business plans reddit

Our goal is to generate approximately $50,000 in monthly revenue within the first six months. We expect to reach a break-even point around this time. As we scale, we project significant growth, aiming for $200,000 in monthly revenue by the end of the first year."

10. Appendix

A detailed and well-developed business plan can range anywhere from 20 to 50 pages, with some even reaching upward of 80.

In many cases, the appendix is the longest section.

Because it includes the supportive materials mentioned in previous sections.

To avoid disrupting the flow of the business plan with visuals, charts, and spreadsheets, business owners usually add them in the last section, i.e., the appendix.

Aside from what I've already mentioned — marketing plan, sales plan, department budgets, financial documents — you may also want to attach the following in the appendix:

• Marketing materials.
• Market research data.
• Licensing documentation.
• Branding assets .
• Floor plans for your location.
• Mockups of your product.
• Renderings of your office space or location design.

Adding these pieces to the appendix enriches the reader‘s understanding of your business and proves you’ve put the work into your business plan without distracting from the main points throughout the plan.

Example of Appendix

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2 Essential Templates For Starting Your Business

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

How to Write a Business Plan (Plus Examples & Templates)

Have you ever wondered how to write a business plan step by step? Mike Andes, told us: 

This guide will help you write a business plan to impress investors.

Throughout this process, we’ll get information from Mike Andes, who started Augusta Lawn Care Services when he was 12 and turned it into a franchise with over 90 locations. He has gone on to help others learn how to write business plans and start businesses.  He knows a thing or two about writing  business plans!

We’ll start by discussing the definition of a business plan. Then we’ll discuss how to come up with the idea, how to do the market research, and then the important elements in the business plan format. Keep reading to start your journey!

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan is simply a road map of what you are trying to achieve with your business and how you will go about achieving it. It should cover all elements of your business including: 

• Finding customers
• Plans for developing a team
•  Competition
• Legal structures
• Key milestones you are pursuing

If you aren’t quite ready to create a business plan, consider starting by reading our business startup guide .

Get a Business Idea

Before you can write a business plan, you have to have a business idea. You may see a problem that needs to be solved and have an idea how to solve it, or you might start by evaluating your interests and skills. 

Mike told us, “The three things I suggest asking yourself when thinking about starting a business are:

• What am I good at?
• What would I enjoy doing?
• What can I get paid for?”

If all three of these questions don’t lead to at least one common answer, it will probably be a much harder road to success. Either there is not much market for it, you won’t be good at it, or you won’t enjoy doing it. 

As Mike told us, “There’s enough stress starting and running a business that if you don’t like it or aren’t good at it, it’s hard to succeed.”

If you’d like to hear more about Mike’s approach to starting a business, check out our YouTube video

Conduct Market Analysis

Market analysis is focused on establishing if there is a target market for your products and services, how large the target market is, and identifying the demographics of people or businesses that would be interested in the product or service. The goal here is to establish how much money your business concept can make.

Product and Service Demand

A search engine is your best friend when trying to figure out if there is demand for your products and services. Personally, I love using presearch.org because it lets you directly search on a ton of different platforms including Google, Youtube, Twitter, and more. Check out the screenshot for the full list of search options.

With quick web searches, you can find out how many competitors you have, look through their reviews, and see if there are common complaints about the competitors. Bad reviews are a great place to find opportunities to offer better products or services. 

If there are no similar products or services, you may have stumbled upon something new, or there may just be no demand for it. To find out, go talk to your most honest friend about the idea and see what they think. If they tell you it’s dumb or stare at you vacantly, there’s probably no market for it.

You can also conduct a survey through social media to get public opinion on your idea. Using Facebook Business Manager , you could get a feel for who would be interested in your product or service.

 I ran a quick test of how many people between 18-65  you could reach in the U.S. during a week. It returned an estimated 700-2,000 for the total number of leads, which is enough to do a fairly accurate statistical analysis.

Identify Demographics of Target Market

Depending on what type of business you want to run, your target market will be different. The narrower the demographic, the fewer potential customers you’ll have. If you did a survey, you’ll be able to use that data to help define your target audience. Some considerations you’ll want to consider are:

• Other Interests
• Marital Status
• Do they have kids?

Once you have this information, it can help you narrow down your options for location and help define your marketing further. One resource that Mike recommended using is the Census Bureau’s Quick Facts Map . He told us,  

“It helps you quickly evaluate what the best areas are for your business to be located.”

Want to get ahead of the competition faster?

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How to Write a Business Plan

Now that you’ve developed your idea a little and established there is a market for it, you can begin writing a business plan. Getting started is easier with the business plan template we created for you to download. I strongly recommend using it as it is updated to make it easier to create an action plan. 

Each of the following should be a section of your business plan:

• Business Plan Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Description of Products and Services

SWOT Analysis

• Competitor Data
• Competitive Analysis
• Marketing Expenses Strategy 

Pricing Strategy

• Distribution Channel Assessment
• Operational Plan
• Management and Organizational Strategy
• Financial Statements and/or Financial Projections

We’ll look into each of these. Don’t forget to download our free business plan template (mentioned just above) so you can follow along as we go. 

How to Write a Business Plan Step 1. Create a Cover Page

The first thing investors will see is the cover page for your business plan. Make sure it looks professional. A great cover page shows that you think about first impressions.

A good business plan should have the following elements on a cover page:

• Professionally designed logo
• Company name
• Mission or Vision Statement
• Contact Info

Basically, think of a cover page for your business plan like a giant business card. It is meant to capture people’s attention but be quickly processed.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 2. Create a Table of Contents

Most people are busy enough that they don’t have a lot of time. Providing a table of contents makes it easy for them to find the pages of your plan that are meaningful to them.

A table of contents will be immediately after the cover page, but you can include it after the executive summary. Including the table of contents immediately after the executive summary will help investors know what section of your business plan they want to review more thoroughly.

Check out Canva’s article about creating a  table of contents . It has a ton of great information about creating easy access to each section of your business plan. Just remember that you’ll want to use different strategies for digital and hard copy business plans.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 3. Write an Executive Summary

An executive summary is where your business plan should catch the readers interest.  It doesn’t need to be long, but should be quick and easy to read.

Mike told us,

How long should an executive summary bein an informal business plan?

For casual use, an executive summary should be similar to an elevator pitch, no more than 150-160 words, just enough to get them interested and wanting more. Indeed has a great article on elevator pitches .  This can also be used for the content of emails to get readers’ attention.

It consists of three basic parts:

• An introduction to you and your business.
• What your business is about.
• A call to action

Example of an informal executive summary 

One of the best elevator pitches I’ve used is:

So far that pitch has achieved a 100% success rate in getting partnerships for the business.

What should I include in an executive summary for investors?

Investors are going to need a more detailed executive summary if you want to secure financing or sell equity. The executive summary should be a brief overview of your entire business plan and include:

• Introduction of yourself and company.
• An origin story (Recognition of a problem and how you came to solution)
• An introduction to your products or services.
• Your unique value proposition. Make sure to include intellectual property.
• Where you are in the business life cycle
• Request and why you need it.

Successful business plan examples

The owner of Urbanity told us he spent 2 months writing a 75-page business plan and received a $250,000 loan from the bank when he was 23. Make your business plan as detailed as possible when looking for financing. We’ve provided a template to help you prepare the portions of a business plan that banks expect.

Here’s the interview with the owner of Urbanity:

When to write an executive summary?

Even though the summary is near the beginning of a business plan, you should write it after you complete the rest of a business plan. You can’t talk about revenue, profits, and expected expenditures if you haven’t done the market research and created a financial plan.

What mistakes do people make when writing an executive summary?

Business owners commonly go into too much detail about the following items in an executive summary:

• Marketing and sales processes
• Financial statements
• Organizational structure
• Market analysis

These are things that people will want to know later, but they don’t hook the reader. They won’t spark interest in your small business, but they’ll close the deal.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 4. Company Description

Every business plan should include a company description. A great business plan will include the following elements while describing the company:

• Mission statement
• Philosophy and vision
• Company goals

Target market

• Legal structure

Let’s take a look at what each section includes in a good business plan.

Mission Statement

A mission statement is a brief explanation of why you started the company and what the company’s main focus is. It should be no more than one or two sentences. Check out HubSpot’s article 27 Inspiring Mission Statement for a great read on informative and inspiring mission and vision statements. 

Company Philosophy and Vision

The company philosophy is what drives your company. You’ll normally hear them called core values.  These are the building blocks that make your company different. You want to communicate your values to customers, business owners, and investors as often as possible to build a company culture, but make sure to back them up.

What makes your company different?

Each company is different. Your new business should rise above the standard company lines of honesty, integrity, fun, innovation, and community when communicating your business values. The standard answers are corporate jargon and lack authenticity. 

Examples of core values

One of my clients decided to add a core values page to their website. As a tech company they emphasized the values:

•  Prioritize communication.
•  Never stop learning.
•  Be transparent.
•  Start small and grow incrementally.

These values communicate how the owner and the rest of the company operate. They also show a value proposition and competitive advantage because they specifically focus on delivering business value from the start. These values also genuinely show what the company is about and customers recognize the sincerity. Indeed has a great blog about how to identify your core values .

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement communicate the long lasting change a business pursues. The vision helps investors and customers understand what your company is trying to accomplish. The vision statement goes beyond a mission statement to provide something meaningful to the community, customer’s lives, or even the world.

Example vision statements

The Alzheimer’s Association is a great example of a vision statement:

A world without Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia.

It clearly tells how they want to change the world. A world without Alzheimers might be unachievable, but that means they always have room for improvement.

Business Goals

You have to measure success against goals for a business plan to be meaningful. A business plan helps guide a company similar to how your GPS provides a road map to your favorite travel destination. A goal to make as much money as possible is not inspirational and sounds greedy.

Sure, business owners want to increase their profits and improve customer service, but they need to present an overview of what they consider success. The goals should help everyone prioritize their work.

How far in advance should a business plan?

Business planning should be done at least one year in advance, but many banks and investors prefer three to five year business plans. Longer plans show investors that the management team  understands the market and knows the business is operating in a constantly shifting market. In addition, a plan helps businesses to adjust to changes because they have already considered how to handle them.

Example of great business goals

My all time-favorite long-term company goals are included in Tesla’s Master Plan, Part Deux . These goals were written in 2016 and drive the company’s decisions through 2026. They are the reason that investors are so forgiving when Elon Musk continually fails to meet his quarterly and annual goals.

If the progress aligns with the business plan investors are likely to continue to believe in the company. Just make sure the goals are reasonable or you’ll be discredited (unless you’re Elon Musk).

You did target market research before creating a business plan. Now it’s time to add it to the plan so others understand what your ideal customer looks like. As a new business owner, you may not be considered an expert in your field yet, so document everything. Make sure the references you use are from respectable sources. 

Use information from the specific lender when you are applying for lending. Most lenders provide industry research reports and using their data can strengthen the position of your business plan.

A small business plan should include a section on the external environment. Understanding the industry is crucial because we don’t plan a business in a vacuum. Make sure to research the industry trends, competitors, and forecasts. I personally prefer IBIS World for my business research. Make sure to answer questions like:

• What is the industry outlook long-term and short-term?
• How will your business take advantage of projected industry changes and trends?
• What might happen to your competitors and how will your business successfully compete?

Industry resources

Some helpful resources to help you establish more about your industry are:

• Trade Associations
• Federal Reserve
• Bureau of Labor Statistics

Legal Structure

There are five basic types of legal structures that most people will utilize:

• Sole proprietorships
• Limited Liability Companies (LLC)

Partnerships

Corporations.

• Franchises.

Each business structure has their pros and cons. An LLC is the most common legal structure due to its protection of personal assets and ease of setting up. Make sure to specify how ownership is divided and what roles each owner plays when you have more than one business owner.

You’ll have to decide which structure is best for you, but we’ve gathered information on each to make it easier.

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is the easiest legal structure to set up but doesn’t protect the owner’s personal assets from legal issues. That means if something goes wrong, you could lose both your company and your home.

To start a sole proprietorship, fill out a special tax form called a  Schedule C . Sole proprietors can also join the American Independent Business Alliance .

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

An LLC is the most common business structure used in the United States because an LLC protects the owner’s personal assets. It’s similar to partnerships and corporations, but can be a single-member LLC in most states. An LLC requires a document called an operating agreement.

Each state has different requirements. Here’s a link to find your state’s requirements . Delaware and Nevada are common states to file an LLC because they are really business-friendly. Here’s a blog on the top 10 states to get an LLC.

Partnerships are typically for legal firms. If you choose to use a partnership choose a Limited Liability Partnership. Alternatively, you can just use an LLC.

Corporations are typically for massive organizations. Corporations have taxes on both corporate and income tax so unless you plan on selling stock, you are better off considering an LLC with S-Corp status . Investopedia has good information corporations here .

There are several opportunities to purchase successful franchises. TopFranchise.com has a list of companies in a variety of industries that offer franchise opportunities. This makes it where an entrepreneur can benefit from the reputation of an established business that has already worked out many of the kinks of starting from scratch.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 5. Products and Services

This section of the business plan should focus on what you sell, how you source it, and how you sell it. You should include:

• Unique features that differentiate your business products from competitors
• Intellectual property
• Your supply chain
• Cost and pricing structure 

Questions to answer about your products and services

Mike gave us a list  of the most important questions to answer about your product and services:

• How will you be selling the product? (in person, ecommerce, wholesale, direct to consumer)?
• How do you let them know they need a product?
• How do you communicate the message?
• How will you do transactions?
• How much will you be selling it for?
• How many do you think you’ll sell and why?

Make sure to use the worksheet on our business plan template .

How to Write a Business Plan Step 6. Sales and Marketing Plan

The marketing and sales plan is focused on the strategy to bring awareness to your company and guides how you will get the product to the consumer.  It should contain the following sections:

SWOT Analysis stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Not only do you want to identify them, but you also want to document how the business plans to deal with them.

Business owners need to do a thorough job documenting how their service or product stacks up against the competition.

If proper research isn’t done, investors will be able to tell that the owner hasn’t researched the competition and is less likely to believe that the team can protect its service from threats by the more well-established competition. This is one of the most common parts of a presentation that trips up business owners presenting on Shark Tank .

SWOT Examples

Examples of strengths and weaknesses could be things like the lack of cash flow, intellectual property ownership, high costs of suppliers, and customers’ expectations on shipping times.

Opportunities could be ways to capitalize on your strengths or improve your weaknesses, but may also be gaps in the industry. This includes:

• Adding offerings that fit with your current small business
• Increase sales to current customers
• Reducing costs through bulk ordering
• Finding ways to reduce inventory
•  And other areas you can improve

Threats will normally come from outside of the company but could also be things like losing a key member of the team. Threats normally come from competition, regulations, taxes, and unforeseen events.

The management team should use the SWOT analysis to guide other areas of business planning, but it absolutely has to be done before a business owner starts marketing. 

Include Competitor Data in Your Business Plan

When you plan a business, taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the competition is key to navigating the field. Providing an overview of your competition and where they are headed shows that you are invested in understanding the industry.

For smaller businesses, you’ll want to search both the company and the owners names to see what they are working on. For publicly held corporations, you can find their quarterly and annual reports on the SEC website .

What another business plans to do can impact your business. Make sure to include things that might make it attractive for bigger companies to outsource to a small business.

Marketing Strategy

The marketing and sales part of business plans should be focused on how you are going to make potential customers aware of your business and then sell to them.

If you haven’t already included it, Mike recommends:

“They’ll want to know about Demographics, ages, and wealth of your target market.”

Make sure to include the Total addressable market .  The term refers to the value if you captured 100% of the market.

Advertising Strategy

You’ll explain what formats of advertising you’ll be using. Some possibilities are:

• Online: Facebook and Google are the big names to work with here.
• Print : Print can be used to reach broad groups or targeted markets. Check out this for tips .
• Radio : iHeartMedia is one of the best ways to advertise on the radio
• Cable television : High priced, hard to measure ROI, but here’s an explanation of the process
• Billboards: Attracting customers with billboards can be beneficial in high traffic areas.

