Online communities have infiltrated the internet, appearing at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) for most queries. They play an integral role in shaping brand perception, purchasing decisions, and search visibility.
Reddit now sees more than 110.4 million daily users and 416.4 million weekly active users. Quora, on the other hand, also receives an impressive amount of traffic, with over 400 million active users flocking to the website monthly. Undoubtedly, online communities present an impressive opportunity, yet many marketing leaders have yet to capitalize on it.
This substantial shift towards interest in participating in online communities presents both an opportunity and a risk. Positive benefits a brand can receive from building authority in online communities include enhancing SEO performance, improving share of voice, and delivering real market intelligence. But participation without a solid strategy in place can backfire, damaging reputation in spaces where skepticism runs high and negative sentiment spreads like wildfire.
This article explores why it’s essential to build authority in Reddit and Quora, the brands that got it right (and wrong), and how to operationalize community authority as part of a broader marketing and SEO strategy.
Reddit Marketing Strategy: Building Authority In The Hardest Community
Reddit is one of the most difficult places for marketers to master. It’s a forum where trust is increasingly difficult to earn, and if a brand is perceived as disingenuous or inauthentic, it can be downvoted into obscurity quickly. Reddit community members are quick to express their thoughts about anything and everything, especially when it comes to brands that overtly try to advertise there.
Communities (which are known as “subreddits”) are moderated by members, not brands, and those members are quick to identify anything that sounds too promotional or tone-deaf. They also have the power to ban members entirely from participating in the subreddit. It may sound daunting to engage a Reddit audience; however, the brands that do earn credibility reap the rewards that extend well beyond the platform.
Case Study: Spotify’s AMA Success
Spotify is a prime example of how to master Reddit’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) discussion format. Spotify employees frequently leverage AMA to solicit feedback from users to improve its technology or to address tough technical questions, rather than hard sell playlists or subscriptions.
The result? Thousands of upvotes and long-tail SEO value that still lives on today in popular subreddit communities. Spotify openly invited users to engage directly with the team behind its recommendation engine, and users have a lot to say.
Spotify doesn’t have its marketers join the AMA conversation, but rather engineers who play an active role in how Spotify’s technology works. In turn, Spotify was able to build trust with an audience that might otherwise dismiss a “brand presence” as self-serving, as the SERPs for continued visibility.
For example, a Spotify engineering manager recently asked for users’ input on Spotify’s Lossless feature. The Reddit thread received 1,500 upvotes, four awards, and 451 comments, highlighting the power of engaging with a motivated and receptive community.
Case Study: Woody Harrelson’s AMA Failure
Unfortunately, AMA doesn’t always go according to plan. Perhaps one of the most infamous examples of an AMA gone wrong is with actor Woody Harrelson’s in 2012, which was a prime example of what happens when marketers ignore Reddit’s norms.
Harrelson promoted his film instead of answering questions, which caused a negative chain reaction. The actor received myriad downvotes, ridicule, and lasting negative press. To this day, this specific AMA is often referenced as a cautionary tale of when advertising goes awry.
Read more: Reddit Subreddits To Google Search: Maximizing Your Brand’s Impact
Why You Should Prioritize Reddit
Reddit and Quora, once fringe discussion boards, are now rife with chatter that is actively shaping brand perception, purchasing decisions, and trust. Reddit’s massive potential can no longer be ignored for the following reasons:
SEO Value
According to recent research, the “Discussions & Forums” SERP feature appeared in 7,085 out of the 10,000 studied product-review searches, which equates to about three-quarters (70-75%+) of the time.
Consumers are actively seeking validation before committing to a purchase, and surfacing at the top of the SERPs is a great way to build trust and authority with searchers.
Marketing Funnel
Shoppers are overwhelmed with a plethora of choices. Any time they seek a product or service, there are myriad vendors to vet.
Reddit’s own research states that Reddit is the No. 1 platform where people go to explore possible solutions to their needs, making it a powerful tool for discovering products. Additionally, 71% of people who discovered a brand online or off went to Reddit to conduct their research. 74% of people agree that Reddit assists them in making faster purchase decisions.
Trust Building
Research reveals that over three-quarters (77%) of consumers are willing to spend their money to support an authentic brand over one that’s not. Additionally, Reddit recently reported that 88% of social media users turn to Reddit for purchase decisions, and 76% believe Reddit posts are more honest and truthful than those on other social platforms.
With more users trusting Reddit over other platforms, the opportunity is to empower subject matter experts, engineers, executives, and other powerful voices within their organization to share original insights, host AMAs, and engage authentically with Reddit community members.
Read more: AMA Recap: Reddit Leadership On Leveraging The Platform For Business Success
Quora Marketing Strategy: Long-Tail Authority That Compounds
Quora is an entirely different online community that requires its own distinct strategy. Reddit thrives on thoughtful debate, engaging discussion, and subcultural context, whereas Quora looks for depth, expertise, and intellect.
Quora’s algorithm looks for long-form content and authoritative answers that provide substantial context, cite credible resources, and solve the reader’s challenge succinctly. For example, an in-depth, 1,000-word response that reveals relevant and helpful information will typically outperform a low-effort, dull response.
