Have you ever tried to make a Reddit post and had it rejected because it didn’t follow the brief? Maybe you wrote something too opinionated or maybe you didn’t follow the formula (of which there is no formula) correctly. Regardless, being on the receiving end of a brief can be disheartening. It’s frustrating when you’ve put in the time and effort only to have it all go to waste. Luckily, there’s always another opportunity to write for Reddit!
The thing about being a writer for a website is that you’ll never truly be done. There will always be more posts to write and more briefs to follow.
To that end, it’s important to keep the good and learn from the bad. That’s what this article is about. We’re going to discuss the ins and outs of writing for Reddit, including what went wrong with each of the four briefs we wrote (and what we did right). Hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll be able to develop an effective strategy for writing for any site, whether it’s Reddit or not.
Briefs Are Key
Before we begin, it’s important to note that we were fortunate enough to have four topics choose us out of a pool of 200 applicants. This is a pretty high rate and it reflects Reddit’s confidence in our ability to write concisely and precisely.
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However, this is also a double-edged sword because it means that our posts were good enough to make it to this point. This is very rare on the internet and it simply emphasizes how important it is to nail your topic. Even though we were lucky enough to have four topics choose us, it could just as easily have been one. Had we not written a good enough post, none of this would have been possible.
Follow the Brieffor
Each brief that we received gave us the standard Reddit formula (title, description, and keywords). However, it didn’t tell us much else about how we should approach our post. That was entirely on us.
For example, the first brief simply said:
– Post a recent photo of yourself
– 200 words or less
– No more than four links to external sites
This implies that we should post a photo of ourselves and then write a short description about our recent travels. Nothing more, nothing less. Which, of course, we did.
The next brief was even simpler:
– Post a funny meme, picture, or gif
– 200 words or less
– No more than four external links
Again, with the self-representation. We’re supposed to post something funny and then write a short description about it. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
The third brief was a touch more elaborate:
– Post a beautiful and inspiring story
– 500 words or less
– Four to six external links (optional)
This one gave us a little more freedom than the previous two but, again, it was still very general. We’re supposed to post a story about something beautiful and inspiring and then write a short description about it. Which, again, we did.
Finally, the last brief was:
– Post an interesting fact
– 500 words or less
– Five to seven external links (optional)
This was the most complex brief we had so far. Instead of having a clear direction like the previous three briefs, it left us hanging out there. We’re supposed to post something interesting (what is interesting, you ask? Interesting to us, obviously) and then write a short description about it. Which, once more, we did.
As you can see, each brief gave us a clear idea of what to post but didn’t exactly tell us how to go about it. This is where we stepped in. On our own.
The General Strategy
Based on our previous experience, we knew that all four briefs would contain a story. This made it easy for us to approach our task with a storytelling strategy. We decided that we would approach our task by telling a story. This would allow us to establish our authority as an expert in the field and make the entire process more interesting.
So, first off, we needed a hero. In a nutshell, our strategy was to find a topic that we were both passionate about and that wouldn’t require extensive research. This topic would then become the premise of our story. To flesh this out further, here’s a short list of all the topics we pitched and why we liked them:
- Air pollution is dangerous to our health. It causes respiratory problems and, in some cases, even death. According to a new study, people living in polluted areas are at a higher risk of death than those who live in areas with clean air. The study also indicates that there is no safe level of air pollution. So, if you’re living in an area where the air is bad, it’s probably time to move. Find new places to live and new jobs that don’t expose you to these types of dangerous chemicals. There’s also the option of moving to a different country where air quality is better.
- Do you ever feel like you’re not good at writing? Are you confident that you can write well but just don’t know how to go about it? Do you have a natural talent for writing but feel like you lack the confidence to actually put that talent into practice? If so, then this article is for you. We’re going to tell you a proven method that can help you become an excellent writer without having to worry about whether or not you can follow the instructions. All you need is a computer, a chair, and a decent internet connection. With these three things you can begin practice writing without any fear. Follow the steps below and before you know it, you’ll be writing like a pro.
- Learning how to practice copywriting is a lot like learning to play an instrument. It takes a while to truly understand the fundamentals of writing and how to put them into practice. Just like playing an instrument requires years of practice and training, so does copywriting. However, unlike playing an instrument, which you can eventually pick up and play anywhere, practicing copywriting is incredibly specific and can only be accomplished by following a series of steps. These steps can help you become a better writer in no time at all and allow you to tackle any topic with confidence.
- Most people think that writing is only for journalists, bloggers, and people with spare time. Wrong! If you have a true talent for writing then there are many careers out there that you can choose from. You can become a technical writer, an editor, or a publishing professional. There are many options out there and, if you really want to be successful, you should look for a job in a related field.
- What’s the most precious thing in your life? Is it your family? Your friends? Your health? Your house? Your car? Your job? Your self-confidence? There are many things that you could consider to be your most precious possessions. Whatever it may be, writing is a hobby that can be transformed into a profitable career. Just check out these proven ways to make money online while you sleep.
Now that we had our hero, we needed to craft a story around him. This was more difficult than it sounds because we didn’t want to rehash previous studies or theories. We wanted to find a new angle that would make our story stand out.
Here’s where our research came in. We did extensive research on the internet to find new stories that were similar to ours but told from a different perspective. This different perspective would then become the basis for our story. For example, our story about air pollution originally came from a personal perspective. While in school, we both became interested in environmental issues. We also noticed that there aren’t many stories from the perspective of those who suffer from air quality problems. So, we created a story about a young girl who moved to a new country without her parents knowledge. She decided to live a freer life than they would allow her to back home. She wanted to see if she could make a difference and help others by raising awareness about air pollution. This is where our personal story about air pollution originally came from. However, by taking a different perspective, we were able to craft a compelling story that will make our readers want to click.