Building Big Brand Presence on Reddit

Content|

Reddit has emerged as one of the most influential social media platforms, with over 850 million monthly active users and 100,000+ active communities covering virtually every industry and interest. For businesses looking to build authentic relationships and engage with highly targeted audiences, Reddit offers unique opportunities for community-driven marketing that traditional platforms cannot match. At Online Optimism, we develop strategic Reddit engagement campaigns that deliver measurable results for our clients across diverse industries.

This case study highlights our collaboration with a NYC-based, venture-backed company in the home goods space and Buddy Punch, an established SaaS company providing time tracking software to over 4,000 small and medium-sized businesses.

Person uses a laptop to view Buddy Punch's subreddit. A phone with the Reddit app open and a red notebook are also on the desk.

Challenge

Following Online Optimism’s proven Reddit engagement model that delivered an increase in our website sessions, we implemented a tailored strategy that established brand accounts, created a subreddit community, and generated meaningful engagement through comment participation.

The first company is a NYC-based, venture-backed company in the home goods space that sought a comprehensive Reddit strategy to expand its digital presence beyond traditional social media channels. With a growing online customer base and increasing competition in the furniture market, the brand needed a way to authentically engage with potential customers who were already discussing office setup needs. They reached out to Online Optimism to develop this strategy from the ground up.

The second company, Buddy Punch, is an established SaaS business founded in 2013, providing time tracking software. They approached Online Optimism with similar goals of getting their name into conversations on Reddit and creating connections between Buddy Punch and potential customers through engagement.

Despite having a solid customer base and strong product reviews, both companies had no Reddit presence, missing opportunities to connect with their target audience who were actively on the platform. Through a tailored Reddit strategy that emphasized authentic engagement through direct conversation and community building, we helped establish a meaningful presence on Reddit, generating significant comment karma and building the foundation for long-term brand authority in their industry.

Both clients’ current subreddits, managed by Online Optimism

Insights

Prior to this partnership, the NYC-based company already had organic conversations happening on the platform. Redditors were regularly discussing office furniture options, but the company had no official presence to address questions, provide support, or correct misinformation about their products.

Unlike the NYC-based company, Buddy Punch had no established Reddit presence, despite data indicating that their target customers were active on the platform. The company’s existing marketing efforts were primarily focused on the website’s search engine optimization, leaving significant opportunities on Reddit untapped.

Both companies’ marketing efforts were primarily focused on Instagram and traditional marketing channels, leaving significant opportunities on Reddit untapped. Our analysis revealed 30+ subreddits and organic conversations where potential customers were actively seeking recommendations and asking related questions.

The brands recognized that Reddit users are particularly skeptical of obvious marketing attempts but respond positively to brands that provide genuine value, personalized responses, and transparent communication. Online Optimism came in to build genuine relationships with Redditors on behalf of the companies, building trust and brand loyalty.

Solution

Through a dedicated partnership with the companies, Online Optimism implemented a comprehensive two-phase Reddit strategy with several key components:

1. Brand and Representative Accounts

In phase one, we established and maintained both an official brand account and a representative account that could engage with users in a more personalized, conversational manner.

2. Community Creation

We built and moderated a dedicated subreddit that served as a hub for customers to ask questions and discuss services and/or products.

3. Proactive Engagement

We monitored relevant subreddits to provide helpful responses to questions about the company’s products and services.

4. Content Creation

We developed various types of Reddit-specific content, including polls, discussion threads, and product announcements that aligned with Reddit’s community-focused nature.

5. Customer Support

We established a system for responding to direct messages and chat requests, providing discount codes, and resolving customer issues directly on the platform.

With regular communication and coordination, the company was able to quickly approve content and responses, allowing for timely engagement on the platform while maintaining its brand voice and values.

Example Reddit Posts for Buddy Punch

A post from u/buddypuncheric encouraging another Redditor to feel a sense of accomplishment. The Redditor responded, "I think I needed to hear this the most. THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

A post from u/buddypuncheric offering encouragement to a business owner looking for community and asking if they've looked into coworking spaces. Part of the Redditor's response includes, "I really appreciate the encouragement though!"

A post titled "My honest review of Buddy Punch," posted to r/TimeTrackingSoftware. The review reads, I've been using Buddy Punch for a while now, and overall, it's been a pretty solid time-tracking tool. What I appreciate the most is how flexible it is regarding clocking in. The multiple punch-in options—facial recognition, QR codes, PINs, and GPS tracking—make it convenient for employees to log their hours. The geofencing feature is also a huge plus, ensuring people are clocking in from the right locations. I also like how timesheets are automatically compiled, which saves a lot of time when reviewing work hours. The scheduling tools are simple but effective, and the integrations with payroll platforms like QuickBooks and ADP make processing payments much easier."

A post from u/buddypuncheric encouraging business owners to think about "long-term relationship(s) with customers and not just a single sale."

Results

While the Buddy Punch campaign is ongoing, our Reddit strategy delivered significant results over the six-month campaign for the NYC-based company, dramatically increasing the company’s presence on the platform and driving meaningful business outcomes.

NYC-Based Company Campaign Growth Compared to Previous 6 Months

Increase in website sessions from Reddit

Increase in total users from Reddit sources

Increase in engaged sessions from Reddit traffic

Website Traffic by Source for NYC-Based Company

Our campaign ran January–June 2025.

Chart showing sources of visitors to the NYC-based company's website, with large growth in the number of visitors coming from Reddit, August 2024–June 2025.

“Old Reddit” refers to visitors using a previous version of Reddit’s interface.

Buddy Punch & NYC-Based Company Community Engagement

Total views on representative account posts in first 6 months

Comment karma gained (upvotes on comments) in first 6 months

Post karma gained (upvotes on original posts) in first 6 months

Subreddit members and growing!

Sentiment Analysis

Significant increase in positive brand mentions for the NYC-based company and Buddy Punch.
Established the representative account as a reliable authority for product recommendations.
Created an organic defense system against misinformation.

The NYC-based company’s dedicated subreddit grew steadily over the 6-month campaign period, creating a sustainable community where customers could engage with the brand and each other. Moreover, the representative account became recognized across multiple subreddits as a helpful resource for office furniture recommendations, establishing the brand as a trusted voice in the space. Through our efforts, the company’s representative account has become a thought leader and is organically tagged in relevant conversations for advice.

By the end of the campaign, the company had successfully integrated Reddit into their broader marketing strategy, creating a new channel for customer acquisition, brand awareness, and customer support.

From the Client

No results found.

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Building Big Brand Presence on Reddit

Challenge

Insights