Reddit have unveiled a Clubhouse lookalike, called Reddit Talk – a new feature that will allow users to chat via voice within the app’s subreddits.

Early signs indicate that the platform is looking at how the new feature can specifically support the platform’s pre-existing AMA (Ask me Anything) format.

Reddit is a notoriously difficult space for brands to crack – with a culture of trolling and irreverence, brands have to tread carefully when choosing to enter the Reddit arena or risk looking foolish. This new development is great news for brands looking to use Reddit more in their social strategy.

Reddit Talk has the potential to make AMAs more accessible and easier to execute for brands and their spokespeople.

AMA’s have previously been a super effective way for brands to play in the Reddit space – notable successes include Bill Gates, who used the format to promote his work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gordon Ramsay, who participated in order to drum up interest around his 500th episode of Hell’s Kitchen for FOX Primetime.

However, the downside of AMAs is that they can be a big commitment for your spokesperson or talent. With sometimes thousands of respondents, it can take hours (or in same cases, days) for respondents to get back to users – Stephen Hawking’s AMA famously covered a couple of weeks.

Reddit Talks should ease this burden, as they are done as a live audio session – meaning it won’t be such a dauntingly time-consuming undertaking for the spokesperson involved.

Equally, the live audio element of the format means that there is opportunity for more organic and authentic interactions between Redditors and the interviewee, giving way to increased opportunities for viral moments. Whilst memes and viral moments have tended toward visual content in recent years, incidents like Elon Musk smoking weed on Joe Rogan’s podcast while talking about space demonstrate the power, and hilarity, of audio – something brands and redditors alike would do well to be aware of as this new feature is launched.

There is also the novelty of connecting via audio message – being able to speak directly to the host and have them reply is far more personable and intriguing, particularly after a year of limited social interaction. Equally, research suggests that for the past decade, audio has consistently been the most trusted media format in the UK and Europe.

Competition will be fierce for Reddit however, as Clubhouse booms and Facebook announces its competitor ‘Soundbites’. Certainly, marketeers need to get their spokespeople ready and primed, as longform live audio content is here to stay.

If you’re interested in training your business leaders for media appearances, whether on television, radio, or on Reddit, then why not get in touch with our team of experts here?