Reddit will start allowing sponsored content via user-generated posts

Business / Tech

Reddit will start to allow sponsored content in the most Reddit way possible.

Advertising is simply a part of the internet, whether you like it or not. We here at Techaeris try to keep the ads that we show to a minimum, keeping content front and center. Reddit is a site that is usually even more hawkish when it comes to advertising. Users of the site will often down vote, shadow ban, or outright ban anything even remotely seen as advertising or self-serving. A new Reddit initiative will introduce more sponsored content to the site, but not exactly in the way you might expect.

Reddit prides itself on the strength of its user-generated content, and this new advertising will be entirely based on that strength. If a user posts something about a brand, that brand can then pay Reddit to promote the post. Reddit will ask the original user for permission, and if granted, the promoted post will be displayed prominently across the website, targeted at areas that might be interested in the product or service that is being advertised.

Business Insider does a great job of outlining some of the main benefits to both users and advertisers, which are listed below:

  • Creates a form of authentic advertising. Redditors are infamously averse to blatant advertising tactics, as intimated by Reddit’s CEO Steve Huffman. The new tool will help to circumvent this problem by helping brands to connect with Reddit users in a more genuine and less self-serving, intrusive way.
  • Capitalizes on the wealth of user-generated content. Reddit’s community, the content they post, and conversations they generate, are at the heart of the platform’s strengths. Advertisers will now be able to leverage this through Promoted User Posts, while also saving themselves from the costs of conceiving additional creative campaigns.
  • Incentivizes users to post on the platform. As a reward for allowing a brand to promote their post, redditors will be granted a lifetime supply of “Reddit Gold” – tokens for the platform’s premium membership program. This turns off ads on Reddit and unlocks a wealth of features, including more customization and special access to restricted areas.

That last item could be problematic for some redditors though. Time will tell if users start to see an influx of posts hoping to catch the eye of a brand or marketer. I can only imagine the down voting that will occur if those posts start to outnumber what might be considered stronger content. These Promoted User Posts will debut on August 4th.

Are you a redditor? Do you like the idea of sponsored user content? Tell us what you think in the comment section below, or on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.

 Source: Business Insider

Last Updated on

To Top