Reddit has revealed that it is aiming to refocus its goals, by showing users more specific and targeted advertisements based on their location. It comes as the company is attempting to grow outside of its heavily US-centric user base.
The chief operating officer, Jen Wong, spoke with CNBC about it, saying that half of the site’s users are based in the US. Comparatively, competitors to Reddit have a much larger international audience.
Reddit is predominantly English-speaking, with large swaths of the online communities using English outside of country-specific forums, or subreddits. Often you’ll see US political or centric posts reach the top of the popular page.
One area Wong is interested in gaining a foothold in is India. Several subreddits with an Indian focus have become quite popular, including AskIndia and IndiaSpeaks. “India’s growing really rapidly… We see a big opportunity in India.”
Reddit readies to try to take over the world as it overtakes X in UK
Wong aims to eventually bring more local adverts to the platform, as it currently does with the UK and US. As of right now, international markets make up 17% of Reddit’s revenue, despite the social network having an estimated 50% outside of the US.
Some countries, like the UK, currently see adverts relating to their local services like the NHS. However, Reddit wants to bring in more international companies to advertise on the platform.
This need for growth stems from the company going public this year, which has seen it become profitable for the first time ever.
Reddit communities in the UK have also managed to overtake X (Twitter) in number of users for the first time this month. The Elon Musk-led company is currently struggling to retain users after the election and sweeping site changes.
Outside of trying to advertise more, Reddit is also planning to improve its search tools. Again, speaking with CNBC, Wong said that it can feel like “a dead end” when you find the post you’re after. The proposed plan would surface even more content similar to what you’ve found for a “total view”.
Featured image: Reddit, Pexels