Reddit, like some other social media platforms, allows the creation of communities to discuss any selected issue. These communities are called subreddits on Reddit, and any Redditor can create them. There are several niche communities on Reddit, all discussing various exciting and insightful topics. If you are interested in creating your community on the platform, this article can show you the ropes.
Making a Reddit community
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating your subreddit, as it primarily depends on what platform you use Reddit on. Here is how to create your Reddit community on various Reddit platforms:
Desktop website
Creating your Subreddit through Reddit’s desktop website is pretty straightforward. Once you make your way to Reddit’s home page, simply scroll down and look for the “Reddit home” panel. This panel will contain the options to “Create Post” and “Create Community”. Click on the latter.
This will disclose a pop-up where you can include the details of the community you want to create. Input the name of the Subreddit in the text box for the name. You should note that Reddit does not allow editing of community names and capitalizations after you save it. As a result, ensure you are certain after you input the name.
You also get to select what kind of community you want it to be. The options include “Public,” “Restricted,” and “Private.” Anyone can view, post, and comment to a public community, while only approved users can post on a restricted community. On the other hand, a private community only allows approved users to view and submit content. The next step is to select whether the community will be NSFW or not. You should note that NSFW communities do not make it to the catch-all r/popular, so it may be harder to popularise your NSFW community. When you are done, click on “Create Community.”
You can create your community the same way on the old Reddit design. Simply find the panel on the right-hand side of your Reddit homepage. The old design gives more customization options, so you also get to include details like the community’s title, description, sidebar, and submission text. You also get to select what content options you prefer for your community, spam filter strength, your community’s deliverability options, and spam filter strength, as well as several other smaller options.
When you are done customizing your potential community, click create at the bottom of the page.
Mobile app
Creating your community on the mobile app is also relatively easy and straightforward. The first step is to click on the profile icon at the top right corner of your screen. This will reveal several options, including creating your community. Click on it and fill up the options with your preferred settings, then click on “Create Community” when you finish.
Things to know before you create your community
The community’s purpose
It is important that you determine the purpose your community will serve after you create it. Reddit communities typically vary in membership as communities can range from a few to several million users. Furthermore, whether the community will be a unique subreddit or cater to a significant common interest that may attract several community members, determining its aim can enable you to figure out the necessary ground rules and how you can develop it.
An existing and active similar community
There are numerous Reddit communities, so the odds are that a community already exists that caters to the interest you want to create yours for. Reddit, however, does not prevent users from creating similar communities. Nevertheless, if a similar community already enjoys significant followership, it may be better to join it and participate actively then applying to moderate it.
This can enable your efforts and plans to affect an already established community instantly. Likewise, this approach is also an excellent way to develop a collaborative experience, especially if you have not moderated before.
You can also send Reddit a request to claim a subreddit if you find one that is not under active moderation.
Ability to effectively moderate the community
It is vital that one is willing to moderate any subreddit they intend to create. This ensures that the community is able to address issues, especially if it encounters any challenges with spam or other site-wide rule-breaking content. As a result, it is essential that you have both the resources and the experience to help with moderation.
As the community grows, you may also opt to add moderators in the future to help you manage your community. This is because Reddit’s moderator guidelines require active and stable moderation teams. Otherwise, another user may claim the community.
There are several methods to help your community develop in terms of membership and quality. One of such ways is via cross-posting.
Crossposting allows users to take a post from a community and share it with another. When you crosspost a post, the resulting post will include an embed of the original post and other vital information regarding the original post. This usually includes its original poster, community, and karma score on the original post. As a result, other Redditors can find the content’s original source while giving more exposure to the original content and its community.
The first step to crosspost on Reddit is to identify the post you intend to share and the community you want to share it with. After finding the content, click on the share icon on the post. This will display some options, including “copy link,” “crosspost,” “embed,” and “share to chat.” Simply click on “crosspost.”
Clicking on “crosspost” will direct you to a different tab. Here, you will select the community you want to send it to. You can also edit the post’s title if you want the crossposted content to have a different title after you share it. Otherwise, the previous title will remain the title after you cross-post. Remember that the embedded post will include the former title regardless of whether you edit the title.
If you want to keep track of the conversations being had in your community, you can also employ our social listening tool, Notifier. This can help you moderate even more effectively as you do not need to manually go through all the content.
When you select the destination community, important information about the community will pop up on the side panel. This is to allow you to go through it and take note of its rules, helping you determine if the content you wish to share does not break any rules.