You’ll want to define how you’ll be using each including frequency, duration, and cost. If you have the materials already created, including pictures or links to the marketing to show creative assets.

Mike told us “Most businesses are marketing digitally now due to Covid, but that’s not always the right answer.”

Make sure the marketing strategy will help team members or external marketing agencies stay within the brand guidelines .

This section of a business plan should be focused on pricing. There are a ton of pricing strategies that may work for different business plans. Which one will work for you depends on what kind of a business you run.

Some common pricing strategies are:

• Value-based pricing – Commonly used with home buying and selling or other products that are status symbols.
• Skimming pricing – Commonly seen in video game consoles, price starts off high to recoup expenses quickly, then reduces over time.
• Competition-based pricing – Pricing based on competitors’ pricing is commonly seen at gas stations.
• Freemium services –  Commonly used for software, where there is a free plan, then purchase options for more functionality.

HubSpot has a great calculator and blog on pricing strategies.

Beyond explaining what strategy your business plans to use, you should include references for how you came to this pricing strategy and how it will impact your cash flow.

Distribution Plan

This part of a business plan is focused on how the product or service is going to go through the supply chain. These may include multiple divisions or multiple companies. Make sure to include any parts of the workflow that are automated so investors can see where cost savings are expected and when.

Supply Chain Examples

For instance, lawn care companies  would need to cover aspects such as:

• Suppliers for lawn care equipment and tools
• Any chemicals or treatments needed
• Repair parts for sprinkler systems
• Vehicles to transport equipment and employees
• Insurance to protect the company vehicles and people.

Examples of Supply Chains

These are fairly flat supply chains compared to something like a clothing designer where the clothes would go through multiple vendors. A clothing company might have the following supply chain:

• Raw materials
• Shipping of raw materials
• Converting of raw materials to thread
• Shipping thread to produce garments
• Garment producer
• Shipping to company
• Company storage
• Shipping to retail stores

There have been advances such as print on demand that eliminate many of these steps. If you are designing completely custom clothing, all of this would need to be planned to keep from having business disruptions.

The main thing to include in the business plan is the list of suppliers, the path the supply chain follows, the time from order to the customer’s home, and the costs associated with each step of the process.

According to BizPlanReview , a business plan without this information is likely to get rejected because they have failed to research the key elements necessary to make sales to the customer.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 7. Company Organization and Operational Plan

This part of the business plan is focused on how the business model will function while serving customers.  The business plan should provide an overview of  how the team will manage the following aspects:

Quality Control

• Legal environment

Let’s look at each for some insight.

Production has already been discussed in previous sections so I won’t go into it much. When writing a business plan for investors, try to avoid repetition as it creates a more simple business plan.

If the organizational plan will be used by the team as an overview of how to perform the best services for the customer, then redundancy makes more sense as it communicates what is important to the business.

Quality control policies help to keep the team focused on how to verify that the company adheres to the business plan and meets or exceeds customer expectations.

Quality control can be anything from a standard that says “all labels on shirts can be no more than 1/16″ off center” to a defined checklist of steps that should be performed and filled out for every customer.

There are a variety of organizations that help define quality control including:

• International Organization for Standardization – Quality standards for energy, technology, food, production environments, and cybersecurity
• AICPA – Standard defined for accounting.
• The Joint Commission – Healthcare
• ASHRAE – HVAC best practices

You can find lists of the organizations that contribute most to the government regulation of industries on Open Secrets . Research what the leaders in your field are doing. Follow their example and implement it in your quality control plan.

For location, you should use information from the market research to establish where the location will be. Make sure to include the following in the location documentation.

• The size of your location
• The type of building (retail, industrial, commercial, etc.)
• Zoning restrictions – Urban Wire has a good map on how zoning works in each state
• Accessibility – Does it meet ADA requirements?
• Costs including rent, maintenance, utilities, insurance and any buildout or remodeling costs
• Utilities – b.e.f. has a good energy calculator .

Legal Environment

The legal requirement section is focused on defining how to meet the legal requirements for your industry. A good business plan should include all of the following:

• Any licenses and/or permits that are needed and whether you’ve obtained them
• Any trademarks, copyrights, or patents that you have or are in the process of applying for
• The insurance coverage your business requires and how much it costs
• Any environmental, health, or workplace regulations affecting your business
• Any special regulations affecting your industry
• Bonding requirements, if applicable

Your local SBA office can help you establish requirements in your area. I strongly recommend using them. They are a great resource.

Your business plan should include a plan for company organization and hiring. While you may be the only person with the company right now, down the road you’ll need more people. Make sure to consider and document the answers to the following questions:

• What is the current leadership structure and what will it look like in the future?
• What types of employees will you have? Are there any licensing or educational requirements?
• How many employees will you need?
• Will you ever hire freelancers or independent contractors?
• What is each position’s job description?
• What is the pay structure (hourly, salaried, base plus commission, etc.)?
• How do you plan to find qualified employees and contractors?

One of the most crucial parts of a business plan is the organizational chart. This simply shows the positions the company will need, who is in charge of them and the relationship of each of them. It will look similar to this:

Our small business plan template has a much more in-depth organizational chart you can edit to include when you include the organizational chart in your business plan.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 8. Financial Statements 

No business plan is complete without financial statements or financial projections. The business plan format will be different based on whether you are writing a business plan to expand a business or a startup business plan. Let’s dig deeper into each.

Provide All Financial Income from an Existing Business

An existing business should use their past financial documents including the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement to find trends to estimate the next 3-5 years.

You can create easy trendlines in excel to predict future revenue, profit and loss, cash flow, and other changes in year-over-year performance. This will show your expected performance assuming business continues as normal.

If you are seeking an investment, then the business is probably not going to continue as normal. Depending on the financial plan and the purpose of getting financing, adjustments may be needed to the following:

• Higher Revenue if expanding business
• Lower Cost of Goods Sold if purchasing inventory with bulk discounts
• Adding interest if utilizing financing (not equity deal)
• Changes in expenses
• Addition of financing information to the cash flow statement
• Changes in Earnings per Share on the balance sheet

Financial modeling is a challenging subject, but there are plenty of low-cost courses on the subject. If you need help planning your business financial documentation take some time to watch some of them.

Make it a point to document how you calculated all the changes to the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement in your business plan so that key team members or investors can verify your research.

Financial Projections For A Startup Business Plan

Unlike an existing business, a startup doesn’t have previous success to model its future performance. In this scenario, you need to focus on how to make a business plan realistic through the use of industry research and averages.

Mike gave the following advice in his interview:

Financial Forecasting Mistakes

One of the things a lot of inexperienced people use is the argument, “If I get one percent of the market, it is worth $100 million.” If you use this, investors are likely to file the document under bad business plan examples.

Let’s use custom t-shirts as an example.

Credence Research estimated in 2018 there were 11,334,800,000 custom t-shirts sold for a total of $206.12 Billion, with a 6% compound annual growth rate.

With that data,  you can calculate that the industry will grow to $270 Billion in 2023 and that the average shirt sold creates $18.18 in revenue.

Combine that with an IBIS World estimate of 11,094 custom screen printers and that means even if you become an average seller, you’ll get .009% of the market.

Here’s a table for easier viewing of that information.

The point here is to make sure your business proposal examples make sense.

You’ll need to know industry averages such as cost of customer acquisition, revenue per customer, the average cost of goods sold, and admin costs to be able to create accurate estimates.

Our simple business plan templates walk you through most of these processes. If you follow them you’ll have a good idea of how to write a business proposal.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 9. Business Plan Example of Funding Requests

What is a business plan without a plan on how to obtain funding?

The Small Business Administration has an example for a pizza restaurant that theoretically needed nearly $20k to make it through their first month.

In our video, How to Start a $500K/Year T-Shirt Business (Pt. 1 ), Sanford Booth told us he needed about $200,000 to start his franchise and broke even after 4 months.

Freshbooks estimates it takes on average 2-3 years for a business to be profitable, which means the fictitious pizza company from the SBA could need up to $330k to make it through that time and still pay their bills for their home and pizza shop.

Not every business needs that much to start, but realistically it’s a good idea to assume that you need a fairly large cushion.

Ways to get funding for a small business

There are a variety of ways to cover this. the most common are:

• Bootstrapping – Using your savings without external funding.
• Taking out debt – loans, credit cards
• Equity, Seed Funding – Ownership of a percentage of the company in exchange for current funds
• Crowdsourcing – Promising a good for funding to create the product

Keep reading for more tips on how to write a business plan.

How funding will be used

When asking for business financing make sure to include:

• How much to get started?
• What is the minimum viable product and how soon can you make money?
• How will the money be spent?

Mike emphasized two aspects that should be included in every plan, 

How to Write a Business Plan Resources

Here are some links to a business plan sample and business plan outline. 

• Sample plan

It’s also helpful to follow some of the leading influencers in the business plan writing community. Here’s a list:

• Wise Plans –  Shares a lot of information on starting businesses and is a business plan writing company.
• Optimus Business Plans –  Another business plan writing company.
• Venture Capital – A venture capital thread that can help give you ideas.

How to Write a Business Plan: What’s Next?

We hope this guide about how to write a simple business plan step by step has been helpful. We’ve covered:

• The definition of a business plan
• Coming up with a business idea
• Performing market research
• The critical components of a business plan
• An example business plan

In addition, we provided you with a simple business plan template to assist you in the process of writing your startup business plan. The startup business plan template also includes a business model template that will be the key to your success.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our business hub .

Have you written a business plan before? How did it impact your ability to achieve your goals?

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With over two decades of experience, Growthink has assisted more than 1 million companies in developing effective business plans to launch and expand their businesses. Trust in our expertise to guide you through developing a business plan that drives your success. In addition to our sample plans, below you’ll learn the answers to key business plan questions and gain insightful tips on writing your business plan.

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1. Why is utilizing an example business plan a good idea?

Sample business plans can help you quickly and easily write a business plan for your own business. Business plans are an important tool for any business, but they can be challenging to create. A sample business plan will help you understand the business plan format , the benefit of market research, and how to write a compelling executive summary. It can also serve as a guide for creating your own business plan, outlining the key sections and providing examples of successful plans. Utilizing the best business plan template can save you time and ensure that your plan is well-structured and comprehensive.

Business plan examples may even help you with the different sections of a plan, including market analysis, business description, cash flow statements/business financial statements, and more. Business plans can also show you how a quality plan in your exact business plan category is organized and shows you the appropriate business communications style to use when writing your business plan.

2. Who would benefit from using an example business plan?

Any entrepreneur or business owner who has never written a business plan before can benefit from an example or sample plan. New business owners often start with business plan templates , which are helpful but are sometimes more useful after reviewing other sample business plans.

A good sample plan can be a step-by-step guide as you work on your business planning and business idea. Once you have a sense for the flow, specs, and details, etc. that business plans have, utilizing a business plan template will help you pull everything together, helping you create a plan investors and other stakeholders will value. A solid business plan will also help you if you need a bank loan, which may require a startup business plan. Download our free business plan template to help you get started on your own business plan.

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3. How do you get started with a sample business plan and maximize its benefit?

First you should read the business plan thoroughly. Study both the type of information provided in key sections like the executive summary, target market analysis, summary, etc., as well as the format and style of the plan. As you read, you may find yourself thinking through things such as improving or evaluating your business planning process, your business idea, or reconsidering who you want to write your business plan for. This is OK and part of the process. In fact, when you start writing a business plan for the first time, it will be much easier because you’ve gone through this process.

After this initial read, outline your business plan and copy in from the sample plan sections that apply to your business. For instance, if the sample plan included public relations in their marketing strategy and sales plan, and you will also use this tactic, you can copy it into your plan and edit it as appropriate. Finally, answer the other questions answered in the sample plan in ways that reflect your unique business and target customers.

Writing a business plan can seem daunting. Starting your business plan writing process by reviewing a plan that’s already been created can remove a lot of mental and emotional barriers while helping you craft the best plan you can.

4. When should you not use a sample business plan?

If your business is unlike any other, using a sample business plan will not be as effective. In this situation, writing a business plan from scratch utilizing a business plan template is probably your best path forward.

As an example, Facebook’s early business plan was unlike others since it was paving a new path and way of doing business. But, groundbreaking new businesses like Facebook are not the norm, and the vast majority of companies will benefit from utilizing sample business plans.

5. How do you choose the right type of business plan for your venture?

Selecting the appropriate type of business plan depends on your business’s stage, needs, and goals. Let’s explore the different types of business plans and how to determine which business plan format is right for you.

• Startup Business Plan : This type of plan is for businesses just starting out and seeking funding or investment. It typically includes a detailed analysis of the market, target audience, competition, and financial projections.
• Traditional Business Plan : Traditional business plans are the most common type of business plan, used by established businesses to outline their goals and strategies. It includes all the key sections such as market analysis, company description, and financial statements.
• Internal Business Plan : Internal business plans are used for internal purposes, to guide the day-to-day operations and decision making of the business. It may not be as detailed as a traditional business plan, but still includes important information such as company mission, objectives, and key performance indicators.
• Feasibility Business Plan : A feasibility business plan is used to assess the viability of a new product or service in the market. It includes detailed research and analysis to determine if the business idea is feasible and profitable.
• One-Page Business Plan : As the name suggests, this type of business plan is condensed into one page and includes the most critical information about the business. It can be a useful tool for pitching to potential investors or partners.
• Strategic Business Plan : A strategic plan looks at the big picture and long-term business goals of a company. It may include the company’s mission statement, core values, and overarching strategies for achieving success.

Ultimately, the type of business plan you choose will depend on your business’s specific needs and goals. It may also be beneficial to combine elements from different types of plans to create a customized plan that best fits your business. Carefully consider your objectives and resources before deciding on the right type of plan for your venture.

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The business plan example below is for Shoutmouth, a company that enjoyed much success in the early 2000’s and which was able to raise funding. While the plan’s premise (social networking) is not as unique now as it was then, the format and structure of this business plan still holds.

I. Executive Summary

Business Overview

Launched in late February 2007, Shoutmouth.com is the most comprehensive music news website on the Internet .

Music is one of the most searched and accessed interests on the Internet. Top music artists like Akon receive over 3 million searches each month. In addition, over 500 music artists each receive over 25,000 searches a month.

However, music fans are largely unsatisfied when it comes to the news and information they seek on the artists they love. This is because most music websites (e.g., RollingStone.com, MTV.com, Billboard.com, etc.) cover only the top eight to ten music stories each day – the stories with mass appeal. This type of generic coverage does not satisfy the needs of serious music fans. Music fans generally listen to many different artists and genres of music. By publishing over 100 music stories each day, Shoutmouth enables these fans to read news on all their favorite artists.

In addition to publishing comprehensive music news on over 1200 music artists, Shoutmouth is a social network that allows fans to meet and communicate with other fans about music, and allows them to:

• Create personal profiles
• Interact with other members
• Provide comments on news stories and music videos
• Submit news stories and videos
• Recommend new music artists to add to the community
• Receive customized news and email alerts on their favorite artists

Success Factors

Shoutmouth is uniquely qualified to succeed due to the following reasons:

• Entrepreneurial track record : Shoutmouth’s CEO and team have helped launch numerous successful ventures.
• Affiliate marketing track record : Online affiliate marketing expertise has been cited as one of MySpace’s key success factors. Over the past two years, Shoutmouth’s founders have run one of the most successful online affiliate marketing programs, having sold products to over 500,000 music customers online.
• Key milestones completed : Shoutmouth’s founders have invested $500,000 to-date to staff the company (we currently have an 11-person full-time team), build the core technology, and launch the site. We have succeeded in gaining initial customer traction with 50,000 unique visitors in March, 100,000 unique visitors in April, and 200,000 unique visitors in May 2007.

Unique Investment Metrics

The Shoutmouth investment opportunity is very exciting due to the metrics of the business.

To begin, over the past two years, over twenty social networks have been acquired. The value in these networks is their relationships with large numbers of customers, which allow acquirers to effectively sell to this audience.

The sales price of these social networks has ranged from $25 to $137 per member. Shoutmouth has the ability to enroll members at less than $1 each, thus providing an extraordinary return on marketing expenditures. In fact, during an April 2007 test, we were able to sign-up 2,000 members to artist-specific Shoutmouth newsletters at a cost of only 43 cents per member.

While we are building Shoutmouth to last, potential acquirers include many types of companies that seek relationships with music fans such as music media/publishing (e.g., MTV, Rolling Stone), ticketing (e.g., Ticketmaster, LiveNation) and digital music sales firms (e.g., iTunes, The Orchard).

Financial Strategy, Needs and Exit Strategy

While Shoutmouth’s technological, marketing and operational infrastructure has been developed, we currently require $3 million to execute on our marketing and technology plan over the next 24 months until we hit profitability.

Shoutmouth will primarily generate revenues from selling advertising space. As technologies evolve that allow us to seamlessly integrate music sampling and purchasing on our site, sales of downloadable music are also expected to become a significant revenue source. To a lesser extent, we may sell other music-related items such as ringtones, concert tickets, and apparel.

Topline projections over the next three years are as follows:

II. Shoutmouth Overview

What is Shoutmouth?

Shoutmouth is an operating company of The Kisco Group Inc. (TKG). Since 2003, TKG has capitalized on web-based marketing opportunities via launching targeted websites and generating web-based leads. TKG revenues in 2005 exceeded $1.3 million and grew to $3.5 million in 2006. Shoutmouth is currently the sole focus of TKG; all other TKG business units have been divested.

Development of Shoutmouth began in August 2006 and the site officially launched on February 21, 2007. Shoutmouth (located at www.shoutmouth.com) is the most comprehensive music news community on the Internet. The website covers 1,200 popular bands and music artists and offers more than 100 new music articles each day. In addition to providing news, Shoutmouth is a web community. That is, Shoutmouth members can actively participate on the site, by doing things such as commenting on news stories and submitting their own stories.

The Market Size and Need for Shoutmouth

The music market is clearly vast. According to IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide, global music sales were $33.5 billion in 2005, with the U.S. accounting for $12.3 billion of that amount. Importantly, digitally music sales are seeing substantial growth, with IFPI reporting sales of $400 million in 2004, $1.1 billion in 2005 and $2 billion in 2006.

Online, music is the one of the most frequently searched and accessed interests. For example, according to Wordtracker, the music artist Eminem received over 1.7 million web searches in December 2006, while band Green Day received 534,000 searches.

To put these figures in perspective, top celebrities in other entertainment fields receive but a fraction of this search volume. For example, December 2006 search volumes for select sports stars and actors were as follows: Kobe Bryant, 122K; Tiger Woods, 88K; Cameron Diaz, 332K; and Tom Cruise, 82K.

Conversely, 225 music artists received over 100,000 searches in December 2006, and over 500 music artists received over 25,000 searches.

This data is corroborated by Nielsen BuzzMetrics which plots the most popular topics bloggers are posting about. The chart to the right plots September 25, 2006 to March 25, 2007 and shows how music dominates other entertainment sectors online.

When searching for music artists online, fans, which are primarily between the ages of 13 and 35, are looking for news, pictures, lyrics, videos and audio files. In addition, fans enjoy publicly voicing their opinions about music and interacting with other fans.

There is currently no website besides Shoutmouth that provides comprehensive music news. Currently, to get the latest news on their favorite artists, fans must visit the official websites or fan websites of each of the artists they like . Even then, it is unlikely that the fan will get all the news that has occurred. To solve this problem, Shoutmouth scours the web and uncovers news from thousands of web sites.

What Shoutmouth Does and Will Offer

As of May 2007, the site covers the 1,200 most popular music artists (popularity primarily based on the number of web searches over the past 12 months for each artist).

Shoutmouth currently offers members the ability to:

• Read over 500 new music articles each week
• Read special features such as album reviews, interviews, new album release dates, top quotes of the week and other special reports
• Watch and rate music videos
• Listen to select music audio clips
• Comment on news stories and music videos
• Submit news stories that they see/hear of elsewhere
• Suggest new music artists to add to the site
• View articles by music artist or by genre (current genres include Rock, Pop, Rap, R&B, Country, and Electronic)
• Create a user profile that includes their favorite music artists, Shoutmouth friends, news stories submitted to Shoutmouth, and comments made. Members have the ability to find other members based on their favorite artists and via our search functions.
• Receive customized news and email alerts. Members can customize their “My News” page to include only artists they specify. Likewise, they can choose to receive email alerts whenever there is a new story on one of their favorite artists.

While establishing itself as the premier music news community, Shoutmouth will embark on the more aggressive goal of becoming the premier music community online . To accomplish this, Shoutmouth will begin to offer additional content (more videos, audio, pictures, lyrics, etc.) and additional functionality (music compatibility testing (e.g., if you like this, you’ll like this), voting capabilities, member-to-member messaging, etc.). We have already begun mapping out our content and technology growths plans to achieve this goal upon financing.

Importantly, Shoutmouth expects to be able to add massive amounts of relevant content (e.g., lyrics, reviews, pictures, video files, audio files, etc.) via member submissions and moderation. This is the same way that YouTube has been able to quickly add millions of videos and Wikipedia has been able to add millions of articles. Importantly, since established music websites (e.g., MTV, RollingStone.com, Billboard.com, etc.) are not community based, they would have to hire thousands of staff members to rival the content that Shoutmouth will have.

How We Get and Publish Our News

Currently, news stories that appear on Shoutmouth are gathered from numerous online sources. Shoutmouth’s staff writers find these stories by using RSS and News feeds that cover thousands of websites. In addition, Shoutmouth community members have the ability to submit stories they find elsewhere.

Typical stories include factual information plus the insight of the author. Shoutmouth editors ensure that all stories are properly classified by artist and genre, and that duplicate articles are filtered out.

Over the past three months, Shoutmouth has developed a solid infrastructure, which we consider a core competitive advantage, that that allows us to provide comprehensive music news . This infrastructure includes:

• Setting up hundreds of RSS feeds based on comprehensive research regarding sites from which to receive feeds
• Training our editorial team regarding identifying a story and weeding out duplicates
• Assigning music artists among our five-person editorial team to better manage work flow and avoid duplicate articles

We are working on a system to ensure that member-submitted articles are automatically routed to the appropriate member of Shoutmouth’s editorial team to improve our efficiencies further.

Shoutmouth’s Goal to Break News First

The majority (approximately 90%) of Shoutmouth’s articles are currently developed by our in-house editorial team, while the balance is submitted by members. In addition, virtually all of our articles are based on information gleaned from other websites. As such, we are generally not the first to publish news; however we are the first and only site to publish all the news in one easily-accessible place. The one current exception is news which is published on bands’ official MySpace pages; Shoutmouth generally publishes articles on this news 24 to 48 hours before it is reported by other news or music sites (due to our efficiencies in finding news).

Shoutmouth realizes that it will gain a key competitive advantage, and will generate significant market buzz, if it is able to report on music news stories before other media sources . To accomplish this, we have begun contacting publicity departments at record labels to gain direct access to music news. We expect these contacts to enable us to gain immediate and sometimes exclusive access to news which will help further establish Shoutmouth as the canonical source for music news. We also plan to more aggressively solicit member submissions of new, buzzworthy news events and will consider offering rewards for unique substantiated news (much the way paparazzi are compensated).

III. Competition in the Online Music Market

This section of the business plan provides a competitive analysis, which is an overview of the competitive landscape, discusses both indirect and direct competitors and then details Shoutmouth’s competitive advantages.

Because consumer demand for music on the Internet is so great, there are a vast number of music websites. In summary, we consider most sectors of the online music market (which are discussed below) to be indirect competitors and potentially partners, rather than direct competitors, because none of them focus on music news.

The reason we believe that no one focuses on music news is that it is very difficult to do. Because news is very important to music fans, most music websites offer news. However, they primarily get their news from organizations such as CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press and BBC. These large organizations only write about the music stories that have mass appeal, which traditionally amounts to 8-10 music news stories per day. However, since music fans are often zealots when it comes to their favorite artists, they are not merely interested in cover stories. For instance, a U2 fan cares about any U2 news, particularly news that a non-U2 fan might consider insignificant.

In fact, because Shoutmouth is the sole one-stop shop for getting comprehensive music news, there might be an opportunity to license our content to other music websites.

Sectors of the Online Music Market

Shoutmouth specifically comPs in the community-based music news market. While players in this market represent direct competitors, Shoutmouth faces indirect competitors in the following markets:

• Community-Based Sites
• Community-Based News Sites
• Community-Based Music Sites
• Traditional Music Websites
• Official Artist and Fan Sites

Each of these markets is described below.

A. Community-Based Sites

Community-based sites, also known as social networking sites, are websites in which members can create profiles, leave comments throughout the site, and communicate with other members among other features.

A June 2006 report by Piper Jaffray entitled “Silk Road: Social Networking is Here to Stay” effectively sums up the power and longevity of social networking:

“We believe social networking sites have become a permanent part of the fabric of web applications and are rapidly becoming one of the most popular activities online, potentially impacting how other popular services such as email, IM, and maybe even search are accessed.

As a clear indication of the growth rate and scale of social networking, consider this: MySpace monthly page views have now surpassed MSN or AOL in the U.S. and are nearly 75% of the size of Yahoo!. Social networking has filled a gap that was left by all the existing portals and web services and it is fulfilling a very important and basic function for millions of users: allowing them to express themselves and connect with their friends, with the two functions tightly integrated.

The leading sites such as MySpace (News Corp), Facebook, and others are amassing significant power in the new landscape of the Internet and the existing Internet companies are likely to have to work with these newcomers as they may yield material control on the flow of traffic to other applications.”

Social networking sites such as MySpace.com, Facebook.com, Tagged.com, and TagWorld.com have educated consumers regarding the value of these sites and how to use them. Their success has spurred genre-specific social networks such as community-based/social networking news sites and music sites, which are discussed below.

Shoutmouth doesn’t view established social networking sites as competitors since these sites have a general focus. That is, members talk about all aspects of life, from dating to music to movies, etc. Conversely, Shoutmouth is solely focused on music.

B. Community-Based News Sites

Community-based news sites are sites in which members decide what’s newsworthy and what’s not. For instance, on Digg.com, the most prominent community-based news site, members “Digg” stories that they feel are most newsworthy. The stories that the community feels are most important rise to Digg’s homepage, while less important stories get little attention.

Digg’s one million members can submit stories, “digg” stories, and comment on stories. Digg focuses on general news with a slant towards technology, gaming and unique/sensational news. While Digg does have a Music area within its Entertainment section, this receives little focus. In fact, at the time of the writing of this plan, Digg’s music home page only includes one article submitted within the past 48 hours. Furthermore, Digg doesn’t pare down the music category into sub-categories such as Rock and individual music artists. Conversely, these sub-categories are the entire focus of Shoutmouth.

Other sites that are similar to Digg include Newsvine.com, Spotback.com and Gabbr.com. Of most relevance is the Digg-like site for music, Noisetap.com, which was launched by Ticketmaster in January 2007.

Like Digg, Noisetap.com allows members to submit and vote for music stories. Noisetap.com is organized by music genre and not by music artist. This most likely will not satisfy the needs of many music fans since they don’t have the ability to find news on the specific artists they care most about. Likewise, without a full-time staff actively researching and publishing news stories at the artist-level, Noisetap.com will never be able to offer the comprehensive news that Shoutmouth does.

While Shoutmouth is currently similar to community-based news sites in that members can submit stories and comment on the news they find most interesting, no established player in the market provides a comprehensive focus on music. In addition, Shoutmouth sees these sites as marketing partners as we have and will continue to submit our stories on them to increase our readership.

C. Community-Based Music Sites

There are many community-based music websites, although none focuses on music news such as Shoutmouth. Conversely, these sites generally give members the ability to create and listen to song play lists. The community acts to help individual members find new music and new friends based on similarities in their music tastes. Prominent sites in this genre include Last.fm, Finetune, Pandora, RadioBlogClub, MyStrands, iLike[1] and iJigg.

Last.fm is the most prominent community-based music site and is a good model with which to compare Shoutmouth. Likewise, we will benchmark our performance against Last.fm as we reach of goal of becoming the premier music news community and focus on becoming the premier music community.

According to Alexa, Last.fm is the 359th most visited site on the Internet. While Last.fm focuses on allowing members to create customized Internet stations based on their music tastes, the site has much additional content and social networking features. For instance, for each artist, Last.fm includes pictures, a bio, concert dates, discography, fans on Last.fm, and similar artists. Fans are also able to create journals and communicate with other fans. Key features that Last.fm doesn’t currently focus on include news and video.

D. Traditional Music Websites

Traditional music websites such as MTV.com, RollingStone.com, Billboard.com, NME.com, AOL Music, and Yahoo! Music tend to have many features such as news, reviews, pictures, videos and audio. While these sites are generally very well done and extremely popular, they are under-serving visitors in two core areas: music news and community .

These sites’ lack of music news stems from the difficulty in creating this news, specifically that it requires filtering through thousands of articles and websites to find relevant stories. Likewise, as discussed, these firms might wish to license our news content in the future.

Regarding community , none of the top music sites are thriving communities. Rather, either these sites offer no community features or they recently began offering select features (e.g., submitting reviews or commenting on articles). Even when available, the community features on these sites are afterthoughts and are not engrained within the core fabric of the sites.

While they haven’t been able to transform their current sites into communities, top music websites clearly understand the power of online music communities and have an appetite for them. For example, in January 2007, MTV invested in social networking website TagWorld. MTV also acquired RateMyProfessors.com and Quizilla.com (teen social network) in January 2007 and October 2006 respectively.

As mentioned previously, our vision is to build and incorporate additional technologies, and use our “army” of members to publish vast amounts of music content on Shoutmouth, in order to fully satisfy music fans and leapfrog traditional music sites in terms of their music content.

E. Official Artist and Fan Sites

Shoutmouth com’s with official music artist websites and fan websites. These sites often include news about the specific artist as well as pictures, videos and other relevant information.

On one hand, official music artist and fan websites are direct competitors to Shoutmouth. This is because some of these sites offer comprehensive news on the specific artist they cover. In addition, many offer forums, discussion boards or other ways to communicate with other fans.

However, two factors separate Shoutmouth from these types of sites: 1) breadth and 2) sophistication.

• Breadth : Most music fans love more than one artist. As such, in order to get the news they want, they would have to visit/join multiple fan or artist websites rather than getting all of their news from Shoutmouth.
• Sophistication : While some official music artist websites are technologically sophisticated, offering forums, networking and other worthwhile features, the majority of artist and fan websites have limited usability, functionality and networking ability. In fact, this deficiency has lead to the success of MusicToday, which provides front and back-end technology to power artist websites.

Specifically, MusicToday offers web design and hosting, develops sophisticated online stores, builds online fan clubs and offers web ticketing among other services to select top music artists such as Dave Matthews Band, Christina Aguilera, Kenny Chesney, Britney Spears and Usher. While offering sophisticated tools for select music artist websites, MusicToday offers little to no music news nor advanced social networking functions. For instance, the official Dave Matthews Band website offers less than one news story per month.

F. Direct Competitors: Community-Based Music News Sites

Shoutmouth’s direct competitors are other music news websites that have social or community features that allow users to join the site, submit articles, comment on articles, create public profiles and/or communicate with other members. Shoutmouth has identified one significant player who offers this service, AbsolutePunk.net.

AbsolutePunk.net has done a good job of building a user base (the site claims 125,000+ registered members and nearly 500,000 un-registered members). In addition, the user base is very active — the average story on their site receives approximately 20 comments. AbsolutePunk.net offers music news, reviews, pictures and interviews among other features.