Like Reddit, Quora also has unique SEO advantages. Thought-provoking, highly regarded content has staying power in the SERPs. Investing in Quora can offer online visibility across numerous platforms, helping boost brand recognition and build long-lasting search equity. Additionally, given the shift in how businesses are appearing in the SERPs with the rise of AI, research from Semrush found that Quora is the most commonly cited website in Google AI Overviews.
Case Study: Staggering Success For CodingNinjas
Quora users don’t want to feel as though they’re shouting into a void. They crave connection, conversation, and relevant responses to their inquiries. CodingNinjas does just that, using Quora in a highly strategic way. After noticing early leads originating from Quora, the team continued to invest in answering questions related to their services and competitors. The result? Within a year, Quora became their No. 1 source of qualified leads, driving consistent organic traffic and improved search engine visibility.
Success came with testing the length of answers as well as aligning with keywords, which helped CodingNinjas determine which content resonated best with their target audience. They found writing content that addressed the final stages of customer awareness, such as solution and product-focused questions, performed best and produced the highest conversions.
CodingNinja’s success highlights how strategic participation in Quora can help boost search visibility and strengthen domain authority through authentic, value-driven writing. Just like Reddit, the better your responses, the better your chance of succeeding in building authority on Quora.
Case Study: Outsourcing Gone Wrong
Outsourcing is a tactic to avoid when engaging with Quora and Reddit community members. Companies that delegate Reddit or Quora participation to third parties often lose brand tone and voice in their responses (see the Woody Harrelson example above). The result is templated, generic responses that often violate community rules and can even lead to bans. Reddit and Quora users actively look for credible, well-cited answers that those who are unfamiliar with your industry and brand may not be able to provide.
Companies that outsource Quora participation often receive unhelpful, keyword-stuffed answers that don’t match brand content standards. In turn, this content can be flagged for low quality and remain unseen by Quora users because of this. Many times, consumers can see through the intent and effort behind these posts and will downvote the content. In some instances, it may result in account suspension, wasting time and money, while also harming credibility.
Why You Should Prioritize Quora
While Reddit is well-known for sparking heated debates and quick responses, Quora rewards depth, expertise, and length. With hundreds of millions of visitors frequenting Quora, the opportunity is to convert these motivated searchers into customers. Here are a few reasons why brands should prioritize Quora:
Search Visibility
Unlike posting on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook, Quora content has the potential to deliver value for lengthy periods of time. As aforementioned, Google’s AI Overviews tend to pull authoritative and quality Quora responses, placing content front and center at the moment searchers are looking for relevant content.
A single, in-depth answer can get eyes on it for years in the SERPs, attracting high-intent searchers long after publication, extending the content’s mileage and funneling a continual stream of new visitors. Quora acts as an evergreen asset, making it a compounding investment that can pay off well beyond its initial posting and a strong potential revenue resource. In comparison, paid ads or sponsored social posts may drive impressions but disappear quickly, offering little lasting equity.
Executive Visibility
For executives looking to boost their digital presence and share their wealth of expertise, Quora is one of the strongest methods for engaging curious consumers.
For CMOs, there’s a clear incentive to position themselves and other leadership team members as authoritative voices on an influential platform. When a CMO, product lead, or engineer answers a strategic question like “What is the future of AI in marketing technology?”, your answer holds weight and doesn’t just position your brand as a thought leader; it also enhances the individual’s personal credibility and positions them as an expert voice on the topic.
The dual benefit – strengthening your company’s reach and authority as well as your thought leaders – makes Quora a powerful and investment-worthy channel for marketing to focus on.
Longevity
A single thought-provoking answer on Quora can consistently attract high-intent readers who are seeking a trustworthy resource to solve their challenge. Alternatively, a sponsored LinkedIn post may receive ample attention but disappear from people’s feeds and minds almost immediately after reading.
Content Pipeline
A high-performing Quora answer may be repurposed into longer form content to get the most mileage, such as a blog post, social media carousel, ebook, and more, helping fuel your content pipeline with high-performing insights. Longer-form content tends to perform better on Quora (1,000+ word answers), so it’s important to focus not only on the quality of your answer but also the length.
How To Make Authority In Online Communities Your Next Competitive Advantage
Given the influx of answers available online for any query, visibility is no longer the determinant of success. Visibility without trust doesn’t retain customers. In online communities, where skepticism is abundant and trust is fleeting and fickle, authority is what ultimately wins.
The lesson is apparent: Online communities can’t be treated as marginal and shouldn’t be forgotten. They must be treated with the same fervor and effort as other more traditional marketing strategies, such as email and pay-per-click advertising. Authority is a strategic asset, one that influences consumers early on in their journeys with your business. Building solid trust extends the lifetime of your customers and turns them into brand advocates.
Authority in online communities is one of the best ways to build trust in an increasingly skeptical consumer purchasing landscape and can:
- Strengthen E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
- Create long-standing, evergreen search assets.
- Position your brand as a trusted authority in places where consumers are actively seeking advice and reassurance.
The brands that will conquer online communities in the future aren’t chasing volume; they’re seeking authentic relationships and building trust in a highly scrutinized marketplace.
As AI-generated content and recommendations continue to infiltrate the SERPs and, in turn, grow consumer distrust, the brands that build their authority in online communities today will be the ones who own the conversations in the future.
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Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock
