How to Use Reddit to Find Subject Matter Experts

Reddit has a little something for everyone. Whether you want to browse news stories and entertainment or you’re looking for help and support around a particular subject, Reddit no doubt has a community for you. 

Today, there are more than 100,000 communities on Reddit focused on different niches. These subreddits, as they’re called, are also great resources for supporting a content marketing strategy. 

If looking for inspiration for your content or searching for subject matter experts to answer questions, a subreddit is a great place to start. 

Here are some quick tips on how to use Reddit to find subject matter experts.

Reddit and Content Marketing

Unlike other social media platforms that require you to verify specific details, many Reddit users like to remain anonymous. This allows people the freedom to express themselves and share opinions without exposing their personal information. 

While this can make it difficult to know if someone is knowledgeable in a subject or not, you can use a few strategies to find these experts and verify. It all comes down to how you search Reddit and what threads you visit. 

The great thing about Reddit is how organized it is. There are thousands of different subreddits to browse, each focused on a different topic or niche. So chances are if you have a question about something, someone has already started a Reddit community about it.

But how do you find a subject matter expert in this proverbial haystack?

Start By Finding the Right Subreddit

If you’re not sure where to look, Reddit can feel pretty overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to. Very niche communities will be where you can find the subject matter experts. 

To find niche communities, do a subgroup search. You can do this by entering a general term into the search bar at the top of Reddit’s interface. For example, let’s say you want information about personal finance. You’d start by searching “personal finance” to see the top results related to this topic. 

At the top of these results, you’ll find a menu bar with a tab called “communities and users.” By clicking that tab, you will see all of the different subreddits related to personal finance. From here, you can dig deeper and find the niche communities you are after. 

For our finance example, you will find communities for tax advice to retirement planning and debt management. 

By taking a little time and searching through these subgroups and communities, you can find the working professionals with the expertise you need.

How to Identify A Subject Matter Expert on Reddit

If you want to find an expert on a subject, the best place to start is by looking for the right type of post.

Ask Me Anything (AMAs)

Ask Me Anything or AMA posts are a great place to look for advice. The subreddit r/IAmA is filled with working professionals, public figures, and experts who will create posts to answer fellow Redditors’ questions.

When searching for subgroups like this, you can include “AMA” in the search term. So, to revisit the personal finance example, you would search “personal finance AMA.” This will return threads where someone has answered questions related to your topic. 

Experts of Reddit

Another popular way to find experts is by seeking them out directly. You have two options here. First, you can start by searching for your topic and Reddit experts just like you would with AMA posts. This will show you different subreddits and posts where others have sought out experts on the platform.

If this doesn’t help you find the information you need, you may need to create your post and request help from the experts of Reddit. Keep in mind, though, anyone can reply to your post. So, even if the information sounds correct, don’t forget to research your “expert” a bit more and see if you can verify what they’re telling you.

Advanced Searches

With so many subreddits and millions of posts, it can be hard to find the precise information you’re looking for. One way to make that search process a little bit easier is by completing an advanced search. This allows you to filter results to only show ones that match a certain field in your search. Using the title search operator will enable you to put specific words in quotation marks. Doing this will only show results that have the text you specified included in the title.

There are currently nine different Reddit search operators you can use.

These include:

Following Up With An Expert

Before you reach out, confirm that this person is, in fact, an expert. While Reddit is a place where people can stay anonymous, there are still a few ways you can research your expert. Chances are, if you found them through an AMA post, they’ll be legit. 

Creating an AMA post requires the user to provide proof that they are who they say they are. These types of posts also have strict guidelines that must be followed.

Confirm the User is an Expert

Finding someone through an AMA post isn’t the only way to confirm if someone is an expert. Regardless of how you’ve found them, their profile and account history can give you the verification you need.

Start by checking out their post and comment history. This will let you see if they’ve responded to other posts and comments on your subject matter. If they regularly engage with other users and post about the subject matter, this is a good indication that they know their stuff and are potentially credible sources. 

Look for patterns as well. If they can consistently offer insightful and helpful responses, you’ve likely found an expert. Depending on the user, they may even include certifications or links to their work inside their profile.

Requesting an Interview

Once you’ve found an expert and are confident this is a credible source, don’t be afraid to reach out for an interview if you want to learn more. Depending on the content you’re working on, you may be able to gather the information you need from their posts. 

By requesting an interview, you can dive deeper into the topic and gather more insight from your expert. Some Reddit threads have specific rules about posts and how users engage with one another. The best way to land an interview with your expert is by direct messaging them. 

To start, you should include some info about yourself and why you’re reaching out. See what their response is and if they’re interested, tell them more about the interview, like how long it should take, some of your questions, and how you plan to use the information they’ll be sharing.

Use Reddit to Create More Credible Content

If you’re looking to take your content marketing to the next level, Reddit is a powerful resource. With thousands of communities to browse through, you can find experts to help make your content credible and demonstrate some serious thought leadership and insider knowledge.

Using Reddit to research a topic can open up new ideas and insights. If you’ve never used it for research, give it a try. If you’re smart about how you use it, you’ll find that it can be a great tool for networking and exploring niche communities full of valuable information.