Reddit Marketing for Games: How to Get Organic Results

Facebook and Instagram have remained two of marketing's go-to digital marketing platforms. But when it comes to the gaming industry, you must go the extra mile to reach your gaming audience — remember that marketing only on conventional media may not be as effective. You need more gaming-specific platforms like Reddit to spread the word about your new game.

Figure 1: Reddit homepage. Source: Reddit

Reddit is a popular social news aggregation website with more than 100,000 communities — called subreddits — centered on varied topics. Gaming remains the most discussed topic on Reddit. /r/gaming was ranked number 5 on the most popular subreddits of 2022. 

This is why even the most reputable gaming brands must leverage Reddit to market their games and stay connected to their target audience. 

The benefits of Reddit

Figure 2: Number of logged-in Reddit users in the U.S. Source: Statista

Unfortunately, Reddit is one of the most underutilized social media platforms. But that doesn't mean your target audience doesn't spend time here. There were approximately 1.5 billion visits to the Reddit online forums in February 2022, according to data from Statista. This makes Reddit the 6th most-visited website on the internet. Therefore, not leveraging Reddit is no less than leaving money on the table!

Additionally, Reddit is a crucial website for game devs, particularly if they're targeting younger male audiences. According to data from Statista in January 2022, 63.8% of Redditors are male. People aged 18 to 29 make up Reddit's most extensive user base, and 30 to 49 is the second-largest age group on Reddit.

So, investing in Reddit game marketing is essential if you're targeting young, video-game-loving men. But consider that 36.2% are female. That's still a decent percentage, and you cannot base your targeting on statistics alone!

6 must-know tips to market your game on Reddit

1. Don't be explicitly promotional

This tip may seem counterintuitive since we're talking about marketing! But the best marketing posts on Reddit aren't directly promotional — unless they're paid Reddit Ads. Though Reddit is an ideal platform to spread the word about your game and engage with gamers, you can't outright share links to your game organically. The users will shun you if you do so.

But why? Because Reddit is a discussion platform that thrives on the sense of community, not selling. On Reddit forums, people help each other, answer questions, solve problems, and discuss topics important to them. Therefore, you won't get any return unless you contribute to the community and help the members. Interestingly, Redditors are smart enough to spot implicit promotional posts and are hostile toward them. To that end, most subreddits have strict rules restricting promotions.

Figure 3: Most subreddits don't support self-promotion. Source: Vyper

These facts don't make Reddit an unsuitable platform for promotions. After all, Reddit has brands like Audi and Adobe as its marketing partners — how can it be anti-marketing? It even boasts about its paid ads platform. But we're not talking about paid advertising here.

Though Reddit takes a firm stance toward promotions, the idea for organic marketing is to prioritize community relationships and offer value rather than only selling. Strike the right balance between promotional and problem-solving posts.

2. Check the subreddits' rules 

Figure 4: Rules of the subreddit r/gamedev. Source: Reddit r/gamedev

Before sharing a post:
Be thorough with the rules of the subreddits.
Carefully read what's allowed/appropriate and what's not.
Pay special attention to the regulations related to self-promotion.
Knowing these three things is a good starting point for promoting your game on the platform, as this will enable you to post valuable content that gets upvotes. This will build people's trust in you. As a result, they will confidently visit the links you eventually share, which, in turn, will get you more downloads.

Note that you have to be an active Reddit user before promoting here. Show your "activeness" by commenting, upvoting, downvoting, and reporting spam. Most importantly, post easily accessible and informative content. Whatever you post should engage and resonate with the community members. It shouldn't be "marketing-y" or "clickbait-y" but honest and valuable. Following these tips will help you create a positive identity amongst Redditors.

3. Join and post in game-related subreddits

Figure 5: r/gamedev. Source: Reddit r/gamedev

Since gaming is a popular topic, there are many related subreddits. Be sure to take part in the discussions in the subreddits you join. Give feedback to others — inoffensively — and talk about games/gaming-related subjects that interest you. This will position you as someone with a good knowledge of games and who is interested in the gaming industry. It'll give way to potential business opportunities.

We have curated some popular subreddits you can be a part of. They include:

r/gamedev

With more than 1.1m members, this subreddit is a popular community for people like you! Professionals from all aspects of game development — artists, designers, programmers, and more — are part of this community. 

