Last Updated on February 16, 2023
Reddit is often called the “front page of the internet” because there is so much detailed information from users who are experts in their fields. This could be anything from learning how to bake a cake to expertly discussing the nature of politics around the world and everything in between.
It is so popular because everything is created by the users. It is like having a giant town forum where you only have to listen to the info you wish to take home. There are over 330 million monthly active users, or “Redditors” currently on Reddit.
And as Paul Graham once tweeted, Reddit, unlike other social media, is not stopping growing.
Reddit is unique in social media. 15 years after launching, it still hasn’t peaked. pic.twitter.com/QNl5T7vNqZ
— Paul Graham (@paulg) February 12, 2021
With so much information, it should not be a surprise that there are a lot of ways to make money on Reddit. People are happy to share business ideas, startup side gigs, and new products they are selling on their recently built online store.
The problem is being able to sift through all those posts for the authentic help you need to earn some passive income Reddit style. The good news is that it is possible to make money with Reddit.
Plenty of marketers leverage the massive user base to grow side hustles like Etsy stores, handmade goods, or increasing marketing of everything from their new digital marketing company to an online pet clothing boutique.
We’ve put together some of the detailed information that will help you make money on Reddit without having to dig through all the spam.
How Does Reddit Work?
Reddit is essentially a giant forum where people can post their ideas and comments. Everyone is organized into “Subreddits” or communities. These are smaller groups focused on a single topic like /petrabbits or /thingsmyparentssay.
Whenever someone makes a post, others in the community are allowed to “upvote” or “downvote” based on how they feel about the post. So the more upvotes you get, the higher your post appears on the platform.
You also have a thing called Karma on Reddit. This gauges the overall quality of your contributions. If your posts get a lot of upvotes, your karma goes up and vice versa.
Reddit is its own ecosystem. If you do not follow the basic rules of etiquette, or Reddiquette, you are bound to be banned or kicked out of some subreddits. When you are learning how to make money on Reddit, being polite will attract more money than being rude.
You can check out a great list of Reddiquette rules here.
Does Reddit Pay Directly?
No. The platform does not pay you money for anything. It is a free service and space for the world to gather together. You earn money by promoting side hustles, selling goods, and using other methods we will explain below.
Top 8 Subreddits for Making Money on Reddit
Yes, you can make money on Reddit by finding out how others are earning a living online and offline. For anyone out there in the world that wants to learn ways to make money, there are excellent subreddits full of incredible business ideas and inspirations.
Remember, Reddit is not a place where you sign up for a gig and start making money. Reddit is a place where you find detailed information and learn from others that have succeeded before.
Here are some of the better subreddits to explore and learn from Reddit side hustle opportunities.
- /r/beermoney – a great place to discuss online money-making ideas and side hustles. Maybe not a way to be a millionaire, but will put a few hundred extra in your pocket every month. Expect seeing sites such as GrabPoints a major micro tasks site that oddly pay you to watch videos, view funny slideshows, do surveys or install apps.
- /r/freelance – articles, ideas, and advice for anyone working freelancing. This is for people that do web design, writing, digital marketing, social media management for other clients. You could build a career on this.
- /r/personalfinance – you’ll learn a ton about how to budget, save money, get out of debt, use credit, and start investing or retirement planning. A great place to structure your money as you earn more.
- /r/sidehustle – possible jobs and businesses for those people looking to expand their earning potential on top of their regular jobs. A lot of these Reddit side hustle ideas turn into whole careers.
- /r/Flipping – where you will learn about buying low and selling high for anything from real estate to collectibles. Great place for people interested in flipping homes.
- /r/WorkOnline – resources for finding a job in the online world. This could be a simple one-off project to a full-time job that pays well.
- /r/passive_income – a community of dedicated professionals looking to earn money through passive income ideas Reddit celebrates.
- /r/financialindependence – where those that are seeking to grow their beer money Reddit helped discover to large sums of income. This way, they do not need to work anymore and can retire early.
Sell Items on Reddit
Reddit is not like eBay where you can post an item and earn money directly from another Redditor. However, there are plenty of subreddits where you can post about an item or collections others are seeking.
A great example is Legos, Star Wars, and Disney. Each one of these brands has a vibrant Reddit community supporting the buying, selling, and exchanging of their products.
Some examples of how to make money on Reddit through subreddits with collectibles include:
- /r/hardwareswap – selling and trading any physical computer or technology part.
- /r/Legomarket – buying or selling any specific part or collection of Lego toys and memorabilia.
- /r/GearTrade – people looking to sell and trade their outdoor gear like hiking, fishing, camping, etc.
- /r/VinylCollectors/ – a highly competitive subreddit for people trading and selling vinyl dolls, toys, and collectibles.
- /r/GameSale – a place to buy and sell console video games from any generation of system.
- /r/photomarket – a great place to find those rare cameras and accessories photographers around the world are looking for.
- /r/AquaSwap – a diverse community of users selling and trading in aquarium parts and accessories.
Run Ad Campaigns
An often popular option for making money on Reddit is to promote your business or products throughout relevant subreddits. The idea is to increase the number of people purchasing from you because they see your targeted advertisement.
You can do this organically by mentioning your product in passing or including a link, but be careful because a lot of subreddits have posting rules that exclude that kind of activity.
Your best bet is to use Reddit Ads. This is where you pay to run ads through Reddit that they then promote to specific demographics and subreddits most likely to like your ads. In other words, you pay to have your dog sweater business promoted to /r/dogs.
Use Affiliate Links -The Smart Way
You are not allowed to post affiliate links directly to Reddit. These are the links people use that point to products or stores. When someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase, the affiliate earns a small percentage.
However, you can get around not being able to post affiliate links by adding valuable content. This is most often done by bloggers who have review websites or YouTube channels talking about a product. The link they post points to their review (landing page) and not to the actual affiliate link.
Once a person clicks on the link to see their review, they are then able to click on another link that actually is the affiliate product.
For Example, if you were an Amazon affiliate promoting a book about deep-sea fishing and you post that link directly to Reddit, you will get a warning or be banned.
You are fine if you write a blog post on your personal website and link from Reddit to that post – ideally, you want to include a summary of the post, along with the link. Then you can put your affiliate link to the book anywhere on your own site for visitors to click.
The point is to add value to Reddit, not just spam all the subreddits with endless affiliate links. Self Promotion is a big deal because Reddit wants to focus on sharing ideas more than sales.
Start Your Own Subreddit to Promote Existing Brand or Product
This is actually a reliable marketing pathway for people who own their own business or sell products. It helps gather together highly engaged customers in a single place that you can directly market to whenever you want.
All the same rules apply about Reddiquette, but you also benefit from getting customer and competitor feedback without them knowing. These subreddits are highly detailed and go into crazy in-depth conversations about the design of a shoe or the taste of a soda. You can learn a lot from starting your own subreddit.
The hard part is building a community. You will need to add value by posting great comments and ideas to your subreddit, so others notice. That is why it is a good idea to cross-promote on social media or use self-promotion tactics that let people know about your new subreddit.
A handy walk through the steps of creating subreddit by this youtuber:
Final Thoughts
There are tons of ideas and opportunities for earning money on Reddit. They only require a bit of research and effort, and you could transform your life.
Imagine what even a few hundred extra dollars a month could do. Maybe you need to pay off a credit card or save up for a new car. Maybe you are helping your kid get through college or pay down medical debt.
Whatever the reason, you can find lots of detailed information to get started all through Reddit – the front page of the internet!
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