On the negative side, AbsolutePunk.net’s articles are generally posted by one staff writer (as opposed to Shoutmouth’s five writers), most articles are simply one sentence posts rather than full articles, and no attempt seems to have been made to cover all news stories. In addition, the site only covers the punk music genre. Although “punk” is broadly defined on the site, the site doesn’t cater to genres such as R&B, rap and country among others, failing to satisfy the broader market.

AbsolutePunk.net is owned by Indieclick, a Los Angeles-based media company. According to the AbsolutePunk.net website, the site:

• Has developed a loyal (72% return rate) reader base
• 5,182,147 Posts
• 163,535 Threads
• 126,448 Members
• 1,711 Artist Profiles
• 20,774 Multimedia Files
• Approx 76,000 visits per day.
• Approx 276,000 pageviews per day.

Shoutmouth’s Competitive Advantage

In addition to being the first to fill the untapped market void for comprehensive music news, Shoutmouth’s competitive advantage in the market primarily includes the following:

Online Marketing Sophistication

Content Development Experience and Expertise

Shoutmouth’s team, primarily team members DL and PF, has operated an affiliate marketing business focusing on music for the past four years. Affiliate marketing is defined as a system of revenue sharing between one site (the affiliate) which features an ad or content designed to drive traffic to another site (the merchant). The affiliate receives a fee based on traffic to the merchant which converts to sales.

Our affiliate business has focused on connecting music fans, primarily aged 13 to 30, with music offers such as iPods and ringtones. Over the past two years, we have successful sold affiliated offers to over 500,000 customers. We have become a significant online advertiser, receiving Google’s “over 1 million leads” award, and are recognized as a major player among the top affiliate networks.

It is important to note that affiliate marketing success has been credited with part of MySpace’s success. This is because effective affiliate marketers understand how to drive and convert on Internet traffic.

Shoutmouth will employ its affiliate marketing techniques to drive traffic to Shoutmouth.com and enroll members. We will utilize technologies and proprietary techniques that allow us to monitor multiple metrics such as the cost per visitor, cost per member sign-up, etc., so that we can set and maintain profitable metrics.

Another venture that Shoutmouth team members, primarily PK and DL, launched was the development of over 3,000 niche websites. To create the content for these websites, we employed a virtual work force of over 90 researchers in India and 30 writers and editors in the US.

This experience taught us how to manage a large workforce, train writers to improve content quality and motivate a large group of people. These skill sets will be critical in allowing Shoutmouth to grow the content of the site, as developed by both staff and members, while maintaining quality standards.

IV. Marketing Plan

Shoutmouth’s marketing plan includes the following:

Online Advertising : Shoutmouth will initiate pay-per-click advertising campaigns on Google and Yahoo! in order to inexpensively drive traffic to the site. Specifically, Shoutmouth believes it can drive qualified traffic to the site for 20 cents per visitor and achieve a 20% member conversion rate, thus generating members at a cost of $1.00 per member.

Keys to Shoutmouth’s success in achieving this metric include:

• Conducting thorough keyword research and advertising on appropriate keywords and keyword groups
• Creating advertising text that maximizes click through rates
• Creating landing pages that maximize conversions while maintaining the highest Google AdWords quality score possible
• Closely monitoring conversions to quickly stop and/or modify unprofitable campaigns
• Getting individuals to enter their email address to join the newsletter is much easier than getting them to join a site where they have to create a username, select a password, etc. As such, step one will be to get visitors to sign up for artist-specific newsletters.
• Once on the newsletter distribution list, members will constantly receive messages (embedded in their daily newsletter) regarding the benefits of participating more on Shoutmouth.
• Active Shoutmouth Membership: the constant reminders regarding Shoutmouth’s value proposition in the daily newsletters will influence members to participate more actively on the site (e.g., customize their profile, visit the site more often, etc.).

Invite-A-Friend : Shoutmouth is in the process of creating an aggressive invite-a-friend/member referral program. In doing so, we are following the lead of social movie community, Flixster, which grew to 5 million members within 10 months. It did this by encouraging members, during their initial registration process, to upload and send an invitation to multiple contacts in their email address books. The technology to develop this process is fairly complex and we expect to be completed with and to rollout this program in June 2007.

Direct Email Marketing : Shoutmouth will directly contact bloggers and prominent music fans we find online to tell them about Shoutmouth, encourage them to join, and encourage them to write about Shoutmouth on their blogs and online journals .

Creating/Distributing Buzzworthy/Viral Content : Shoutmouth plans to have several buzzworthy/viral articles (i.e., content that people would want to email to their friends since it is funny, interesting, etc.) on the site each day. With a single click, visitors will be able to send these articles to social bookmarking sites such as Digg.com or Fark.com, where these articles could receive widespread attention. In addition to our traditional news stories, Shoutmouth will also periodically create special reports/features in order to satisfy our members and visitors and to try to get widespread exposure.

An example of the power of such buzzworthy content, Shoutmouth has already succeeded in having two stories accepted by Fark and Digg, which have brought in over 50,000 unique visitors.

Super Fans/Street Team Development : Shoutmouth also plans to recruit “super fans.” Super fans are individuals who are passionate about a certain music artist/band and actively contribute articles and/or comments on Shoutmouth. We will recruit these fans, reward them with status (e.g., adding a gold Shoutmouth headphones image to their profile page) and encourage them to more aggressively promote the site by:

• Submitting more news to Shoutmouth
• Commenting on more articles on Shoutmouth
• Growing the Shoutmouth community around their favorite artist(s) by actively recruiting new members to join the site (such as actively posting Shoutmouth-related comments on their MySpace pages, on other music forums, etc.)

Public Relations : Upon financing, Shoutmouth will hire a public relations firm to help us get mentions in media sources ranging from magazines, newspapers, radio, television and blogs. To date, we have developed and issued press releases via Billboard Publicity Wire which have been syndicated throughout the web. An effective PR firm will enable Shoutmouth to quickly reach a wide audience.

Widgets : Shoutmouth will create artist-specific and genre-specific music news widgets. For example, our U2 widget (see example on right) would include all of the recent U2 articles published on Shoutmouth. The widget can easily be placed on MySpace pages, blogs, etc. Each story title in the widget links to the full article on Shoutmouth.

Shoutmouth has great expectations for our widget. To begin, no such widget currently exists as there is no one place to get comprehensive news for specific music artists. Secondly, each time someone places a Shoutmouth widget on their blog or social networking page, it will effectively market Shoutmouth to a wide audience at zero cost to us.

V. Technology/Site Development Plan

This section provides a brief roadmap of the initial and future functionality of Shoutmouth.

Initial Site Functionality

The initial Shoutmouth website will include the following features:

• Ability to submit and comment on news stories
• Ability to suggest new music artists to add to the site
• Ability to create user profiles
• Ability to receive customized news and email alerts
• Articles categorized by artist and core genre (e.g., Rock, Rap, Pop, etc.)
• Music artist sections which includes News, Bio and Fans

Future Site Functionality

Shoutmouth will use news and basic functionality as the platform though which we will build a thriving music community. After initial launch, the Shoutmouth technology team will work on incorporating additional features such as:

• Ability to message other members via the site (e.g., members will have an Inbox on the site)
• Event calendars: members will receive online calendars. With the click of a button, the member will be able to add tour dates of their favorite artists/bands to their calendar.
• Articles also categorized by sub-genre (e.g., Alternative Rock, West Coast Rap, etc.)
• Music artist sections to also include videos, audio files, photo galleries, reviews and event calendars to which members can upload files and vote on top content.
• Forums and member blogs
• Music compatibility testing (suggestions on song/artists members might like)
• Trivia quizzes
• Music playlists

VI. Financial Plan

Revenue Model

During the first six months, Shoutmouth will not generate any revenues as it will not sell advertising space nor offer products for sale. This decision has been made to spur the growth of the Shoutmouth community. By initially positioning Shoutmouth more as a non-profit, for-the-people-by-the-people venture, members will be more prone to promote the site and invite their friends than if the site looks too commercial.

Starting in September 2007, Shoutmouth will primarily generate revenues from selling advertising space. As technologies (such as the Snocap music widget) evolve that allow us to seamlessly integrate music sampling and purchasing on our site, sales of downloadable music are also expected to be a significant revenue source. To a lesser extent, we may sell other music-related items such as ringtones, concert tickets, and apparel.

Funding To Date

To date, Shoutmouth’s founders have invested $500,000 in Shoutmouth, with which we have accomplished the following:

• Built the site’s core technology
• Hired and trained our core staff (we currently maintain an 11-person full-time team)
• Populated the website with content (over 10,000 articles and 1,200 artist bios)
• Generated brand awareness among music fans, including driving 50,000 unique visitors in March, 100,000 unique visitors in April, and 200,000 unique visitors in May 2007.

Funding Requirements/Use of Funds

Shoutmouth is currently seeking $3 million to provide funding for the next 24 months. At this point, the site will be profitable and can grow organically, or additional capital may be sought to more aggressively expand our member base.

The capital will be used as follows:

• Execution of Marketing plan : in order for Shoutmouth to grow its visitor and member base, we need to invest dollars in online advertising and public relations. With regards to online advertising, we are confident that we can enroll members at a cost of $1 per member, which is a fraction of the value of the members to an acquirer (minimum $25 per member), thus providing a significant return on our marketing investments.
• Execution of Technology plan : in order to build a thriving community, Shoutmouth needs to offer its visitors a “stickier” website and enhanced features. We currently maintain a vast “wish list” of features, such as members uploading and rating pictures and videos, trivia quizzes, and member-to-member messaging, that will significantly improve the site’s functionality and value proposition.
• Staffing : In order to reach our goals, we will have to hire additional technical and operations personnel.

Financial Projections

Below is an overview of Shoutmouth’s Financial Projections for the next three years. Please see the Appendix for the full financial projections and key assumptions.

Exit Strategy / Valuation Metric

Shoutmouth’s most likely exit strategy is to be acquired by a traditional music website or property (e.g., Viacom/MTV, Ticketmaster, Rolling Stone), an entertainment/media conglomerate (e.g., Yahoo!, IAC/InterActiveCorp, NBC), or a large social networking site (e.g., News Corp/MySpace).

This strategy is supported by the significant M&A activity in the social networking market, which includes the following transactions over the past 24 months:

Regarding valuation, below are the estimated valuations of social networking companies on a per member basis upon exit:

• Del.icio.us: $50 – $100 per member
• MySpace: $25 per member
• Xing (business social network): $137 per member at IPO in 10/06
• Flickr: $56 – $130 per member
• Grouper: $130 per member

Based on this data, not only are social networking sites a promising investment, but sites that can acquire members for less than $25 each (a conservative valuation estimate based on the figures above), should earn a solid return on investment. As discussed above, Shoutmouth’s goal is to acquire members for no more than $1 each.

In addition, per the membership projections above, Shoutmouth’s valuation at the end of 2009, at a $25 valuation per member, is expected to be $239 million. A more conservative, using a 24.4 time EBITDA multiple (the average multiple of tech M&A deals in 2006 according to The M&A Advisor), yields a $121 million valuation in 2009.

Shoutmouth’s founding team includes entrepreneurs and managers with a track record of success and a history of successfully working together.

Management Team

DL, Co-Founder and CEO

D has a history of successfully launching and growing businesses of all sizes. As president and co-founder of an entrepreneurial services firm., D has personally assisted in the launch and development of over 100 ventures.

Over the past three years, D founded and has managed The Kisco Group which includes an affiliate marketing division (2006 revenues exceeded $3 million), a search engine optimization business which includes a network of 3,000 websites (2006 revenues exceeded $500,000) and an e-commerce business (which includes TopPayingKeywords.com and ShowerHeadsEtc.com).

D earned his Bachelors degree from the University of South Carolina.

PK, Co-Founder and Vice President of Operations

For the past two years, P has managed The Kisco Group’s search engine optimization business where he hired, trained and managed nearly 100 employees and a dozen outside firms. During this time, P has honed his management skills with regards to content development, marketing and operations.

P has had a passion for music since childhood and has been a semi-professional drummer for the past 15 years.

P earned his Bachelors of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Clemson University.

PF, Co-Founder and Vice President of Technology

For the past year, P has managed The Kisco Group’s affiliate marketing business. In addition to setting up and managing widespread marketing campaigns, P has developed sophisticated analytic techniques to precisely analyze web traffic in order to optimize profitability.

Since August 2006, P has shifted his efforts and leveraged his technology skills in developing the Shoutmouth website. P has been instrumental in selecting the Content Management Platform upon which Shoutmouth is built, and finding and managing the technology team.

P earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College.

AB, Marketing Manager

A’s background in music includes being a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. He has also worked on the marketing side of music, having marketed Veritas Records through the development and distribution of promotional materials.

A’s career also includes psychological research and administration, having served as a Research Assistant with the Interpersonal Perception And Communication Laboratory in Cambridge, MA.

A earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Ohio State University.

M, Lead Technology Developer

M is an experienced web programmer with expertise in web design, application development and database development among others.

M’s work experience includes serving as a Senior Developer at Spheres. M has also engaged in multiple, long term freelance projects including serving as a Database Developer Consultant with The Penn Group and a Web Developer Consultant with Volution Media Group and Allied Online Consulting Group.

M earned his Bachelors degree in Computer Science with a minor in Cognitive Science from Rutgers University.

Content Development Team

Shoutmouth’s writing team, managed by PK, includes the following members:

• JS, Editorial Manager: former content manager and copywriter for Scholastic Inc. and Promotions.com.
• TZ: former music intern (Virgin Records and WRRV) and author of the blog, The Tom Z Show .
• ML: former assistant editor for Adventure Publishing; author of the blog Certified Gangsta ; and former editor-in-chief of Fordham University’s newspaper The Paper .
• SB: former staff writer for Paste Magazine , The Clarion Ledger , and Nightclub and Bar Magazine among others.
• CSJ: former editorial intern for Rolling Stone and Editorial Assistant for Psychology Today .

Outsourced Technology Team

Shoutmouth works very closely with 2skies, a technology firm based in Australia with staff in Australia and the United States. 2skies is run by JDN, one of the co-founding developers of XE, the platform upon which Shoutmouth is built.

XE is an extensible, Open Source web application framework written in PHP and licensed under the GNU General Public License. XE delivers the requisite infrastructure and tools to create custom web applications that include fully dynamic multi-platform Content Management Solutions (CMS).

VIII. Appendix: Shoutmouth Financial Projections   3-Year Income Statement

3-Year Balance Sheet

As of December 31

3-Year Cash Flow Statement

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How marketing on Reddit works (and how to do it right)

Written by by Brent Barnhart

Published on  August 25, 2020

Reading time  6 minutes

If you’re curious about marketing on Reddit, we totally understand why.

After all, Reddit is the epicenter of all things viral online. With billions of visits per month and 430+ million active users, the platform represents one of the most engaged communities online.

Not to mention that content originating from Reddit tends to score huge numbers on social media.

Here’s the thing, though: marketing on Reddit is often an uphill battle for brands who don’t really “get” what the site is all about.

If you approach Reddit like the rest of your social presence, you’re going to be disappointed.

That’s why we put together this guide on how to use Reddit for business and decide if marketing on the platform makes sense for you.

What is Reddit, anyway?

Fair question! To folks who’ve never really navigated Reddit before, the site might look like a hot mess.

The self-promoted “front page of the Internet,” Reddit is basically one-part webform and one-part news site.

But where does all the “stuff” on Reddit come from?

In short, users publish content to Reddit in the form of links, photos or videos. Posts and comments related to that content are then “upvoted” or “downvoted.”

The concept of upvote system is simple: the cream (buzzworthy content) rises to the top while downvoted content (often irrelevant, inflammatory or spammy) gets buried.

Beyond Reddit’s front page, discussions are separated by individual communities known as “subreddits.”

It’s no exaggeration to say there’s a subreddit for just about everything. Beyond subreddits such as /r/IAmA (ask me anything) or /r/personalfinance, there are tons of large niche communities such as /r/jellybeantoes which is dedicated to cat paws (and has over 139,000 members, by the way).

