Ecotourism: A Playbook for Reddit

Abby Easley | April 17, 2024

Reddit’s gone public; the pressure is on…but if they don’t appreciate what they’ve created, they risk losing it all.

Enter Ecotourism: The framework for making money off a natural environment without destroying it in the process

Summary: Diverging from conventional social media, Reddit designed their community platform with a groundbreaking, hands off model; as a result, the site evolved into a full-fledged “virtual ecosystem.” Going public means they’ll need to prove their potential, but money-making initiatives could alter its unique, “organic” nature—the very quality that underpins its value. Ecotourism can help Reddit achieve their financial goals and protect this key differentiator. Even more exciting? The framework could inspire paradigm-shifting revenue strategies and unveil Reddit as a formidable force far greater than the sum of its parts.

~ 20 years ago, Reddit created a community platform with a radically different, hands-off structure.

That unprecedented decision brought forth a sophisticated, self-sustaining virtual anomaly.

Why? How? What makes Reddit so different?

1) Redditors have serious power: They create everything, enforce their own rules in the communities they create, and influence what gets visibility. Anything that rises to the top must jump through the hoops of community approval.

2) No one can hide: Profiles reveal account history and a “karma” score (determined by how they engage / how others engage with them); bots and businesses are easily identified.

3) They’re emotionally connected: When no one “gets it,” Reddit has tons of people who do (e.g., a rare disease subreddit). Users assert their power to protect these treasured spaces.

4) They’re all in one place: Housing all topics on a single platform intertwines the fate of every subreddit; users are motivated to actively weed out low-quality, content across all subreddits.

With this model, the platform has garnered a mammoth collection of high-value content, created and vetted by millions of users (i.e., volunteers). Real humans with no monetary incentive. The result? Reddit has more authentic, human content vs. any other social media platform.

This level of authenticity is, perhaps, the holy grail of assets for any business…but it also comes with a price. The “hands-off” model allows users to wield their power in ways Reddit’s business leaders may not like—landmines other community platforms haven’t had to navigate.

For example…

When Reddit made API changes to stop outsiders from collecting their data, users weren’t happy; the move impacted many third-party apps Redditors valued (e.g., accessibility support for the blind, bot-spotting tools for moderators). In protest, moderators locked down their communities, effectively hiding huge portions of Reddit’s content bank with the click of a button.

And yes, they can do that.

So…is Reddit really “social media?”

I’d argue the term doesn’t fully describe Reddit’s unbridled power dynamics. With even the smallest parts playing a major role in molding the platform, it’s evolved into something more akin to a living, virtual ecosystem. It functions and grows organically, a closer reflection of human nature—that is why Reddit’s different. Reddit is the web’s largest natural ecosystem.

Ok…so Reddit’s super different. Why does that matter?

They just went public; they need to make money. But following in the footsteps of other social media platforms may not be the best idea for a “virtual natural ecosystem.”

A better playbook to monetize Reddit:

To understand why Reddit must think differently, let’s take a look at another natural ecosystem:

A coral reef…

Let’s say we monetize a coral reef, sell access to snorkelers. One stray flipper could seriously harm the reef. But the organic, undisturbed nature of the location is the product.

“Ecotourism” is the framework for navigating this exact conundrum: the delicate dance of making money off an environment and protecting it from those money-making efforts. That’s no small feat, because coral reefs are fragile…so is authenticity. If Reddit doesn’t pay attention to each side of the equation, it could lose both.

Here’s the cheat sheet:

“The 4 Cs of Ecotourism”

  1. Community: Be transparent, collaborate, and make it mutually beneficial.

  2. Conservation: Minimize impact on the existing environment.

  3. Culture: Build in alignment with users’ values.

  4. Commerce: Profit.

(1-3 just so happen to reflect core values of Reddit users, today—and align with the hot-buttons that provoked that protest)

What guidance can Reddit glean from Ecotourism?

Community:

  • Be as transparent as possible but conceal sensitive information, when necessary.

  • Invite users to collaborate and make them feel heard, but only incorporate what strengthens the business.

  • Pursue mutually beneficial innovations and strategies that grow the business by offering users ways to make money for themselves, or even grow their own business.

Conservation:

  • Challenge innovation teams to consistently explore how they might generate revenue with minimal disruption.

Culture:

  • When developing new products and strategies, create a process to cross-check against users’ values; be selective and aware when going against them.

Reddit is so much greater than the sum of its parts; they could sell their data and real estate…but what if, instead, they made their own Ecotourism-inspired waves in new markets? Consider market research:

Recruiting: Reddit’s direct line to niche communities beats all the competition; users could opt-in/out and receive honoraria for participation in studies. A minimally disruptive win-win ;) how Ecotourism-y.

Online bulletin boards: A separate, Reddit-like platform might elicit more authentic, frequent engagement; that’s high-value, qualitative data…that’s worth a lot of money.

Reddit has huge potential, monetarily and otherwise. It enables individuals to have a voice, form social connections, and even organize with one another in a very real way…at a time when so many of these critical human needs feel threatened.

And sure, looking at others’ playbooks can offer valuable inspiration. But Reddit must be very thoughtful about the sources they turn to for wisdom.

My advice for Reddit? Look in the mirror and repeat after me:

“I am a coral reef in a sea of opportunities.

The world is my oyster.”

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