Game devs who need help adding an element to their game often find answers on this subreddit. The value available here is matchless, as the members are experts and have created several games. Therefore, joining this subreddit will be a learning experience in itself! Besides, you can showcase your work and connect with like-minded game developers.

r/IndieDev

Joining a subreddit created for indie developers will be beneficial if you're looking for tips to help take your game off the ground. 

The r/IndieDev also welcomes people who enjoy playing indie games, as it views them as potential developers. The space is inundated with screenshots of the current projects developers are working on and their queries. It is an ideal platform for people who have just initiated their game-creation journey. You can even share your teasers and new releases here.

r/pcgaming

This subreddit is ideal for sharing and discussing news related to PC gaming. With 3.2 million members, the subreddit is also a space to post about your upcoming game, provided you follow the guidelines. You can even host giveaways, enticing the community members to download your game. Again, make sure to read the rules carefully.

r/GirlGamers

The best part about Reddit marketing is that you can find an audience for your games, no matter how niched they are. For instance, game devs targeting women can join the r/GirlGamers subreddit. This community has 226k members and is described as "gamers who also happen to be women." You can find discussions on general gaming topics and even vent-outs about harassing online experiences. Remember that your posts and comments should be appropriate for the audience.

r/Gaming4Gamers

r/Gaming4Gamers is a "middle ground between purely-for-fun subreddits and the more serious ones." The space is an ideal hangout spot for people who love video games. This is one of the places where your potential gaming customers reside. The best part about this subreddit is that it promotes open-minded discussions and allows people to voice their opinions.

4. Join and post on non-gaming subreddits that relate to your game

This is an incredible way to promote your game without actually promoting it! Though common sense dictates you should join gaming subreddits, participating in unrelated ones can do wonders. So, if your game is about animals, joining a non-gaming, animal-related subreddit is an intelligent move. But remember to never directly promote your game here, as it may seem irrelevant. Instead of outright selling your game, post a cute video snippet of your game featuring the in-game animal character. You subtly spread the word about your game without explicitly promoting it.

While this is a clever trick, note that it may not get the expected results. In other words, you may or may not get hundreds of game downloads from this post. But the idea is to give to the Reddit community without expecting any returns.

5. Post educational content

Figure 7: A popular educational Reddit post. Source: Reddit r/gamedev

We've been talking about contributing to the Reddit community throughout this post — now, we will explain how you can contribute. Posting valuable educational content on Reddit is perhaps the most important tip. This will position you as a subject expert, helping you build a generous identity and promote your game subtly. 

Ensure whatever you post is relevant to the subreddit. Also, remember that your posts shouldn't address a broad audience but a niched one, precisely the one best suited for your game. So, before posting, do some research. Examine the most popular posts in the subreddit. Apart from the type of content that gets the most upvotes, analyze the language and body of the written posts. This will help you create comprehensive posts that resonate with your target audience. And remember the most significant rule of thumb: no clickbait. 

Additionally, keep your writing simple. You can add a few links in the body if the subreddit allows. This will boost website traffic without getting you banned on Reddit. If you want to add images to the posts, take them from Reddit-approved websites, like Imgur and Gfycat.

The types of informative posts that get the most attention are lists, articles, and short videos. Listicles are specifically engaging, as they are easy to read and understandable. They help share information in a digestible manner. You can even share short videos addressing your audience's pain points besides written posts.

6. Cross-posting on different subreddits

Unless your game's niche is highly obscure, your posts may be relevant for other subreddits closely related to ones you're already a part of. And since not all community members will see your posts, you can boost visibility by cross-posting on other subreddits. However, do not start posting immediately after uploading to the original community you're a part of. Cross-post every 1-2 weeks to avoid being reported as spam. Also, tweak the title to inform people where the post was originally uploaded. Here's an example: 

Figure 8: Example of cross-posting. Source: Grow&Convert

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Your next steps!

Implementing these tips will help you market your game on Reddit without getting shadow-banned, but it is still a touch-and-go process, and you may be prone to slip-ups. So, what do you do?

Hiring a Reddit marketing agency is ideal if you want efficient and quick results. Growing your gaming brand on Reddit is challenging, and conventional marketing techniques don't always work. Unlike Instagram and Facebook, Reddit has authorities that can ban you for self-promotion. However, the right game marketing agency will have the skills to maneuver the rules and get you the results. 

We have you covered if you're ready to boost visibility and spread the word about your game on Reddit. Game Marketing Genie creates bespoke game marketing strategies for developers and reputable gaming brands.

To get a tailored Reddit marketing strategy, contact us today.