Reddit isn’t  technically a social media site, although some critics may argue otherwise. While your actual user profile is limited, the ability to “like” (via upvotes) posts, drop comments and publish content is similar to the major social platforms out there.

Demographically, Reddit’s audience skews on the younger side and is nearly 70% male . While the platform is still largely associated with gaming and fandom culture, there are active communities for everything from fitness to beauty and beyond.

The challenge of marketing on Reddit

At a glance, Reddit might seem like the perfect place for marketers and brands to engage with customers.

And sure, it  can be.

But just like any social network, you can’t just dump a bunch of links on people and expect traction.

This is especially true on Reddit, a platform that thrives on a sense of community. Users don’t take kindly to people trying to sell to them without contributing to the community themselves.

Also, users on Reddit can see through thinly-veiled attempts at promotion and are often hostile toward them. That’s why many subreddits have explicit rules that restrict advertising.

Does this mean that Reddit is against businesses? Absolutely not. They just take a firm stance on self-promotion . Perhaps they put it best themselves:

“It’s perfectly fine to be a Redditor with a website, it’s not okay to be a website with a Reddit account.”

Reddit has no problem with businesses joining the platform. The key is that those businesses need to focus on community relationships and value versus selling. Here’s their “tl;dr” to anyone interested in marketing on Reddit:

“Don’t just spam out your links, and don’t blindly upvote your own content or ask anyone else to! Why? Because Reddit is a community, not a platform for self-promotion.”

Keep in mind that Reddit boasts its own ad platform and sponsored posts for brands. With advertising partners such as Audi, Poshmark and Adobe, it’s silly to say Reddit is antibusiness.

Oh, and conversations about brands and products are all the rage on Reddit. People love using the platform to discuss businesses because all content is authentic and unfiltered (hint: no brands butting in).

The takeaway here is that there is a place for businesses on Reddit: you just have to familiarize yourself with the platform prior to posting.

What the best way to approach marketing on Reddit, then?

Even if you never plan on business building a presence on Reddit, you should at the very least understand how brands use the platform and inculcate it into your overall social marketing strategy .

And if nothing else, Reddit is a brilliant place to conduct market research and maintain a pulse on trends in your industry and beyond.

Below are some ideas for how to use Reddit for business and marketing based on your brand.

Uncover customer feedback and suggestions

As noted earlier, Reddit is a potential treasure trove of conversations relevant to businesses.

From your audience’s favorite products to what people are saying about your competitors , you don’t have to look hard for customers asking for advice and recommendations.

However, the key here isn’t for you to intervene or take action.

Instead, just listen .

By keeping tabs on conversations about your products or competitors, you can get a better sense of where you’re winning, where you might be falling short and how you can improve.

For example, check out this /r/personalfinance discussion about IRA accounts. This conversation highlights real-world problems and concerns from banking customers, stressing specific pain points and why one bank might be preferable to another.

These are the exact sort of conversations your business should be privy to and Reddit is rife with them. Take some time to explore industry-specific subreddits to better understand trends and what your customers are thinking.

Another way to zero in on these conversations on Reddit (and beyond) is through social listening tools like Sprout Social. Aggregating messages and posts from across the web, you translate Reddit listening data into actionable data for your business.

Discover unique user-generated content

In addition to questions from customers, Reddit is home to tons of user-generated content such as product photos and testimonials.

Customer photos are perfect for platforms like Instagram. Meanwhile, the fact that you have Redditors talking up your brand is a brilliant form of social proof to give your business some serious credibility.

For example, check out these recent posts on /r/FancyFollicles talking up Arctic Fox’s hair dye.

With just a quick search, you can uncover brand advocates and success stories from satisfied customers.

Provide support and recommendations to your audience

Arguably one of the best ways to approach marketing on Reddit is to prioritize support over selling.

There are many brands that have dedicated subreddit communities for asking questions and troubleshooting problems. This creates a direct line between your brand and customers, all the while being a public forum for people to seek out solutions and product recommendations in the future.

Heck, some companies such as Corsair use Reddit as an extension of their existing customer support efforts. Doing so creates visibility for your brand and likewise proves how committed you are to helping customers.

Use AMA events to get in front of your community

If you’re part of a bigger brand, you can flex your influence to talk directly to members of your community.

AMA (ask me anything) sessions are a cornerstone of Reddit and are a popular way to engage with fans organically, taking on questions and letting your brand’s personality shine through. Companies usually conduct AMAs in conjunction with a promotion or launch.

The key to a successful AMA is actually going back-and-forth with people rather than talking about what you’re promoting. In fact, shameless self-promotion has been the result of some of the worst (and most infamous) AMAs in Reddit lore.

Engage with customers from a personal account

This is a subtle tip but definitely one worth mentioning.

Ideally, you don’t want to potentially approach Redditors with a totally inactive account. Accumulating posts and comments on the site might take time, but doing so is worth it to prove to your community that you aren’t a spammer.

Some companies get around this by approaching customers from a personal, non-corporate account.

For example, Beardbrand’s Eric Banholtz is a seasoned Redditor and regularly comments on brand and beard-related topics from his personal account.

Similar to how brands conduct employee advocacy efforts, this is a great way to approach people on Reddit minus the sort corporate “stamp” on your presence.

Be human when talking with Redditors

This might seem like a no-brainer, but brands should talk to their customers candidly and jargon-free.

A distinct and approachable brand voice is pretty much always a good idea but is particularly important on a platform like Reddit where authenticity counts.

Here’s a great example from Deciem’s AMA on /r/skincareaddiction.

Their brand response is personalized, detailed and has some emotion behind it. This is exactly how brands should interact with customers on Reddit to win them over (and the upvotes on this post prove they were successful)

Ready to start marketing on Reddit?

Listen: marketing on Reddit is definitely tricky.

Even so, the platform is totally worth exploring for brands who want to understand industry trends and what their customers are thinking.

And as you brainstorm your Reddit business plan, make sure to check out our social media toolkit for additional ways to level up your brand’s social marketing.

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50 Remarkable Reddit-Powered Business Ideas For Ambitious Entrepreneurs

• November 27, 2023
• by Tom Wells

With over 250 million users and more than 50,000 vibrant communities, Reddit represents an underutilized hotbed brimming with business opportunities.

As a small business consultant who has successfully started and grown several side hustles into full-time ventures, I‘ve witnessed firsthand Reddit‘s incredible yet often overlooked potential for ambitious entrepreneurs.

In this comprehensive guide, I distill decades of hands-on experience into 50 Reddit-based business ideas you can launch quickly, often for less than $500.

Capitalizing on Reddit‘s Passionate Communities

81% of Reddit users visit the platform daily, spending an average of 30 minutes per visit. This deep engagement and the sheer diversity of topics powering over 2 million active communities offer targeted market access most platforms could only dream of.

By participating actively within these hyper-focused subgroups aligned with your expertise, entrepreneurs can establish credibility, understand consumer needs, validate ideas, and even find business partners.

Turning Your Skills into Scalable Services

Reddit‘s audience presents opportunities for entrepreneurs to monetize existing skills, be it graphic design, writing, coding or even obscure talents like yodeling!

By scoping offerings to high-demand skills mentioned across subgroups, you gain instant market validation and access to an abundant client pool.

As a tip, ideas requiring minimal overhead like service-based businesses make excellent launch pads to test ideas before pursuing capital intensive ventures.

Now, let‘s explore 50 business ideas with traction, scalability and profit potential you can unlock starting today!

1. Resume Optimization Specialist

With over 500,000 monthly resume and career-related Google searches, resume writing is a recession-proof opportunity. As a specialist, tap into your experience optimizing resumes for specific industries and roles. Participate actively within Reddit‘s 20+ career communities like r/resumes, r/careerguidance and r/jobs to establish yourself as an expert. Offer tailored resume makeovers as a freelancer or provide webinars to coach clients.

2. Kindle Publishing Expert

Self-publishing has spawned many million-dollar media empires. With over 90% of Amazon‘s eBook sales concentrated on Kindle, carve yourself a slice of this $1 billion niche. Launch and promote your writing guides, fiction eBooks and memoirs on this platform. Leverage Reddit for market research during creation and drive visibility upon launch using subreddits like r/kindle, r/selfpublish and r/books.

3. Shopify Consultant

As Shopify powers over 1 million merchants globally, sellers seek guidance launching and scaling eCommerce stores. Drawing from your Shopify mastery, create customized store setup blueprints, offer marketing fundamentals webinars and optimize existing stores to increase conversions. Participate in r/shopify and r/ecommerce to demonstrate expertise. Consider paid ads to promoted content and locking select material behind a membership paywall.

4. Video Editor

Live and animated explainers help businesses simplify complex messaging. By mastering editing software and honing stylistic flair, provide clients professional video post-production services like color correcting footage or splicing clips for concise messaging. Showcase samples within related communities like r/videoediting to attract small business clients on tight budgets.

5. Launch Marketing Strategist

Orchestrating memorable launch campaigns can set ventures up for success. Drawing from past launch coordination experience, help startups craft targeted media pitches, launch parties and influencer partnerships for maximum exposure. Summarize successful case studies on Reddit for credibility. Consider running contests on related subreddits to demonstrate traction.

6. Amazon FBA Mastermind

From sourcing manufactuers to managing inventory, selling on Amazon can be daunting without guidance. Leverage your Amazon success sharing step-by-step coaching for finding profitable niches, navigating account setup, creating listings for higher conversions and expanding into international markets. Top subreddits include r/fulfillmentbyamazon. Consider paid communities or video courses monetizing your hard-won expertise.

7. Messenger Chatbot Developer

Chatbots boost customer engagement and sales. With messaging apps boasting over 5 billion active users, an opportunity exists helping businesses incorporate chatbots. Stay updated on platforms like ManyChat and MobileMonkey to develop tailored automations aligning with client needs from lead generation to customer service.

8. LinkedIn Growth Specialist

With 80% of B2B leads originating from LinkedIn, mastering presence on this platform is non-negotiable. If expanding networks and establishing thought leadership come naturally, formalize your services helping professionals showcase credibility through optimized profiles, strategic content creation and savvy messaging tactics for increased visibility.

9. Nutrition Consultant

Support Redditors struggling with restrictive diets or hoping to get in shape by sharing science-backed guidance tailored to individual objectives and constraints. Demonstrate expertise by participating in forums like r/nutrition, r/loseit and r/gainit. Consider offering paid meal planning and macro tracking services, blogging about achievements or selling informational eBooks/courses.

10. Email Marketing Specialist

Email generates $44 for every $1 spent, making it the highest ROI channel today. Drawing from past email campaign success, help fellow marketers increase sales through strategies like dynamic segmentation, compelling newsletters and automation based on customer behavior. Consider paid communities sharing more advanced tactics or troubleshooting common issues identified by clients.

Additional Niche Service-Focused Ideas

Alongside more extensive service propositions, numerous bite-sized opportunities exist serving Reddit‘s diverse user base. From personalized styling assistance and translation services to mobile app development and graphic design, niche specializations aligning with your inherent strengths make ideal starting points.

Here are some additional options leveraging your experience while minimizing risk:

• Instagram Caption Writer
• Web/Mobile UI Designer
• Swift/React Native App Developer
• Spanish/French Translator
• eBay Listing Optimizer
• WordPress Specialists
• Voice Over Artist
• Instagram Ad Expert
• Insurance Consultant -`,Personal Finance Planner

Traction Tips

• Establish credibility by commenting constructively within related subgroups before promoting services
• Understand pain points by regularly engaging with target customers
• Offer free sample deliverables illustrating work quality to build trust
• Limit niches early on to deeply understand specific customer challenges

Closing Thoughts

Leveraging Reddit‘s crowdsourced wisdom, entrepreneurs gain access to millions seeking anything from personalized advice to life-changing products and services.

I hope detailing my 50 top ideas distilled from real-world success empowers you to unlock Reddit‘s full potential. With the right game plan, your next business venture awaits!

Having guided multiple new entrepreneurs transitioning side hustles into successful small enterprises, please reach out if you need any assistance getting started or expanding ventures leveraging Reddit. I look forward to seeing you help even more people by sharing your own experiences someday!

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We Studied The Top Posts In Business Related Subreddits (This Is What We Found)

Article's Content

Reddit is the third most popular site in the world . The top brands are embracing it. The best communities are using it.

And the smartest marketers are leveraging it.

Despite the amazing potential that is offered by Reddit through advertising, content creation and distribution, the platform is under-utilized in the advertising & marketing industry. As a result, the best practices around what a marketer should do to leverage Reddit is relatively unknown.

At Foundation, we’ve published an entire report on best practices surrounding Reddit Marketing. The report highlights insights surrounding: the best headlines for subreddits, most viral content formats on Reddit and even the topics that resonate best inside different communities.

(Read to the end to access the entire data set of our Reddit Data)

Before this… There wasn’t much out there for marketers to leverage. So we created it. And to take it a step further; we specifically wanted to look at Reddit from a business lens. Thus, we dove into six of the most popular business Subreddits:

And studied the 20 most upvoted posts inside of these communities. We’ve done this analysis to garner some insights around what makes business content successful. On average, the posts that we’ve analyzed have generated 740 upvotes and more than 130 comments.

Want to unlock some of the insights that will help you do the same?

Here’s 5 interesting insights around the types of content that the people subscribing to business related Subreddits really want…

Text Based Posts Drive The Most Upvotes In Business Subreddits

In all of the subreddits we looked at, the most upvoted content were posts that were made up of text. In fact, the only subreddit where half of the amount of posts in the top 20 were images was /r/Productivity:

As mentioned above, Reddit is a place for discussion. People log on to learn, share opinions, share news, and ask questions. Additionally, each subreddit typically has its own set of rules that one must follow should you wish to be allowed to continue contributing. This is done, again, to keep the discussion as organic and un-spammy as possible by limiting self-promotion and external linking.

How To Leverage This Reddit Insight:

If you want to submit a post talking about your product or service, don’t just post a link to your site or another page. Tell a story and talk about your development process, about your experience hiring a remote team (like a remote development team , for example) or reference a piece of content elsewhere by copying and pasting rather than linking. Do this a few times to build your reputation before adding links or photos into the mix. Also, keep the conversation going by asking for opinions and feedback.

The Best Business Posts On Reddit Average More Than 1,400 Words

In marketing, we know from experience that long-form content typically ranks better and gets more shares than short-form content, and there is research to back that up. We see the same rule ringing true in some subreddits.

The two most popular business subreddits, /r/Entrepreneur and /r/Startups, have top posts that average 1400+ words, with some of those in the top 4 having upwards of 2200 words! Again, we’re seeing that people value something of substance.

Tell your story. People like hearing other people’s stories and the struggles they overcame. Titles like ‘I made $1,000,000 by selling a book explaining how to become a millionaire’ and ‘My startup bombed and I lost everything (here’s what I learned)’, got lots of love from /r/Entrepreneur and /r/Startups users.

Content That Offers Real Business Lessons Get The Most Upvotes

People who subscribe to business subreddits are looking for insights.

Similar to the way that they’d expect Forbes, Business Insider, Medium.com or a popular blog to deliver valuable lessons – they want that from Reddit. In fact, it’s lesson focused posts that generate the vast majority of the upvotes in business related Subreddits.

More than 55% of the top content on /r/Startups and /r/Entrepreneur were about lessons that other members of the subreddit learned through their own experiences. Here’s a sample of the top content making up the Subreddit /r/Startups:

And here’s a sample from /r/Entrepreneur:

Sharing insights, secrets, triumphs and challenges really resonates with the readers of these subreddits.

Hindsight is 20/20.When you tell your story, explain what you learned from it and how others can do it differently. This is an example of a submission that got a lot of love in /r/Startups: ‘‘My manager (who I loved) recently left my company. I summarized some of my notes from our many conversations. Here they are: I wish someone wrote this for me when I started.”

Top Posts Mention How Much Money They Made

Specifically, 50% of the top posts in /r/Entrepreneur mention how much money they made or traffic they generated, although /r/Startups do not.

