10 Ways to Get on the Front Page of Reddit

Before I start, you might ask "why not Digg?". Well, for one, Reddit is my all time favorite website. Additionally,  Digg might get more traffic and a front page story on Digg might translate to more unique visitors to your website, but the front page is ruled by only 5% (approximately) of their user base.  Basically if you're not a power user, you are shit out of luck unless you dedicate hours daily to becoming one.  The content on Digg isn't bad, I just do not like the website for that and a multitude of other reasons.  That being said, the traffic you can obtain from a front page Reddit story is upwards to 50,000 unique visitors in a 24 hour period..nothing to sneeze at.  Given allt he submissions done on a daily basis through Reddit, how does your entry become a front page story? Below are ten tips that will help increase your chances.

1. Submit Something "Reddit-Related": Find random shit around the house, make it look like a Reddit alien, snap a picture of it, submit it to Reddit and watch the upvotes come!  If you're not that artistic or creative, find an article that mentions Reddit positively (or better yet..a celebrity who mentions that they love Reddit) and that will do the trick.  Just make sure it's not your lame blog that nobody has ever heard of.  You'll find yourself here: http://www.reddit.com/r/reportthespammers

2. Make fun of Nickelback: Just like the rest of the world, Reddit hates Nickelback.  Find a clever way to make fun of these no talent ass clowns and the Reddit community will adore you.  Are there Reddit users who are indifferent towards Nickelback or even ones that like them? Sure, but they are greatly outnumbered by the ones who hate them.

3. Use a Credible Source (Preferably the Original One): If you find a great video, do NOT post it on your blog and then submit the blog link to Reddit.  That folks is called spam and will get you nothing but downvotes. "But what about getting traffic to my blog?".  Trust me, randomly spamming isn't the way to do it.  You might not see the immediate benefit, but building up karma and trust is key to achieving success on Reddit or most other Social Media communities.

4. Be Transparent: Don't make believe that the website you are submitting to Reddit isn't yours.  Be open and honest about it.  As long as the content you are submitting is worth reading, Reddit won't necessarily care that it's your content.  That being said, this doesn't mean you can submit your stuff all the time, but it is okay to do it every so often. Again, just don't be obnoxious about it. When doing it, be transparent with your submission headline.  You can include "my view on x" or "a picture I took of x"..whatever makes the most sense.

5. Are you Interesting? Do an AMA!: AMA stands for "Ask me Anything" and there is a popular subreddit for it (http://www.reddit.com/r/iama).  The subreddit actually stands for "I am A", but you get the point.  People are curious nature so if you do something unique for a living or have been a part of something interesting, do an AMA.

6. Advertising: If all else fails or you just have money to kill, you can advertise your content on Reddit.  It won't appear mixed in with the other front pag stories, but will show up above them on the rotating banner.

7. Remind Everybody How Long it Is Since Sean Hannity Promised to be Waterboarded: This involves simple math so if addition isn't your thing you might want to forget this.  April 22nd (I believe) was the date that Sean Hannity promised to be waterboarded for charity, claiming that it really isn't torture.  Just a heads up..it is and Sean hasn't followed through with his promise.  Make sure if you go down this submission route to wait at least two weeks after the previous Sean Hannity waterboarding reminder.

8. Hate on Digg: Make fun of Digg (kind of like what I did in my opening paragraph) and most of Reddit will love you (while others will say "why all the hate?").  Create a cartoon that compares Reddit to Digg (with Reddit looking far more superior of course) and Reddit will love you even more.

9. Share Your Porn Collection: I usually see at least one or two NSFW (Not Safe for Work) submissions appear on the front page of Reddit at any given time.  Come across a great nude pic? Share it with the Reddit community.

10. Do a Follow Up Submission: This works especially well with a "Self" submission.  If you had something that reached the front page that calls for a follow up (i.e. You asked Reddit how to break up with your girlfriend), create another post, reference your original one and let the them know what happened.