The storytelling hack for 10x buzz on Reddit 🦠

How to master Reddit's hot trends of AITA, TIFU, and TIL to boost your brand (if you don’t know what the acronyms stand for, you should read this)

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A few years ago, I orchestrated a Reddit post to promote my startup using clever storytelling. The post got 1.3K upvotes, generated 300+ comments, and spiked our website traffic for a few days.

Here’s how I did it — and you can do it yourself.

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Forget the usual Reddit strategy ❌

We all know the drill: find a niche subreddit → engage → post about your product. It works, but it’s pretty standard and you might get banned for promoting your thing.

I’m here to tell you about a much more creative, slightly offbeat marketing idea that involves storytelling in subreddits like r/AITA, r/TIFU, and r/TIL.

⚠️ WARNING: This tactic is a bit sneaky, so please only do it if you are confident that you know what you’re doing. The following article is a good place to start.

What exactly are AITA, TIFU, and TIL? 🧐

These are viral subreddits (=forums) with MILLIONS of users that share stories. Here’s a short description of each:

1. r/AmITheAsshole (AITA): Stories about an argument or a difficult situation with other human beings.

2. r/TIFU (Today I Fucked Up): Stories about a terrible mistake.

3. r/todayilearned (TIL): Stories about new surprising information.

These forums are goldmines of traffic and engagement. Check out this 2023 growth of r/AmITheAsshole (AITA) — it’s off the charts:

Source

And the best part? Their stories often jump from Reddit to platforms like TikTok and IG Reels, where people narrate the Reddit post and criticize/react to it:

But the dirty secret of these Reddit stories…? Most of them are fictional. Just like in those ‘confessions’ apps and groups—most of the posts are totally made up. Even r/TIL’s factual posts have a hidden agenda (sparking controversy). But why? People post these stories for karma, chaos, feedback, or, as we’ll discuss, brand promotion.

Here’s how to do it responsibly and effectively:

How to leverage AITA, TIFU, and TIL 🧠

It’s a simple 3-part playbook:

• Step 1: Write a killer story 👩‍💻

• Step 2: Introduce your product ✨

• Step 3: Edit the product into the main post 🔥

Step 1: Write a killer story 👩‍💻

Pick one of those subreddits and write a controversial story. The key: Write a story where your product is the solution that could have solved everything — BUT don’t mention it or imply it in the story at all. You’ll see in a moment why.

Have a buddy with a good Reddit rep (=karma) post the story for you.

The story my friend posted for me

Step 2: Introduce your product ✨

After your post gets some attention (if the story is good—that will 100% happen), it’s time to bring in your product. Here’s how to do it:

Drop a comment from a different account. This one could be your account or a colleague’s. The comment should suggest how the product could help in similar situations. Keep it casual and not too salesy. Give a disclosure if needed.

The comment I dropped

Step 3: Edit the product into the main post 🔥

Now, for the crucial part:

• Edit your original post: Once your post is buzzing, edit it to mention the product.

• Avoid the Mods’ Radar: If you’re too direct, mods might pull your post. So, blend your edit seamlessly into the narrative. The edit should feel like a natural part of the story.

The edit my friend made

This exact orchestration makes admins (‘mods’) allow the post. Usually, if you post something that looks like an ad or promo, even if it’s just an honest recommendation, mods will remove it immediately. But here, it’s safe.

And it’s not only for B2C: Since we’re talking about huge numbers here, the opportunities for B2B companies are tremendous.

I have loads of such examples; I only shared 1 because I cannot burn them all.

See you next week ✌️

Tom

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