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So, what’s all the fuss about Reddit being cited by a generative AI tool like ChatGPT and changing how we get results when typing in queries?

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

So, I’ll break it down for you so it’s simple and easy to understand.

Additionally, outlining key principles for understanding Reddit and its current usage.

So first things first: The way we create content has not had a major overhaul; it’s just become a little more concise, practical, and to the point.

All good things aside, you still want to establish authority and sound like an expert in your field and niche.

But with a deal between Reddit and OpenAI last year in May 2024, there is now open access between the Reddit site and OpenAI tools, meaning that a lot of query results in ChatGPT will come from Reddit as a quoted source.

How important is this?

Well, quite a bit, Reddit citations in ChatGPT have surged by +87% starting July 23, 2025, making it an important source of information. Tagged as the heart of the internet, it truly is living up to that name. It also shows that real human opinions and perspectives are something that AI tools now want to replicate in query answers.

This is all good.

We need more human and real answers when we ask ChatGPT a question, but, as always, we need to keep in mind that not everything it spits out is accurate, and that’s still the case even if it’s coming from Reddit.

However, ChatGPT is increasingly seeking authentic, legitimate sources of information that have been referenced and linked to cite when a user types in a query.

This could be because of the many complaints that responses to queries give false, inaccurate information that is not referenced, or in some cases, the references are wrong.

Making sure your content is accurate, authentic, referenced, and structurally LLM-friendly can increase the chances of getting cited. I wrote an article about content structure and AEO last week. Check it out if you want to learn more.

As a business, having a presence on Reddit can be an important part of a bigger marketing plan. But now it can also lend use in being quoted as a source of information in an LLM. 

The big question is how?

Or more specifically, how does the LLM decide what to pull from Reddit and what not to? This is where GEO comes into play, and it’s still evolving every day as we learn how it all works.

What we do know is that Reddit is a community-driven platform that harshly penalizes spam, bots, self-promotion, and advertising. How then could it possibly be a place where people would try to use it to get cited by advertising their brand?

Well, before I answer that, it’s really important to establish a few pre-requisites so that, as a marketing professional, you truly understand what Reddit is:

1. Community-driven but anonymous users

It is a community-driven platform that values personal insights, opinions, experiences, and perspectives. The caveat is that users are completely anonymous, and Reddit actually encourages users to remain anonymous and not reveal their real name, location, and other personal details. What that does is create a safe space for people to share things they probably would never do on any other social platform. It also provides everyone the opportunity to comment anonymously on others’ sharing.

2. Breaking community guidelines results in bans

Reddit is not a place that takes kindly to self-promotion, advertising, spamming, and content that sounds or looks like it’s AI-written. Moderators safely guard the platform, but in addition to that, community members take it upon themselves to point it out, and rightly so. Community guidelines restrict what can be posted and what text can be included in comments. See the beauty of Reddit; it’s not a place where you can randomly comment or post something without considering how it will be perceived. Accounts and posts get banned immediately if the rules are broken.

3. Earning karma is key to establishing a legitimate presence on Reddit.

To post and comment effectively, it’s crucial to earn karma legitimately. I say that because many people use tactics like farming (creating fake posts or commenting on your own post with another account) to build karma, which can get you banned. It’s better to provide value through comments that help create your presence, enabling you to post and comment.

Sometimes people do not understand this concept. On Reddit, you actually have to earn the ability to comment and post. It’s important to understand that, even after you have earned that ability, it can quickly be taken away if you abuse it in the form of spamming.

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Now that we understand the premises of Reddit, we can develop a strategy within these confines by creating comments and posts that add value to relevant subreddits related to our product or brand.

We achieve this by engaging in conversations, not only by highlighting why your product or service is a great fit, but also by providing supporting statistics and references. You delve into the details and take the time to engage in a conversation about your niche and field, not just explaining why your product is the best fit, but also supporting it with solid data and examples.

I think what most people are missing when it comes to Reddit is that people don’t come here for the superficial; they really want to learn and understand whatever you are posting about. You must take the time to provide that nuance.

As always, ethical rules of engagement will always supersede any attempt to spam the platform. If you think you can outsmart the system, you are wrong; it will only lead to your privileges being taken away when using Reddit.

For now, it wouldn’t be a waste of time to explore the platform and join subreddits that are relevant to your product, brand, and business.

Originally published for Generative AI on Medium on September 11, 2025