And as expected; it was content that talked about actual dollars.  Nearly half of the most upvoted posts on /r/Entrepreneur talk about money or growth success using numbers of some sort.

On the flipside, the conversation happening over on /r/Startups is quite different. It’s very rare to find people talking specifically about how they were able to make their first $100K or grow an Instagram account to over 150,000 followers. It’s this insight that shows us how important it really is to understand the reality that each Subreddit is different.

SIDE NOTE: In our 2020 Reddit Marketing Repor t; we break down trends surrounding 150 different subreddits to help you better understand what content your audience wants. Whether it’s a Subreddit about business, sports, cooking or games — you have to understand your audience if you want them to care about the content you’re creating.

Know the audience you’re speaking with. Yes, those trying to launch a startup are entrepreneurs, but the terms have different stigmas around them. Startups are likely to go through a fews failures before making it anywhere good, while the entrepreneur behind the startup is really living his or her best life doing what he/she loves to do no matter what.

The Best Subreddit For Engagement Is /r/Entrepreneur

If you want to see some real activity, /r/Entrepreneur is where you need to be! In our research, the average total of comments on a top /r/Entrepreneur post is 525, so there’s some deep discussion going on. Not only that, they by far get the most upvotes with the top post gaining 10,300 alone.

Visitors to this subreddit are coming together to discuss common interests and topics of relevance. This is definitely not a subreddit in which to dump and run.

Get in there and become a part of the conversation! Share your thoughts, give you opinion, answer questions and give an upvote or two. The best way to get to know Reddit and become a recognized Reddit player is to just do it.

Now Go Make Reddit Count…

Reddit is certainly an interesting social platform. There’s really nothing fancy about it, and when you first land on its homepage, you may find yourself sitting there wondering if the rest of it is going to load because the experience is so simplistic.

Once you get over that; you quickly realize that’s not exactly what it’s user care about.

They care about great content.

And it’s our hope that you can use our analysis and quick tips to take your first steps toward mastering Reddit for your own business and creating great content.

If you want an even closer look at the data, take a look at this bonus spreadsheet that shows you the specific content in each subreddit and how well they did.

Did you enjoy this post?

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5 chatgpt prompts to write your business plan.

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5 ChatGPT prompts to write your business plan

A dream without a plan is just a wish, so get ChatGPT to help make your plan. Tell it your hopes and dreams and see everything laid out in front of you, ready to share with the world. Convince investors you’re the real deal, secure a business loan and set the mission firmly in your mind with a solid business plan that stands up to questioning.

You could write your own from scratch. You could enrol in a business course or find a YouTuber to talk you through the process. But following these prompts will create you a business plan in record time. As with all ChatGPT-generated text, add further prompting to iterate your message and keep editing until you’re happy. Get 80% there with the following guides and fine tune the rest yourself.

How to use ChatGPT to write your business plan

Executive summary.

A good plan starts with an executive summary. Your opening statement. A clear and concise description of what your business does and for whom. It sets the scene for where you are and explains where you want to be. Don’t over-complicate this step and don’t underplay the importance of this document. Turn the waffle in your mind into strong and compelling words on a page.

Your executive summary serves to convince readers into continuing. Components include descriptions of your offering, where you are right now, what the numbers look like and where you want to go. Copy and paste into ChatGPT and edit this prompt to suit your needs:

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“My business is called [name] and it offers [type of products or services you offer] to [your target audience]. It makes money by [explain your revenue model]. This business is in a good position because [explain elements of the business that make it relevant right now] and our revenue or cash position is [describe your financial position]. So far we have [outline achievements so far] and we plan to [include your plans for the future]. Can you help me craft a short executive summary that transforms that information into a clear and concise description for the first page of my business plan. Adopt a tone that is [describe the tone you want for your business plan, for example professional and direct].”

Business overview

Now it’s time to go into the details of what you do. Ask ChatGPT for a business overview that forms the second part of your business plan. Split these down by your goals, the market, your target audience, products and services and how you make money. Make it clear why you are well positioned to do what you do by including your unique strengths in this market.

The clearer you can be in your prompt, the clearer the text you will get out. Punch in as much detail as possible and leave ChatGPT to turn it into sections. Carrying forward the tone from your summary will make your business plan match your brand and the message align perfectly. Here’s the prompt to take forward:

“Next in the business plan is a business overview. Please write this to include sections titled [edit as appropriate: goals, the market, target audience, products and services, route to market]. Our business goals are [explain your top 3 business goals] within [timeframe for achieving them and exit plan]. We serve [demographics of your specific target audience] and solve their problem of [describe their top problems your business addresses]. Our offering consists of [describe your product or services], which [add more information about them] and our revenue model is [go into more detail on how you make money]. Use the same tone of voice as the last section.”

Sales and marketing

It’s no use having the world’s best business if no one knows it exists. This is where your sales and marketing plan comes in. Use the power of ChatGPT to create this outline based on what you’ve told it about your business. If you know what you’re going to do already, add it into the prompt. If you’re not quite sure, let ChatGPT give you answers, formatted in a reader-friendly way.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Ask ChatGPT for more information than you need, and cut out the nonessential. See where it goes with its hopes for your business. If you’re just starting out, your sales and marketing plan will likely be short term. You’ll begin by testing channels, doubling down on a few as you start to see results. This section will be out of date pretty soon, it just needs to look good for now. This prompt requires little editing, just use the same chat to continue the conversation.

“Based on what you know about my business, please create the sales and marketing section of my business plan. Create a compelling value proposition that communicates the unique benefits of my product or service to my target audience. Outline effective marketing strategies I can use to promote my business and reach my target audience. Please also explain any industry trends, customer needs, and potential competitors that my business should be aware of. Finally, write a description of my ideal customer, add a paragraph on positioning and how we present ourselves to this person, and include how we will ensure we set ourselves apart from competitors. So far, we have planned [describe any existing plans].”

Operations and management

By now you have your executive summary, business overview, and your sales and marketing plan. Now you need to explain how your business will run in practice. External parties want to know all about how your business operates in the smoothest possible way, and this is where you make that clear.

This part is about people and processes. You want to communicate that not only do you know what you’re doing, but you have other people in place who do too. These team members are going to be following processes that stand up to volume. They will be delivering on the promises you made to your customers, solving the problems outlined in the previous sections of your business plan. Like with the last section, let ChatGPT come up with this outline. Tell it what you know and see the rest spun into a polished document that you’re proud to share.

“Now please write the operations and management section of my business plan. Please include details on the people and processes that will ensure this business runs smoothly and achieves its goals. Include how we deliver the product or service, how we ensure quality control, how we manage inventory, suppliers and customers, and [any other sections you want to include]. Also go into detail on the people, including the organizational structure and lines of communication. Incorporate this information: [explain anything else to include].”

Financial plan

While words are great, now we want numbers. Investors, financial institutions and even landlords want to understand how you will pay your bills and not cause a nuisance. Even if you know very little about your projected revenue and profit, tell ChatGPT the basics to have them worked up into a plan.

Your financial information should include your monthly income and expenses, a 12-month plan and one for the longer term. It’s probably relevant to include your breakeven number. You could also include the capital requirements at different stages of business and one-off costs to expect with growth. All can be documented in rows within beautiful tables; use this prompt to throw in a jumbled mess of numbers and see what comes out:

"Given what you know so far, can you create a detailed financial plan, including sales forecasts, expenses, and funding requirements for my business. I’m looking for the following, in table format: (1) a breakdown of my monthly income and expenses right now (2) a 12-month plan (3) a 3-year plan (4) my breakeven number right now and (5) any future big expenses that will be incurred at specific stages. Here’s all the information to incorporate [include any information on price per unit, units expected to sell, cost per unit, staff costs, rent, rates, machinery, software and so on].”

Write your business plan with ChatGPT

Within these 5 prompts there’s a comprehensive business plan that you can whip up today. While collecting the information and editing the inputs might take a bit of thought, it’s tiny compared to how long this document would take to write from scratch. What ChatGPT creates will give you a huge head start even if it’s not perfect, because now you have something to edit.

You don’t need to slave away with documentation, you have a business to start. Leave the wordy admin to your favourite large language model and deliver the goods in a shorter space of time.

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Social network to business network: 14 reddit business ideas.

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Are you looking for potential business ideas? Look no further than Reddit! This massive online community has thousands of active subreddits covering a variety of topics, making it an ideal platform to brainstorm and discover profitable business ideas. Here are potential Reddit business ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

14 Reddit Business Ideas

Starting a business can be both an exciting and challenging endeavor. Consider your skill set and what skills the market needs at the moment. In the meantime, let’s look at these Reddit business ideas for some inspiration. 

1. Launch an E-commerce Business

One online business idea is creating an e-commerce store. By finding a niche market or creating a unique product, you can start an online store and sell products directly to customers. Platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce now make it easier than ever to create an online store even without any web development or design experience.

2. Tutoring Business

Tutoring is an excellent option for entrepreneurs who enjoy working with people and have a passion for education. To start a tutoring business, you will need to have a strong understanding of the subject matter you are tutoring, excellent communication skills, and the ability to create a positive learning environment. It is also important to consider the age group you will be tutoring and tailor your teaching methods to meet their needs.

3. Copywriting Business

Copywriters are responsible for creating engaging content for websites, advertisements, and other marketing materials. To start a copywriting business, you will need to have a portfolio of your past work, a website to showcase your skills, and the ability to market your services effectively. To be successful, you will need to have excellent writing skills, the ability to meet deadlines, and a strong work ethic.

4. Graphic Design Business

Graphic designers are responsible for creating visually appealing designs for websites, print materials, logos, and more. To start a graphic design business, you will need to have a strong understanding of design principles, knowledge of design software, and the ability to communicate with clients effectively. It is essential to have a solid portfolio of your past work and to be able to market your services to potential clients.

5. Social Media Management Business

Business owners often struggle to keep up with the latest trends, algorithm changes, and content creation. This is where social media management services come in. Social media management companies work with businesses to create a customized social media strategy that aligns with the company’s goals and objectives. These companies help businesses increase their social media presence, drive more traffic to their websites, and generate leads and sales.

6. Sell Online Courses

Many individuals possess specialized knowledge in a particular field, and online courses offer a platform to monetize such knowledge. With an online course, an individual can provide valuable insight and training, and receive compensation for their expertise.

7. Start a Fitness Business

Another online business idea is starting a fitness business. With the recent trend of health and wellness, there is an increase in demand for online fitness programs. Owning a fitness business allows individuals to leverage their fitness knowledge to launch and promote their own training programs, workout videos, or nutrition plans. With access to social media platforms, online advertising, and search engine marketing tools, there are numerous opportunities to market a fitness business.

8. Digital Ads Consultant

As online consumers continue to increase, businesses are looking to digital ad consultants to increase their online presence. Digital ad consultants are individuals who work with businesses to develop social media campaigns, create ad content, and develop Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies. 

9. Web Design Business 

With the advent of online commerce, businesses need to have an online presence to remain competitive in the market. As a result, the demand for web designers is consistently increasing. Web design businesses offer a wide range of services, from developing and designing websites to providing technical support and hosting.

10. Travel Consultant

With the rise of affordable air travel and the growth of the tourism industry, the demand for traveling has increased exponentially in recent years. Capitalizing on this booming trend, several travel consultant businesses have sprouted. Travel consultants offer customized travel packages to clients, plan their itineraries, secure the best deals, and provide valuable travel tips. This business model caters to anything from budget to luxury travel depending on the target market.

11. Affiliate Marketing

As an affiliate marketer, you can promote and sell other companies’ products on your website or social media platforms, and receive a commission on each sale made through your referral. Affiliate marketing requires minimal capital, and you can start earning money instantly with the right marketing strategies. However, you may need to have a large enough following to capitalize on this opportunity. 

12. Email Marketing Service

With almost everyone using email, there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to create targeted email campaigns, communicate with their customers and build their brands. Businesses can hire an email marketing service provider to manage their campaigns or start their own email marketing service.

13. Virtual Assistant

As more entrepreneurs and small business owners look to outsource administrative and non-core business tasks, starting a virtual assistant business is a great way to offer those services. Virtual assistants can offer a range of services such as managing emails, scheduling appointments, managing social media accounts, and much more.

14. Content Creation

The demand for compelling and persuasive content is growing, and more businesses are outsourcing content creation to professional content writers, editors, and creators. Starting a content creation business can be a great way to capitalize on this growing demand and offer high-quality content to businesses. By leveraging your writing skills, creativity, and a strong online presence, content creators can offer an array of services such as blog post writing, social media content creation, video production, etc.

How to Turn Your Reddit Business Idea Into Reality

Turning your business idea into reality can be an exciting yet challenging task. Anyone can have a great idea, but taking that idea from concept to execution requires careful planning. Here are steps to take to turn your business idea into reality.

1. Determine Your Target Audience and Research Your Market

It’s a good idea to conduct thorough research on your business idea to ensure that it is viable. Determine your target audience and the potential demand for your product or service. Understanding your target audience’s needs, desires, and pain points is critical if you want to create a successful business. Also, research your competitors to gain insights into their pricing strategies, marketing techniques, and customer acquisition methods.

2. Develop a Business Plan

Once you have a clear understanding of your audience and market, create a business plan that outlines your goals, strategies, and financial projections. This way, you’ll be able to identify the resources you’ll need to succeed, as well as potential challenges and opportunities. A solid business plan is essential for securing funding and attracting investors.

3. Launch Your Business

At this point, you’ll want to develop your brand identity, including your company name, logo, and messaging. Create a user-friendly website and invest in marketing efforts such as social media advertising, email marketing campaigns, and attending industry events.

4. Choose Your Business Structure

When starting a business, one of the key decisions you’ll need to make is the type of structure you want for your company. This will determine how your business will be taxed, the level of legal protection you’ll get, and the way you’ll be able to manage the business.

Sole Proprietorship

Sole proprietorship is the most basic business structure and is well suited to small businesses with a single owner. In a sole proprietorship, you are the only owner of the business and have complete control over its operation. It is easy and inexpensive to set up, and tax returns are simple to file. However, the downside to a sole proprietorship is that all personal assets could be at risk if the business runs into financial difficulties.

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

An LLC offers more protection for your personal assets and is a common choice for small businesses. It protects its members’ personal assets and provides flexibility in how the business is managed. Members of an LLC are considered self-employed and are responsible for paying their own taxes.

Partnership

Partnerships are a popular business structure for entrepreneurs who want to team up with one or more partners. They are typically easier and less expensive to set up than a corporation and offer many benefits, including shared profits and liabilities. In a partnership, each partner contributes to the business in some way, whether through capital investment, expertise, or labor. Since each partner has a stake in the business, they share equally in the profits and losses, making it easier to manage risks and responsibilities.

Corporation

A corporation is a legal entity that is separate from the individuals who own or run the business. It is owned by shareholders who invest in the corporation by purchasing shares of stock. This type of business entity has several advantages, including limited liability protection for the shareholders. This means that the personal assets of the shareholders are protected if the corporation is sued or goes bankrupt.

5. Register Your Business

The process of registering a business can vary depending on the type of business and the location where it will be operated. Generally, the first step is to register your business name with the relevant government agency. This ensures no one else uses your business name and helps establish your brand identity. 

Next, you need to apply for any necessary permits or licenses required by your industry or location. This may include obtaining a local business license, state tax registration, and federal tax identification number.

6. Open a Business Bank Account

To open a business bank account , you’ll need to provide the company’s registration documents and a valid business address. Depending on the requirements, you may also be asked to file an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to establish the company’s unique identity. Solo business owners can use their social security number as an identifier. 

7. Market Your Business 

An effective marketing strategy should also include building a strong brand identity, promoting your products and services through various channels, and fostering a positive reputation online.

Social media is a powerful tool that can significantly help with marketing your business. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram offer a wide range of options to showcase your brand, connect with your audience, and promote your products or services. Additionally, investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can also help you improve your online visibility and increase your website traffic.

