AMA: The Process of Baring Your (Company’s) Soul on Reddit

You already know the significance of the Big Four social media platforms. However, there are other platforms out there you can use to advertise your business. One definitely worth considering? Reddit.

There are two different ways to approach advertising a product or your business on Reddit. You can approach the platform to try and cultivate an active ad campaign. Alternatively, you can hold a Reddit AMA, or “Ask Me Anything.”

What’s the Purpose of an AMA?

AMAs let your consumers ask you all of their burning questions. They’ll have the chance to get to know you – or a business representative – as a person and as an extension of your business.

But holding an AMA does have its risks. Woody Harrelson’s AMA, for example, picked over the man’s controversial past to the point where it’s been referred to as the worst AMA ever. If you hold an AMA, you have to be prepared to deal with pointed questions not only about your business but about the ethics of the work you’re doing.

With that in mind, what are the pros and cons of holding a Reddit AMA?

Pros: Immediate Consumer Connection

Hosting a Reddit AMA offers your consumer the chance to ask you all of the questions they want about your business and yourself. This open forum sparks an immediate connection between them and your business.

Typically, AMA hosts announce their “asks” at least 24 hours in advance. This gives their audience time to generate questions. Then, when an AMA goes live, users can post their questions in a forum.

When hosting an AMA, it’s important that you try and answer every question that comes your way. It’s up to you to decide if you want to answer them as they come in or after a question cap—that is, opening questions for 6 hours and answering them after the fact. Most AMA hosts answer questions as they come in, allowing for conversations to develop naturally and quickly.

Try to answer all of the questions that come your way, but for the sake of your time, you’ll still need to create an AMA deadline. When you meticulously make your way through every question that’s been asked, you do more than generate consumer trust. You also create valuable content that curious consumers can revisit when considering purchasing something from your business.

Cons: Intimate Exposure

The openness of an AMA can be intimidating. If you find you’re receiving questions you don’t know how to answer or that touch on parts of your business you’d rather not discuss, answering AMA questions can be a taxing exercise in discretion.

We recommend tone-checking questions during an AMA. What kind of approach are people taking to your business? If you notice conversations turning negative or aggressive, your best solution is not to react. Work with someone from HR to approach each question professionally.

Pros and Cons: Reddit-Speak

Holding an AMA will force you to learn how to professionally operate a new social media platform. This is both a pro of the practice and a con. On one hand, technological literacy is a good thing. Reddit is one of the most popular non-Big Four social media platforms in operation today, with a primarily young male audience. If you want to connect with that crowd, an AMA will serve you well.

However, Reddit also has a reputation – and a language. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the platform’s posting style and karma system before hosting an AMA. The last thing you want to do is come onto the platform unprepared.

So, Should You Host an AMA?

If you think your business will benefit from a personal approach to consumers, or if you want to target Reddit’s demographic, then yes. Even if you don’t, it’s always worth it to test-run a new social media platform.

Image attribution: MichaelJBerlin – stock.adobe.com