Growth Should you setup a subreddit on Reddit for your community?

[Cpvr]

Setting up a subreddit on Reddit can be a beneficial way to build visibility and traction. It can also help you generate backlinks and increase your brand’s exposure—one of the key factors search engines consider when ranking websites today.



That said, you shouldn’t use it to replace your actual community. Instead, think of it as a tool to promote your forum topics and help your community grow in that aspect.



So, where do you stand on this issue? Do you think it’s a good idea to set up a subreddit for your online community, or are you against it?

 

[Senkusha]

This sounds similar to setting up a Facebook group or a dedicated BlueSky account. I'm honestly not sure how much engagement over at your forum you'd receive from this, because as I've found through experience, most people just want to hang out on the platforms they've already invested time into (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc).

 

[Ravenfreak]

I've never tried setting up a subreddit to go along with my forums. I did get some members on Gex Forums by promoting the forum on the subreddit so it could in theory work. I know there's plenty of people looking for Reddit alternatives because I see people talking about the moderation that's been going on over on Reddit lately and many people are fed up with it. Might be worth giving it a go!

 

[Senkusha]

I know there's plenty of people looking for Reddit alternatives because I see people talking about the moderation that's been going on over on Reddit lately and many people are fed up with it. Might be worth giving it a go!

This gives me hope.

 

[Cpvr]

This sounds similar to setting up a Facebook group or a dedicated BlueSky account. I'm honestly not sure how much engagement over at your forum you'd receive from this, because as I've found through experience, most people just want to hang out on the platforms they've already invested time into (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc).

It’s really just a dedicated space to promote your forum content, you don’t have to use it to build engagement directly on Reddit itself. Think of it like having a Facebook page, Twitter account, Tumblr, or BlueSky presence that exists solely to drive traffic back to your forum.

Reddit allows this approach, especially since some subreddits don’t let users drop self-promo links freely. With your own subreddit, you can format posts however you want, each one can include a forum link, a summary, or a fresh take on the original thread. That way, you’re not just advertising, you’re giving Reddit users a reason to click through and engage on your own turf.

 

[Ravenfreak]

It’s really just a dedicated space to promote your forum content, you don’t have to use it to build engagement directly on Reddit itself. Think of it like having a Facebook page, Twitter account, Tumblr, or BlueSky presence that exists solely to drive traffic back to your forum.

Reddit allows this approach, especially since some subreddits don’t let users drop self-promo links freely. With your own subreddit, you can format posts however you want, each one can include a forum link, a summary, or a fresh take on the original thread. That way, you’re not just advertising, you’re giving Reddit users a reason to click through and engage on your own turf.

Exactly this! Many of us already have pages on Facebook and accounts on Twitter and Bluesky. Having a subreddit dedicated to your forum is no different. Plus I know some of the forum subreddits are dead and you can't even promote your links on them anymore which is a shame.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I think you'll draw people away from your forum if you setup something that is like a forum.

I have a group on Facebook for local hiking. It has around 50K members and is very active. Tried to make a local hiking forum on XF and promoted the heck out of it but most of the group members preferred to stay on the group because it was working and they didn't need to do anything more. Social has a way of keeping people on social.

I think you'll run into that risk.

Social media is something I really don't use to promote forums in all honesty.

 

[Cpvr]

I think you'll draw people away from your forum if you setup something that is like a forum.

I have a group on Facebook for local hiking. It has around 50K members and is very active. Tried to make a local hiking forum on XF and promoted the heck out of it but most of the group members preferred to stay on the group because it was working and they didn't need to do anything more. Social has a way of keeping people on social.

I think you'll run into that risk.

Social media is something I really don't use to promote forums in all honesty.

Honestly, Reddit is the only major social platform that really lines up with the forum scene. It’s easier to promote on, easier to pull people in, and it already functions like a forum. There are more forum-minded users on Reddit than we have across most of our sites combined, which is exactly why we should be targeting them.




Promoting on Facebook or other social platforms to drive in new forum members? Not easy. Most people are there to stay there. Social media keeps users in its own ecosystem. Reddit, though? That’s where users are already conditioned to jump into threads, engage, and explore outside content.



If you’re just promoting in the same bubble, you’re going to keep recycling the same users. Same names, same posts, same cycle. If you want fresh blood, you need to step outside the box and meet new people, Reddit’s one of the best places to do that.



Also, if you’re not out there promoting your own forum and leading that charge, why would your members promote it through word of mouth? They won’t. It starts with you. Especially when it pertains to
Promoting on social media and driving in new members. We can’t rely on the same old methods anymore.
It just doesn’t work.

Every place that we’re able to promote our forum
On, we should take the leap and do it. The more eyes that we can get on our forums, the better off we’ll be. That means, writing free press releases if we have to. Reaching our to bloggers, influencers,
Youtubers, tiktokers, streamers, etc.

 

[Num7]

Using Reddit to promote your community is fine. It might work, so it's worth a try.

But actually starting a subreddit for your community doesn't make sense. It would be like starting a second forum about your forum.

I think you run the risk of ending up in the same situation some people find themselves in when the Discord server they've created takes up too much space and becomes a replacement for their forum instead of a complement.