Starting Your Business Can Be a Rewarding Venture

From e-commerce to content creation, there are endless possibilities to explore. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can set yourself up for success and turn your business dreams into reality. 

For further guidance or resources, turn to doola , where you can easily form your business and access the tools and support needed to help it grow. Don’t hesitate to take the first step towards your entrepreneurial journey – the world is waiting for your unique vision and voice!

How do I promote my business on Reddit without coming across as spammy?

The key to promoting your business on Reddit is to provide value to the community first. This can be done by answering questions related to your industry, sharing helpful information, and participating in discussions. Once you have built a relationship with the community, you can then share information about your business in a genuine and non-intrusive way.

Are there any rules I need to follow when promoting my business on Reddit?

Yes, Reddit has strict guidelines regarding self-promotion. Be sure to read and follow these guidelines to avoid being banned or negatively affecting your reputation on the platform.

How do I find the right subreddits to promote my business?

Use the Reddit search function or Google to search for relevant subreddits. Make sure to read the rules and guidelines of each subreddit before posting or promoting your business.

Can Reddit help me validate my business idea?

Yes, Reddit can be a great place to get feedback on your business idea and validate it with your target audience. You can post in relevant subreddits and ask for feedback or conduct market research.

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The Ultimate Guide to Reddit Marketing: How to Grow Your Business Using Reddit

Reddit is a user-created social news aggregator that’s referred to as the front page of the Internet. That’s a nod to the front page of a newspaper, where you find the most important information for the day. Basically, Reddit is an enormous collection of forums on practically any topic you can think of, and niches of that topic, and then niches of that topic, too.

People share advice, complaints, experiences, insights, news – anything they want. They also comment on or respond to other people’s posts. A lot of people share links on Reddit, too, and if a link makes its way to a popular Reddit page, it can get enough attention to crash servers. Used correctly, Reddit can be a marketer’s dream.

However, Reddit functions in a totally different way from other social platforms you’re used to. Its users expect a much different experience from what you deliver via something like Facebook or LinkedIn. Brands are catching on, though, and they’re starting to use Reddit for marketing and to speak directly to Reddit users from other platforms. For example, Budweiser has a YouTube video where they specifically reference Reddit users.

Knowing how to use Reddit is just as important as knowing what not to do. Branded content doesn’t always perform well on Reddit, because it’s not a gathering space for people to connect with brands. Instead, it’s a gathering space for people to connect with people . And that also makes it an ideal place to humanize your brand.

Here’s everything you need to know about Reddit marketing and advertising. We cover getting started, learning your way around Reddit and choosing the techniques that are right for your business.

Source: Reddit Inc.

• 1.1 Subreddits
• 1.2 Moderators and Admins
• 1.4 Comments
• 1.5 Voting and Karma
• 1.6 Reddit Marketing with Coins
• 1.7 Rules and Best Practices
• 1.8 Reddit Premium
• 2.1 Creating Your Reddit Account
• 2.2 Choosing Your Interests and Subreddits
• 2.3 The Front Page
• 2.4 Posting to a Subreddit
• 3.1 Engage Before You Promote
• 3.2 Always Offer Value
• 3.3 Listen to What Customers Are Saying
• 3.4 Incentive Engagement
• 3.5 Let Reddit Guide Your Content Creation
• 3.6 Refer to Pop Culture in Your Reddit Marketing
• 3.7 Host an Ask Me Anything
• 3.8 Host an “I Am A” AMA
• 3.9 Start a Discussion
• 3.10 Add Links to Posts and Comments
• 3.11 Use Reddit as a Customer Service Channel
• 3.12 Advertise on Reddit with Promoted Posts
• 4.1 Reddit’s Three Ad Types
• 4.2 Campaign Objectives
• 4.3 Targeting Options
• 4.4 Call-to-Action Buttons
• 4.5 Ad Budgets
• 4.6 Running a Test Campaign
• 4.7 Ad Metrics
• 5 Final Thoughts About Reddit Marketing

What is Reddit? A Crash Course in Understanding the Platform

Before you can reap the benefits of Reddit marketing, you have to learn how to use Reddit, period. It’s unlike other social media platforms, and there’s a decent learning curve to maneuver. In this section, we’ll get into the different components of Reddit and how to use them. Later on, we’ll refer back to this information to talk about getting started with Reddit and using different marketing techniques.

There are over a million communities on Reddit, which are called subreddits, and each one is dedicated to a different topic. Metrics for Reddit and RedditList both have collections of trending Reddits, which can help you discover ones to follow. The posts in a subreddit should all relate to the subreddit’s topic in some way. Each subreddit starts with reddit.com/r/.

If you want to find the travel Reddit, you could simply enter reddit.com/r/travel . Some subreddits are basic, but others are specialized or obscure, like r/DisneyPlus or r/AnimalsBeingBros . This thread has tons of suggestions for the weirdest Reddits out there. And if you can’t find the type of community you’re looking for, you can create a subreddit for any topic you want.

Moderators and Admins

Moderators (mods) manage subreddits. There are also volunteers who edit the subreddit’s appearance, decide which content to allow and remove posts or users. Here’s a partial list of moderators for r/AskReddit :

Even though Reddit is self-managed quite a bit and moderators are in charge of subreddits, admins are in charge of Reddit as a whole. Admins are Reddit employees who have a lot of different responsibilities and access across Reddit. They can take away moderator functionality and ban subreddits.

Post content on Reddit ranges from humorous to creative to controversial. (There are efforts to keep some controversial and sensitive content from the front page.) The person who creates a post is called the Original Poster (OP). There are all types of content that people post on Reddit, including:

• Help requests
• News articles

For the sake of Reddit marketing, brands can offer tips for using their products or services, especially if there’s already an open discussion about it. You can also offer your industry expertise in the form of tips, tricks or hacks – just make sure there isn’t a hard sell at the end. You’re here to help, not to push.

It’s helpful to know that Redditors have their own language. They use a lot of acronyms, and some popular ones become their own subreddits, like TIL for “today I learned.” Here’s a list of common acronyms and what they mean.

After someone creates a Reddit post, others can comment on it and start a thread. Reddit (and most forums) organize comments in a tree structure so that you can see exactly what each user is commenting on, whether that’s the main post, a reply to it, a reply to a reply, etc.

Voting and Karma

Next to a post or comment, there are up and down arrows and a number. People use the up and down arrows to upvote and downvote posts, and the number changes accordingly, accounting for the total balance of upvotes and downvotes. The resulting number is called karma.

Upvoting can increase the post’s visibility, while downvoting can decrease the post’s visibility. That means that the post will either be displayed closer to or farther away from the top of the feed, similar to how the Facebook algorithm prioritizes content people want to see. Reddit best practices say that votes shouldn’t be used to show that you agree or disagree with what a commenter or OP says, but instead to vote on the post or comment’s quality level.

It’s possible to have a negative rating if you get enough downvotes. If your score is super low, your comment may be minimized so that only your name is displayed. If a reader wants to see what you wrote, they’ll have to click on your username.

Your account has a karma number, too. This reflects how much karma your comments have received. The more karma, the better, because it can make you more prominent in the Reddit community. If you have a high karma rating, you also have a better chance of being selected as a moderator. I’m on Reddit often, but I rarely post, so my karma score is pretty low.

Reddit Marketing with Coins

In addition to karma, Redditors can give awards to other users to highlight or recognize their posts. Giving a user an award costs Reddit Coins , which you can purchase. This post has several different awards, including community-specific awards, which are created by mods:

Note that Coins used to be called Creddits – they’re the same thing, just under a new name. Also, I mention Reddit Premium in this section, which I cover more later on. Coins can be used to buy three different types of awards:

• Silver Award: Costs 100 Coins. Shows a Silver Award on the post or comment.
• Gold Award: Costs 500 Coins. Gives the recipient one free week of Reddit Premium and 100 Coins. Shows a Gold Award on the post or comment.
• Platinum Award: Costs 1,800 Coins. Gives the recipient one free month of Reddit Premium and 700 Coins. Shows a Platinum Award on the post or comment.

Coins aren’t expensive, and they’re great for marketers who want to award customers for offering excellent feedback, chiming in with a great comment, participating in a contest, etc. With Reddit Premium, you get 700 coins each month. Otherwise, you can pay for Coins separately, with prices like $5.99 for 1,800 or $19.99 for 7,200.

Rules and Best Practices

If you don’t follow the platform’s guidelines, you could get banned from communities before your Reddit marketing has a chance to get off the ground. Subreddits have to abide by Reddit’s community guidelines . You can also set your own forum rules that Redditors have to follow if they want access to your subreddit. For example, you may have guidelines for the types of comments that are allowed. There’s also Reddit etiquette, called Reddiquette , that users should follow. Rediquette best practices include:

• Read the subreddit community rules before submitting anything.
• Report spam.
• Always tag Not Safe For Work (NSFW) content.
• Be polite and make everyone feel welcome.

Anybody who feels threatened or offended can block and/or report a user. The option to do so is below messages and links.

Reddit Premium

Reddit Premium is Reddit’s membership program . It used to be called Reddit Gold, but it was changed to Reddit Premium to not be confused with Coins or awards. Premium costs $5.99 per month and gives users access to advanced features, like an ad-free experience and access to r/lounge, a top-secret subreddit where leading minds head to chat. Premium members will also have early access to new features that are being tested before being released officially, and they get a regular supply of Reddit Coins to spend on Awards. While you don’t have to be a Premium member to market your business, it does give you deeper access to the site and the community, which can be great for networking or Reddit marketing if those users are in your target audience.

Getting Started with Reddit

Now that you know how Reddit works, let’s go through the process of creating an account, joining subreddits and creating your first post.

Creating Your Reddit Account

The signup process is super simple:

• Sign up for Reddit from the register page .
• Enter your email (optional).
• Choose a username and password. Your username has to be 3-20 characters.
• Verify that you’re a human with the captcha.
• Click “Sign Up” on the bottom-right.

You don’t have to use your real name as your username – most people don’t. You can use your brand name as your username, if you want, or a spin-off of your brand name. Also, you can create more than one account using the same email address. You could set up one account under your brand name, and then create an incognito account to use for secret customer or competitor analysis.

Choosing Your Interests and Subreddits

After signing up, you’ll get suggestions for popular boards that may interest you. If you have more than one account connected to the same email address, the subreddits you follow will be shared. I created a second username using the same email, and when I got to the part where I can pick subreddits to follow, I was already following the same ones as my first account:

If you want to join any of the subreddits on the auto-populated list, click the blue “Join” button on the right. When you’re done, click “Finish” on the bottom of the screen. When you’re on the homepage, you can search for more communities, and they all have “Join” buttons on the search results page or if you click into the subreddit. (More about searching from the homepage in a second.)

As a brand, you should subscribe to any subreddits that have to do with your company. What are the topics related to your brand and industry, and what topics are your target customers interested in, even if the connection is less obvious? Connecting with the right communities is a necessity for successful Reddit marketing.

The insurance app Lemonade promoted a post in a fast food subreddit. Does insurance have anything to do with fast food? No, but their post was geared toward food-lovers, and a lot of people have a vested interest in insurance, so chances are that their audience crossed over with the subreddit’s audience. (It also helped that their brand name is food-oriented.)

Once you have a list of subreddits you may be interested in, narrow them down. The subreddits you ultimately choose to follow and engage in should have a lot of subscribers, recently-active threads and guidelines that allow you to share the type of content you plan to create.

The Front Page

Looking at Reddit for the first time can be a bit overwhelming because there’s a lot to take in. The homepage – referred to as the front page, in Reddit lingo – shows trending posts from a selection of subreddits, including subreddits you follow. If you click the sort button in the upper-left of the home page, you can sort by popular Reddit feeds or the communities you’re part of.

There’s also a search bar toward the top of the page that you can use to search for subreddits or posts related to a term.

You can change the homepage view, too. There’s card view, which is the default homepage view, classic or compact. Here’s the classic view, as well as where you can change your view.

Posting to a Subreddit

When you’re on the home page or in a subreddit, there will be a pen next to your name. Click it to open a new window. Then, write something or share an image or link. Write a headline and include a tag to categorize the post. If you’re creating the post from the homepage, you’ll choose the subreddit that you want to post to.

Make sure to read the subreddit rules before posting. Some subreddits want posts formatted in a specific way, and if you miss a step, your post may get deleted by a moderator. Also, remain honest and transparent instead of sales-y, both in the post itself and in the headline you create for it. Something like, “Best home security systems ever!” won’t work, and a headline like this will likely get downvoted and invite negative comments.

12 Tips and Tools for Reddit Marketing

At its most basic, Reddit is a gathering place for any and every type of person, where people meet to chat and share content. Even if you’re going to use it for business, show up as though you’re here to hang with pals. Focus on building a community and generating or contributing to online discussions. The community has to be engaged in order to make any type of content or information viral. Here are 12 tips and tools for marketing your brand using Reddit.

Engage Before You Promote

You have to become a trusted part of the Reddit community before people care about what you have to say regarding your brand. Don’t jump into Reddit and start posting brand-focused content right away. Instead, upvote other posts and comments, leave thoughtful or interesting comments (that don’t have to do with your brand) on threads and share valuable content from other creators. For example, if you sell jewelry and you’re part of a fashion subreddit, post an infographic from another creator, like a fashion magazine, that shows different ways to style accessories.

Always Offer Value

Redditors only want to see valuable content – there’s no patience for obvious advertising like there is on a platform like Facebook. This can get tricky for brands that are used to using other social media sites to make announcements or offer blanket apologies that use a lot of jargon. That kind of thing doesn’t fly on Reddit. And since Reddit is where a lot of people go to complain about their dissatisfaction with a brand, if you’re going to respond, you can’t offer something as noncommittal as an apology without a real solution .

Listen to What Customers Are Saying

On Reddit, brands can listen in on what customers are saying, both the good and the bad. Reddit is a place for airing complaints and comparing notes with other customers, and this is where your customers may be discussing your company. You can basically get a front-row seat to customer feedback, and they don’t even have to know you’re listening. For example, here are several comments on a post in r/Amazon about Echo pet peeves:

Incentive Engagement

Incentivizing engagement isn’t about tricking people into communicating with you or the community. Instead, it’s about encouraging people who have something to say to actually say it. Run a contest, explain that you’re conducting market research and need feedback, or crowdsource ideas for your next product. Offer Reddit Coins or an exclusive coupon code in return.

Let Reddit Guide Your Content Creation

As you dive into the subreddits that are unofficially dedicated to your brand, you’ll learn quite a bit about what customers like, hate, want and need. You can use all of this intel for Reddit marketing and to create content moving forward. That can be Reddit-specific content or content for another outlet, like your blog or newsletter.

For example, let’s say your company just launched a new video game. You head into a subreddit where people are sharing tips, and you realize that there’s one tip that’s super popular. You can add that insider tip to your next newsletter to keep your subscribers engaged. Or, maybe users are frustrated because they can’t figure out how to get past a certain level or solve a quest – you can create an ultimate guide or walkthrough and then post it to Reddit or your blog, or you can create a video and put it on Facebook or YouTube.

You may also discover a part of your business you didn’t know existed. For example, let’s say you run a chain of coffee shops. You notice that a lot of Reddit posts have comments about funny or strange things people encountered at your shops, like customers doing odd things when waiting for their coffee or baristas sharing their behind-the-coffee-bar stories . You could create an Instagram hashtag dedicated just to this, and then encourage your community to send in their stories.

Refer to Pop Culture in Your Reddit Marketing

Reddit is always focused on what’s happening right now, so look to relevant pop culture references when creating your content. For example, a viral meme can be used in your Reddit content, so long as you can somehow make the connection. Using a popular meme just to grab people’s attention when your messaging has nothing to do with it is a cheap ploy and one that users will see through quickly. Chipotle got meme marketing right and did their own spin on “there are two types of people” memes with this one:

Host an Ask Me Anything

Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions are excellent for prominent people, like celebrities, influencers, journalists and CEOs. Basically, anyone who people want to talk to should host an AMA. If your company isn’t well-known yet or your managers or staff aren’t well-known, partner up with an influencer who can speak on your brand’s behalf and share how they’re affiliated with your company. Essentially, the host has to be interesting enough to get people to tune in.

