AI is changing how people find businesses, and one of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is where platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity get the information they use to understand brands, businesses and experts.
Your website is still incredibly important, but it’s no longer the entire picture. AI systems look across the web at content, conversations, mentions, recommendations and other signals that help them understand who actually knows what they’re talking about. This ties directly into something we’ve talked about quite a bit: E-E-A-T, Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. In other words, it’s no longer enough to simply tell Google and AI that you’re an expert. We also want to create signals across the web that demonstrate it.
One of the biggest opportunities for doing that right now is Reddit. Reddit is a massive collection of communities, called “subreddits,” covering almost every subject imaginable. People use these communities to ask questions, research products and services, get recommendations and hear from people with firsthand experience. Think about the types of questions being asked: “Who is the best chiropractor in Phoenix?” “Is regenerative medicine actually worth it?” “What should I look for when hiring an HVAC company?” or “Has anyone used this company before?” Those are almost identical to the conversational questions people are now asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and other AI platforms.
This doesn’t mean you should run over to Reddit and start advertising your business. Actually, please don’t do that. Reddit users are notoriously quick to recognize self-promotion, and many communities have strict rules against it. The opportunity here is to become part of the conversation and demonstrate your knowledge.
Here’s how to get started.
Step 1: Create a Reddit Account
- Go to Reddit and click Sign Up. You can register with your email address or one of the available sign-in options.
- When choosing a username, avoid something overly promotional like “BestPhoenixChiropractor” or “Number1PlumberAZ.” Pick something that looks and feels like a real person or professional account.
- Complete your profile and include a short, factual description of who you are and what you do.
Step 2: Find the Right Communities
- Use Reddit’s search function to look for your profession, industry, services, geographic area and the problems your customers commonly experience.
- For example, a chiropractor might search for chiropractic, back pain, sciatica, posture, sports injuries and their local community. A plumber might search for plumbing, home improvement, water heaters, clogged drains and their city. A business consultant might look for small business, entrepreneurship and communities related to their particular expertise.
- Find 3-5 relevant communities and join them.
- Before you start participating, spend a few minutes looking around and read the community rules. Every subreddit is different. Some welcome professionals answering questions, while others have strict rules regarding business mentions, links and self-promotion.
Step 3: Don’t Start By Promoting Your Business
- Don’t create your account and immediately post, “Hi everyone! I’m Dr. Smith with Smith Chiropractic. Visit our website for a free consultation!” That’s an advertisement, and it defeats the entire purpose of what we’re trying to accomplish. Instead, answer questions. If someone asks a question that you legitimately know the answer to, jump into the conversation and help them.
- You might say: “I’ve worked with this type of problem for about 12 years. One thing I would look at first is…” or “There are usually three things that can cause this. Here’s how I would narrow it down…”
- Share your experience. Explain complicated subjects in simple terms. Correct misinformation respectfully. Give people information they can actually use. There’s a huge difference between saying “Call us today for a free consultation!” and “I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and here are the three things I would look for.” The second one establishes expertise and credibility without forcing a sales pitch.
Step 4: Spend 30 Minutes a Week Answering Questions
- You don’t need to turn this into another marketing job. My recommendation is simple: spend about 30 minutes each week and answer 2-3 questions. Search Reddit for recent conversations related to your expertise and find places where you can genuinely contribute. Don’t force your company into every response. If mentioning your profession provides useful context, great. If your business name or website isn’t necessary to answer the question, leave it out.
- The goal is to build a history of useful, credible contributions. Nine genuinely helpful answers are far more valuable than one promotional post.
Step 5: Start Creating Your Own Educational Posts
- Once you’ve spent some time participating and understand the community, you can start creating useful posts of your own. Again, don’t advertise. Educate.
- A chiropractor could write: “5 things I wish more people understood about recurring lower back pain.”
- A plumber could write: “I’m a licensed plumber. Here are three water heater problems homeowners shouldn’t ignore.”
- An attorney could write: “Three mistakes I commonly see people make after a car accident.”
- A contractor could write: “Before hiring a contractor, ask these five questions.”
Step 6: Don’t Stop With Reddit
Reddit is a great place to start, but the same strategy can be used on Quora, LinkedIn, Facebook Groups, YouTube comments, industry forums, professional associations and local community websites. The strategy is basically the same everywhere: find the questions your customers are asking, show up and give them a legitimately useful answer. Over time, you’re creating something incredibly valuable: a larger digital footprint connecting your name, your business and your expertise with the subjects you want to be known for. You’re creating independent signals across the web that reinforce who you are, what you do and what you’re knowledgeable about.
As search continues moving beyond the traditional ten blue links on Google toward AI-generated answers, recommendations and conversations, these types of credibility and authority signals are becoming increasingly important. We’re continuing to handle the technical SEO, content, authority building and AI optimization side of your campaign. This is one of the things you can do on your side to help amplify everything we’re already doing.
So here’s your homework:
Create a Reddit account. Join 3-5 relevant communities. Spend 30 minutes a week answering 2-3 questions. Once you’ve established yourself, occasionally create an educational post of your own. Don’t worry about selling anything.
Don’t just tell Google and AI that you’re an expert. Go out there and demonstrate it.
