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Why Reddit Is the Ultimate Audience Mobilizer
Where’s the best place for a creator to foster a community? Discord is overwhelming. The YouTube comment section can get spammy. Instagram is too visual with minimal space for connection. TikTok lacks a hub for followers to return to time and again. Patreon is paywalled. But Reddit has that je ne sais quoi—it’s a reliable, straightforward platform where posting is easy. For that reason and more, Reddit has a track record of hosting some of the strongest, most actionable communities on the internet.
Just look at DogeCoin or Wall Street Bets. Through Reddit, their communities have built their own language, influenced the stock market, and impacted crypto prices.
Among creators, few leverage the platform better than Youtuber, rapper, and general multi-hyphenate KSI. With 2.6 million members in his subreddit, r/KSI, no creator is within half of his following on the platform, not even MrBeast (97k) or Logan Paul (10k).
How does KSI leverage Reddit? He often posts videos for his 23.9 million YouTube subscribers, in which he reacts to posts from his Reddit.
Colin and Samir recently spoke to one of KSI’s Reddit moderators, Alex, to better understand what makes the platform and subreddit so special.
“KSI’s subreddit is the first one I’ve seen where they constantly make fun of him and he’s fine with it,” Alex said. “He just laughs it off. In some ways, the Reddit is how his community talks to him.”
Alex works with three other moderators to curate content and surface posts they think KSI will like.
“[The best part is] being able to contribute to how the quality of [KSI’s] content turns out,” Alex said. “We’re not paid. We’re all just fans of his content.”
Reddit was founded in 2005, making it an internet dinosaur by most measures. But in the 17 years it’s been humming along, Reddit has proven that being the shiny new toy doesn’t always pan out.
Take web3, for example. Many in the creator space are labeling the technology as the future of creators and communities working together to build content. But consider the incentive systems for web3 communities—often they require a monetary buy-in, which might tempt fans to cash out (leave) when the community grows.
Reddit, on the other hand, is free to use, making its incentive system based more on fandom than monetary gain, which can be more stable in the long run.
What’s more, Reddit has cultivated a rich feedback system that allows fans to show support for creators with more than just likes and emojis. They can use text posts, images, and memes. Most importantly, the community can Upvote a post to rank what’s most important so the best takes and conversations rise to the top.
“You can’t base support off something like Instagram or Twitter likes," Alex said. "When [KSI] sees a nice post about his achievements it’s something more fulfilling to see than just a like.”
Last year KSI hosted a pay-per-view live show, which was billed as an event that would “break the internet” with a stacked list of celebrity attendees. In reality, it was a handful of mini concerts with a few skits in between.
KSI’s fans were disappointed at what they considered to be false advertising, and sounded off on Reddit. “People were confused and misled, and had their own expectations on what the show should have been,” Alex said.
After KSI saw that his Reddit community wasn’t happy with it, he responded. Regarding the complaints, Alex said, “I thought that was a critical contribution from the subreddit. On Twitter and Instagram, you wouldn’t get that amount of feedback so instantly and constructively. You’d just get a short comment. When you have a long text post on why the show was bad, he’ll sit and read through it. And with the amount of upvotes he’ll see a lot of people do agree with this take.”
Reddits don’t just impact the creator on whom they’re focused, but the creator’s team as well. Even KSI’s editor, Mo, has been influenced by r/KSI. After encouragement from the community, he started his own YouTube channel, which has grown to almost 600,000 subscribers.
And even when KSI isn’t making videos, his Reddit is still creating for each other, making memes and videos for conversation that take inspiration from KSI but don’t require his input to function. They’re a self-sustaining community that’s building the content they want to see—and creating a case study for all creators looking to connect with large numbers of people.
Our Take
From perusing KSI’s Reddit to Colin and Samir’s, it’s clear that something about the platform creates thoughtful, constructive communities like we’ve never seen anywhere else.
The differentiating factor for Reddit in community-building? It’s free, text-based, and fan-led. With some strategic planning and nurturing, investing in Reddit could help foster a long-lasting community for career-minded creators targeting longevity.
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🤝 CREATOR SUPPORT
Publish Press readers share a problem they're facing and creators Colin & Samir respond with their advice.
Q: I've been working as a content creator for a few years now with small businesses. But I've just decided to start my own YouTube channel.
I'm considering going to a creator event in September. A creator friend of mine recommends it but money is a little tight. I'm unsure if it's a wise investment so early in my YouTube growth. What are your thoughts on conferences and events for creators? If you were in my shoes would you go, or would you save the money and invest it into the channel?
A: To assess if going to a conference is worth the investment, consider two things:
The event itself: Does it have solid programming? Are they talking about things you’d be interested in? Are people going who you’d want to talk to? If so, reach out to them beforehand to make a connection so they’re prepared to talk when you see them in person. If you can arrange for some crucial and value-add meetings, attending might be worth it.
How you plan to participate: Despite working in a digital medium, nothing is more impactful for creators than in-person connection and dialogue. Come with questions and goals so you can spend your time wisely. Say yes to the informal gatherings surrounding the event, maximizing that invaluable facetime. Deciding whether you’re willing and able to show up ready to connect meaningfully makes the choice to attend simpler.
If you’re having trouble finding immediate value in attending the event, maybe wait until next year when you’ve had a year of creating under your belt and you’re familiar enough with the subject matter that you can really absorb the presentations and apply them to your work.
It’s also important to keep in mind that many of these events are commercial operations; they exist to make money so it wouldn’t make sense to engage in the transaction without a full justification in your personal business expenses.
Facing a creator problem you want help with? Share it here→
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