to respond swiftly to community needs or protests. The motivation behind this policy shift appears to be rooted in the company's desire to maintain control over public communities. Nestler emphasized that when a public subreddit goes private, it restricts access to all users, including existing members. This change is seen as a way to ensure that public communities remain accessible, while private communities are appropriately managed. However, the timing of this announcement raises concerns among users, particularly in light of the protests that occurred in June 2023, when many subreddits temporarily went private in response to Reddit's changes to its API pricing. This protest led to significant disruptions on the platform, prompting Reddit to intervene and restore access to affected communities. The new rules could be interpreted as a means to stifle future dissent and limit the power of moderators, who are typically unpaid volunteers from the Reddit community. The requirement for approval from Reddit admins for changes to Community Type settings may diminish the leverage that moderators previously held, especially in situations where they felt compelled to act in defense of their communities. Some moderators have expressed concerns that this change could expose them to increased harassment, particularly in subreddits that have been targeted by organized campaigns. While moderators can still impose temporary restrictions on posts and comments in response to sudden spikes in traffic without prior approval, the overarching sentiment is that this policy change could hinder the ability of communities to self-govern effectively. As Reddit continues to navigate its status as a publicly traded company, the balance between corporate interests and community autonomy remains a contentious issue. The implications of this policy change are likely to resonate throughout the platform, as moderators and users grapple with the new limitations on their ability to manage their communities.