Reddit has struck a deal with Snapchat to have its content shared and shown on the photo sharing app, Reddit announced Monday.
The feature will have niche appeal as it works only for people who have both a Reddit and Snapchat account. Shared Reddit content will be shown through a new sticker showcasing the Reddit logo. The deal will also drive Snapchat users to either the Reddit app or the app store to download Reddit.
Reddit adds that it plans to make similar moves with companies like Snapchat in the near future. Content that originates on the so-called “front page of the internet” regularly goes viral and gets picked up by media outlets. The deal with Snapchat might well amplify that effect, as it will expose Reddit content—and comments from Reddit users—to people who might not be familiar with the platform.
“Snapchat adds a touch of glamour and excitement to Reddit,” says Danielle Wiley, CEO at influencer-drive marketing agency Sway Group. “If you think of the stereotypical user of each, Reddit is the guy sitting in his mom’s basement in sweatpants while Snapchat is a cute teen girl sending selfies to all of her friends. It’s a really interesting way to appeal to a more social and visually-driven audience.”
Reddit says it has more than 330 million global monthly active users, and the company hopes its deal with Snapchat will bolster those numbers to offer marketers the scale they desire. Snapchat has 83 million daily active users in North America, according to its second-quarter earnings report, and claims 10 billion video views a day.
Still, while the move does seem promising, some have reservations.
“Reddit also needs a boost in sexiness,” says Josh von Scheiner, founder and creative director at VonShine Industries. “They’re too small to be an automatic go-to for media agencies and they’ve been around too long to be the cool startup. They also hit some stumbling blocks in the last few years that give them a reputation for not being brand safe.”
It’s unclear what Reddit brings to the table for Snapchat, von Scheiner says. Reddit declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal.
The move comes as Reddit aggressively expands its operations to attract digital ad dollars from Madison Avenue. The company, for instance, recently opened offices in Chicago and Dublin, Ireland. It also intends to increase staff in cities such as Los Angeles and New York.
“This definitely makes Reddit look more 'mainstream'," says Jordan Fox, president and founder of MMP Digital. “But at this point, it is make or break.”
