https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e7ircv/how_to_seed_content/
created by SolariaHues on 07/12/2019 at 19:34 UTC*
52 upvotes, 7 top-level comments (showing 7)
Before advertising your sub, you need something to advertise. You need content.
People are more likely to engage with a sub with posts. It looks much more like a community and you can easily see the type of content encouraged. I’ve seen it recommended to have **at least 25 posts** before advertising.
It might take a while, but that’s OK. I’ve done it where I posted something every 2 or 3 days or so, and gradually you have a page of decent posts to show off.
Few subs take off on their own, most need a lot of work to get going. You could look at it like - If you aren't willing to invest in your sub, why would anyone else?
The main ways of seeding content are:
You can find content to crosspost on related subs, and find more by checking their sidebars and finding subs related to them using sites like these user-base crossover or "sub clusters" finders Anvaka[1] | Subreddit users overlap[2] | Hive mind[3]
1: https://anvaka.github.io/sayit/
2: https://subredditstats.com/subreddit-user-overlaps/
3: http://www.hivemind.cc/rank/r/funny
Try making a custom feed of related subs so you can easily watch for content to crosspost.
Some mods offer moderatorship in return for content posting, it’s up to you if you feel this is right for you.
Use a google search to find shareable content. For example for r/gardenwild I did a search from recent news stories with the words wildlife and gardening, and bookmarked it to check regularly for new articles. I’d post an article and if I’d found more I’d save them to post over the next few days. Also, only recent content shows on the front page, so drip feeding content might be a good strategy.
Twitter was also a big source of content for me, and still is. Pintrest or Instagram can be really good for visual content.
Encourage regulars, and good quality posts. Comment and encourage continued participation. Watch what does well and use that to guide what you post.
You can try “fake it till you make it" and use alt accounts to make the site appear more active than it is, thus drawing in more real users. But be very careful not to upvote yourself! Vote manipulation is against Reddit’s rules.
Related guides:
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Thanks u/Algernon_Asimov who’s comment on this I saw with the article link, and u/MFA_nay
Comment by keizee at 08/12/2019 at 06:36 UTC
10 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Drip feeding works very well due to how the front page works. If your sub doesnt have ppl who purposely come in just for the content, posting too frequently causes the previous content to become overshadowed. So its best to wait a while before posting, especially if there has been another post steadily gaining upvotes, then all the more content spacing is needed.
Comment by SolariaHues at 09/12/2019 at 20:52 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Possibly could have included this:
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/06/reddit-founders-made-hundreds-of-fake-profiles-so-site-looked-popular/[1][2]
Reddit apparently used ghost accounts to seem more active at first.
It's up to you whether you feel this is something you want to do, or not.
Comment by the_gifted_Atheist at 07/12/2019 at 22:38 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
You can try “fake it till you make it” and use alt accounts to make the site appear more active than it is, thus drawing in more real users. But be very careful not to upvote yourself! Vote manipulation is against Reddit’s rules.
Is that not lying to your userbase?
Comment by [deleted] at 07/04/2020 at 09:43 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Thank you for providing me with this clear and simple guide. If I'm right, content is the base for every subreddit to start of with, right?
Comment by My_cat_is_fat85575 at 14/03/2024 at 00:05 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Thank you this was very helpful 😊
Comment by Onnilynn at 14/03/2024 at 02:01 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Thanks for the tip!
Comment by YannisALT at 09/03/2020 at 01:22 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Most of the "default" subs don't allow crossposting. Many of the "big" ones do not. I've seen users banned in r/aww and in r/gifs just for posting links to their subs in the comments. Other subs, like r/askreddit and r/oldschoolcool, use Automod to automatically spam links made in comments.