Audi also did a great job of this by hosting live video AMAs featuring celebrities . As the celebs rode shotgun in racecars and hit high speeds, they answered user questions. They combined everything that works: a recognizable influencer, an engaging AMA session with users, and video instead of text-only content. Plus, Audi caught the eye of people who may not care so much about cars or racing, but who do care about the celeb being interviewed. No matter why people watched, Audi increased brand awareness.

AMAs don’t have to be hosted on your own subreddit. They can be held in a broader subreddit that includes your audience. Not only will you reach more people, but you’ll become known to people who haven’t heard of you or your company yet.

Host an “I Am A” AMA

You can also host an “I am a…” AMA, which is for people who have specific expertise. This type of AMA may have a little more wiggle room in terms of getting attention without being well-known, because the focus is on your job title or experience, not necessarily your name and prominence. For example, people may not know Rachel DeAlto by name, but as a dating expert for Match.com, she has an interesting job that people want to ask about, especially in terms of social distancing.

Start a Discussion

If you find that people are talking about your brand, product or service in some way, you can create a post to start a discussion about something specific you want to know. For example, ask for feedback on a new product or a marketing campaign you just launched. Invite them to offer criticism or point out issues they’ve experienced. As you respond to comments and interact with users, make sure you’re just having a discussion. This isn’t the time to promote anything unless it will be truly helpful to the customer and solve a problem they’re having right now.

When you create a post, assign a community manager to keep an eye on the thread. First, you have to know when someone replies so you can hop in and comment within a reasonable amount of time, like a few hours or a day. Second, if negative comments get out of hand, you’ll want to address them quickly.

Add Links to Posts and Comments

While you don’t want to push users to visit links or slam them with “buy this” messaging, you can definitely link to content or products that users will find valuable. After mentioning something, you can simply say, “Learn more here,” and then include the link. The link (or the sale) shouldn’t be your primary point of being on Reddit, but it’s okay to include it if it’ll be valuable to others. Think of this as a soft plug for your brand, product or service rather than a hard sell. In Rachel DeAlto’s AMA, she posts a link for people to find out more about dating while social distancing.

Use Reddit as a Customer Service Channel

Some companies use a branded username or subreddit to help with customer service and Reddit marketing. Promote this type of subreddit on other channels, too – it’ll be helpful for potential customers who are researching before they move forward. The Xbox One subreddit was created by fans, not Microsoft, but there are Xbox-affiliated mods who post announcements and help troubleshoot.

Advertise on Reddit with Promoted Posts

While your messaging has to be community-focused instead of promotional, you can still pay for advertising to promote your posts and have your content seen by more people. By promoting a post, you’ll have it prioritized higher in subreddits, and you can also target the post to a specific user group. An icon will show up next to the post to indicate that it’s promoted, so use this feature wisely – you don’t want people to automatically ignore all of your posts because they think of them as ads.

If you’re going to promote the same message in different subreddits, tweak the content to match each specific subreddit – you’ll have a better chance at higher conversion rates this way. You should promote posts in subreddits that already include your audience, but you can think outside-the-box when it comes to that.

Here’s an example from Ally Bank, which promoted this post in a PlayStation subreddit. There’s not an obvious connection between gaming and banking, but since pretty much everyone needs a bank, this isn’t as much of a stretch as it seems at first. Also, Ally may know that a lot of their account owners are within a certain age range, making the video game audience a great target for their Reddit marketing. Ally showed users something they can identify with and compare to choosing a bank.

While you can promote a Reddit post you already posted, you can also create a Reddit ad. In the next section, we’ll go through the basics of advertising with Reddit.

An Overview of Advertising with Reddit

Reddit offers a ton of help and guidance for people who want to pay for advertising, and this page has links to practically anything you need to know. There’s also this page , which has a bunch of tips for advanced ad management.

If you know you’re going to use Reddit paid advertising and you don’t have a Reddit account yet, you can sign up here . If you do have a Reddit account, there’s an option to log in on that page. Let’s go over what you need to know to get started with Reddit ads.

Reddit’s Three Ad Types

There are three types of ads you can run on Reddit, and each one comes with its own strengths:

• Link: Best for driving traffic to a landing page. The only copy you can add is a 300-character headline.
• Text: Best for collecting feedback or generating a discussion. Add a 300-character headline; the body has unlimited space for text and hyperlinks.
• Video: Best for driving traffic to a landing page, since clicking the ad directs the user to an external link. (Personally, I also think video is great for brand awareness.) The only copy you can add is a 300-character headline.

You can use GIFs in a video ad, too. Also, if you have one long video, you can cut it into smaller videos and run several video ads to see which length and content perform best.

Campaign Objectives

There are five campaign objectives to choose from:

• App Installs: Get more installations of your mobile app.
• Brand Awareness and Reach: Help more people learn about your brand or product.
• Conversions: Encourage actions on your landing page.
• Traffic: Drive more traffic to your landing page.
• Video Views: Increase how many people watch your video.

The objective you choose may affect the type of ad you can create. For example, you can only run a traffic ad with a link or video post.

Source: Reddit Help

Targeting Options

You can target and define audiences for Reddit ads using the following demographics:

• Time of day

You can also choose to not define your audience in certain ways. For example, if your brand has a global reach, you don’t have to choose a location for targeting.

Call-to-Action Buttons

You can add a call-to-action (CTA) button to your Reddit ad, and there are a number of choices, like “Contact Us,” “Download” and “Play Now.” Below is an example of what it looks like on a link or text ad, and if you have a video ad, the CTA will come up on the end card.

Like with other social media ad platforms, you can set daily or lifetime budgets. You’ll set bids, which should be reflective of the most you’re willing to pay for that ad’s results. That differs based on the type of ad you run. For example, with a Brand Awareness and Reach campaign, you’ll set a bid for every 1,000 impressions, while with an App Install ad, you’ll set a bid for every click.

Running a Test Campaign

Reddit suggests running your first test campaign for four weeks, which should give you enough time to determine how well Reddit advertising will work for you or if you need to make changes to your ads to get more traction out of them. When creating your first ad, make sure to follow these suggestions to limit the chances of your ad getting rejected during the approval process. Here are a few more must-know tips, too:

• Create separate ad groups to see which type of ad (video vs. link vs. text-only) or target audience performs best.
• Start with a high bid until your ads start getting attention, then lower it, if needed.
• Target broadly, and think abstractly, too. For example, if you run a fitness brand and you know that your audience is full of adventure-seekers, you can target travel audiences.

Each campaign will have ad groups, and ad groups contain ads. Reddit suggests adding multiple ads to your ad groups so there are different versions to cycle through, which prevents ad fatigue. Plus, Reddit limits how many times a user sees your ad in one day, so if you have more ads for Reddit to show, you can increase their impact.

When tracking the performance of your ads, the ads dashboard lets you select the metrics you care about and organize them in whatever way works for you. You can find definitions for the metrics here , which may help you decide which ones to watch.

Final Thoughts About Reddit Marketing

Reddit is a niche social platform, one that’s quite different from other outlets you have experience with. It requires a lot of hands-on attention, and while it can help you build relationships with potential or current customers, it’s not often a direct line to making a sale. If your fans or customers are already on Reddit, though, you should definitely add it to your marketing strategy.

One thing you don’t want to do is run Reddit ads and skip genuine, non-promoted engagement. Some ads work incredibly well, while other users run ads and get nothing in return – and in some cases, organic posts perform much better than paid posts. There’s no guarantee that your content will go viral, whether you pay for it or not, and if you don’t take the time to engage with the community, nothing you do will have much reach.

Approached strategically, Reddit can definitely benefit your marketing efforts, but don’t dedicate all of your time or resources to this one platform. Luckily, you don’t have to be all in all the time. Reddit is more forgiving than something like Instagram, which requires regular content to stay relevant. With Reddit, you can hop in whenever you think Reddit will give you customer insight or help you get a message out, then focus on other marketing avenues the rest of the time.

Do you want to tune in to what Reddit has to say about WordPress? We’ve put together a list for exactly that .

Featured Image via Julia Tim / shutterstock.com

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Thanks, Lindsay Pietroluongo! You did a great job. The importance of Reddit Community cannot be ignored in this age. I am going to get involved it Reddit. Thanks again for highlighting this big opportunity.

Pro tip: Understand the culture before diving into “Reddit marketing.” Reddit has a very specific culture, plus each sub has its own culture as well, and even a well-intended post or comment can induce downvotes.

Very easy to be downvoted or end up on /r/AMADisasters or /r/FellowKids if rushed without understanding the culture.

So anyone interested in Reddit for marketing, then I strongly advise to really understand the community and have fun with the users, and gather some karma before trying to leverage it.

Never even looked at Reddit before, time to give it a whirl I think.

Reddit is undoubtedly a great platform for marketing purpose. Reddit has very strict guidelines. If you are really focusing on providing valued information, only then you can survive at Reddit. Always read subreddit’s rules before promoting your shit out there.

I like your effort to help us improve on the quality you have produce over and over again

Thanks for describing the importance of Reddit in growing a business.

Great guide, thank you for sharing. I will try to do it step by step as you wrote it.

Surprised a few things weren’t mentioned: old.reddit.com is a much better way to view the site. Reddit Enhancement Suite (RES) plugin has a bunch of useful tools. Unchecking “use this subreddit style” on all subs you frequent is really helpful. Most custom designs are a trainwreck. Alienblue is a great iOS reddit reader app.

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Advertising on Reddit: a strategic guide

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Finding your loyalists where they find community

Reach redditors when they’re researching their next favorite brand

Tech and Reddit users: A modern love story

Why your tech product launch plan should include Reddit

Three reasons Reddit should be part of your B2B marketing strategy

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Unlocking performance on Reddit

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Unlock your ad targeting potential: Introducing next-level improvements

Improving our audience creation tools and expanding targeting options

How community recommendations drive collective influence

Reddit is the place to go when you want to know.

How gaming brands can reach their favorite audience

Best practices to engage with gamers, even with event cancellations.

Back-to-School Marketing: Tips to Reach Parents on Reddit

Build a back-to-school marketing strategy that reaches parents on the internet's most knowledgeable, trusted, and authentic parenting communities.

Activate shopping campaigns on Reddit with Product Ads - now in beta!

For the first time, Reddit is launching new tools and formats that enable advertisers to easily activate shopping campaigns. Learn more about Product Ads and how you can get started.

Celebrate National Small Business Week with new creative resources

Make running your business less stressful with these creative tips for cost-effective ad creation.

Brands, give Redditors what they really want from you this travel season (original research inside)

Best practices to reach travel hungry redditors.

Reddit upvotes Cannes Lions for another year

We’re back with an all-new activation and all-new research

4 Reasons Why Community Matters for Brands

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Creative best practices: What Reddit’s top performing ads have in common

What does it take to be successful on Reddit? Our Marketing Sciences and Creative Strategy teams analyzed 13K+ ads running on Reddit and found 5 Creative Themes that help advertisers achieve success.

Why SMBs should make community part of their marketing strategy

Online communities is a marketing trend that is here to stay - learn how SMBs are participating in communities to attract, engage and delight customers on Reddit.

Level up your game launch on Reddit

How Reddit’s deep rooted gaming communities spur lifelong engagement, and what that means for your launch strategy

Reddit offers real influence, without influencers

Discover how brands can win authentically on Reddit

A new wave of community-based influence and distributed trust

How an emerging model is a reckoning for brands

2023 trends marketers need to know

The four trends that should be top of mind for advertisers and brands this year and beyond.

Gen Z turns to Reddit to accelerate their financial future

Why a generation in search of financial security is turning to Reddit’s finance communities to safeguard their future.

Discussions on finances, big and small, are happening on Reddit

We’re preparing for Financial Capability Month with new insights about how people engage with finance communities on Reddit. See where your brand fits in.

Back to the future: A recap of our Future Tellers activation at CES

Earlier this month, our inaugural activation at the 2023 Consumer and Electronics Show transformed the Wynn into a “colorful house of clairvoyance”. Read on for more on our Future Tellers activation.

Reddit communities provide insight to new technologies

Our latest analysis of millions of conversations across hundreds of thousands of communities identifies the technology themes redditors are excited about next.

The future Is bright: Our first-ever activation at CES 2023

Want to know the next “big thing” in tech innovation? Or keep a finger on the pulse of tomorrow’s trends? Look no further than Reddit, a digital crystal ball full of the communities and conversations

7 ad campaigns that earned the upvote in 2022

This year’s Reddit Recap* showed us that 2022 was another thriving year for community engagement. In the spirit of reflection, we are also taking a look back at standout ad campaigns in 2022.

I (MINI) choose you (Reddit)... to source custom, Pokémon-themed electric vehicle design ideas.

MINI and its agency Jung von Matt NERD are partnering with Pokémon on a capsule edition of the new Aceman electric car.

The 2022 roundup: Reddit Ads Manager improvements

The end of the year is often a time for reflection, and we’re taking a moment to appreciate a number of key updates we’ve made to Reddit Ads Manager in 2022. 

Harris to raise concern about Trump's 'enemy from within' comments

• Medium Text

• Harris to stress message that Trump a danger to democracy
• Harris' new plan for Black men includes forgivable small business loans
• Offers access to a legal recreational marijuana industry
• Boosts access to cryptocurrency industry
• Support among Black men a concern for Harris

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Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw, Nandita Bose, Gabriella Borter, Jeff Mason, and Steve Holland; Editing by Trevor Hunnicutt, Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Thomson Reuters

Jeff Mason is a White House Correspondent for Reuters. He has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the presidential campaigns of Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. He served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2016-2017, leading the press corps in advocating for press freedom in the early days of the Trump administration. His and the WHCA's work was recognized with Deutsche Welle's "Freedom of Speech Award." Jeff has asked pointed questions of domestic and foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He is a winner of the WHCA's “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure" award and co-winner of the Association for Business Journalists' "Breaking News" award. Jeff began his career in Frankfurt, Germany as a business reporter before being posted to Brussels, Belgium, where he covered the European Union. Jeff appears regularly on television and radio and teaches political journalism at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar.

Gabriella Borter is a reporter on the U.S. National Affairs team, covering cultural and political issues as well as breaking news. She has won two Front Page Awards from the Newswomen’s Club of New York - in 2020 for her beat reporting on healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2019 for her spot story on the firing of the police officer who killed Eric Garner. The latter was also a Deadline Club Awards finalist. She holds a B.A. in English from Yale University and joined Reuters in 2017.

Mexico's lower house lawmakers pass bill to implement judicial reform in lopsided vote

Lawmakers in Mexico's lower house of Congress voted on Monday to approve legislation to implement a controversial judicial overhaul that will move the country to a system of judges elected by popular vote.

Dirt Cheap files for bankruptcy, plans to close all stores

(Gray News) – Dirt Cheap will soon close its doors.

Channel Control Merchants, the parent company of Dirt Cheap and Treasure Hunt, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, court documents show .

According to local reports out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where its corporate offices are located, the company plans to close all stores to clear up its debt.

Dirt Cheap currently has more than 60 locations across Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Georgia and Tennessee.

The company is an “extreme value retailer giving major brand customer returns and excess inventory a second chance,” according to its website .

A final court hearing date is scheduled for Nov. 7.

Dirt Cheap’s Facebook page is already advertising “store closing sales,” and one local report said it is presumed that by the end of the year all stores will be closed.

The Dirt Cheap retail stores that are closing in the Southeast are not affiliated with the Dirt Cheap liquor stores in Missouri.

A spokesperson for Wallis Companies , the parent company of the Dirt Cheap liquor stores in Missouri, confirmed in a statement that they are a separate Dirt Cheap and will not be closing any locations.

Copyright 2024 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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