Reddit is one of the most popular websites in the world, attracting more than a billion visitors every month. But despite that massive audience, it still maintains a relatively low profile compared to some of the platforms it outranks in terms of traffic, including Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Since it launched in 2005, Reddit has continually grown while many similar platforms have gone by the wayside. Featuring more than 100,000 communities, which are called subreddits, Reddit touches just about every topic imaginable.
While you can’t make money directly on Reddit just yet, that may change in the future. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has said the platform might take an approach similar to the gaming platform Roblox, where users can earn money on the site from each other.
For now, monetizing Reddit involves using communities to find money-making opportunities. Here are some specific ways to make money on Reddit, categorized by the type of earning opportunity each one provides.
Best Subreddits for Making Money
There are many subreddits where users discuss and share ways to make money. Communities like r/WorkOnline and r/Freelance cast a wide net and provide opportunities to talk and learn about many different ways to make money online.
Aside from those general forums, we’re going to highlight a few specific subreddits that take a more focused approach. Some of these communities may be ideal for finding opportunities you’d like to pursue.
#1. Best for Micro Jobs: r/SlaveLabour
r/SlaveLabour is a community with a tongue-in-cheek name where you can find small tasks that pay very modest amounts of money. The subreddit’s description says, “Get jobs done well below market rate,” so you shouldn’t expect to get rich.
Tasks include anything from data entry to graphic design, writing and more. Although the focus is on simple, low-paying tasks, SlaveLabour can be surprisingly helpful in the right situation. It’s similar to other microtasking websites like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk but in the form of a Reddit community.
Community members can post work opportunities if they’re looking to hire someone, and those who are looking to make money can bid on those tasks or post their availability and what they have to offer. The bidding is a simple functionality of the subreddit, and you can bid directly on posts if you’re interested in the work.
It would be easy to write off r/SlaveLabour since the jobs pay small amounts, but the pay for many of these gigs equals or exceeds what you can make with most other microtasking websites. So while what you can make is limited, this could be an ideal opportunity if you’re looking to make a small amount of extra money in your spare time.
The work is simple, and just about anyone can do most of the tasks, so there are few barriers in your way. It’s also highly flexible, and you can browse opportunities whenever you have the time.
#2. Best for Online Tasks and Rewards: r/BeerMoney
r/BeerMoney is a very active community that’s perfect for finding easy ways to earn extra money (for beer or anything else), up to a few hundred dollars per month. While r/SlaveLabour focuses on small tasks, r/BeerMoney is a terrific place to find online surveys, sign-up bonuses, paid reviews, passive income apps, and other easy ways to make extra cash.
Example posts include this one for receipt scanning apps and this one for microtasks.
There are many different ways to make small amounts of extra money online, and r/BeerMoney is the best resource on Reddit for finding these opportunities. With several new posts per day, there are always new opportunities featured here.
In addition to finding opportunities, the discussions in the r/BeerMoney community can also be helpful. For example, you’ll find discussions started by users asking if a specific site or program is legit or looking for feedback and suggestions from other users. Of course, you can create a thread to ask your own questions and get help from the community.
Overall, r/BeerMoney is best for users who are active in the community regularly and want to earn a small amount of extra money each month with only a modest effort.
#3. Best for Quick Money: r/SignupsForPay
r/SignupsForPay is a community for finding sign-up bonus offers, but there’s a twist: most of the offers posted by community members provide an additional incentive on top of the sign-up bonus itself.
For example, this post offered a $140 bonus to sign up for a checking account with Chime. In addition to the $100 bonus provided by Chime, the poster offers $40 to anyone who signs up through their referral link.
This is pretty typical of the types of offers you’ll find. Users will be getting a bonus for referring you, and they’re willing to share that referral bonus as an extra incentive.
Another example is this offer of $125 to sign up for a Discover credit card. The bonus from Discover is $100. The user is offering an additional $25 for anyone going through their referral link โ presumably because they make more than $25 for the referral.
There are some excellent opportunities to make money quickly in r/SignupsForPay, but you need to be careful of a few things:
- The community does what it can to prevent spam and fraud, but you may or may not get paid the money promised to you by other users.
- Be sure that you’re not violating the terms of the services you’re signing up for. Violating the terms could void your right to the bonus or lead to penalties.
- Some offers may be ethically questionable. Most of the offers are simple signup bonuses with added incentives, but if the poster asks you to do anything questionable or deceptive, you’ll need to use your own judgment.
Sign-up bonuses can be a fantastic way to make some extra money. And if you like sign-up bonuses, you’ll love the added incentive you can find through this active community.
For more options, check out our list of the best sites that pay you to sign up.
#4. Best for Earning Cryptocurrency: r/Jobs4Bitcoin
r/Jobs4Bitcoin is a job board for opportunities that pay in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Those looking to hire can post the details of the job, and those looking to make money can post the details of the services they’re offering, along with an hourly rate.
There are currently more posts from people looking to make money than there are posts from businesses who are hiring, but there are new job opportunities added just about every day.
While the jobs come in all shapes and sizes, many involve working with cryptocurrency or blockchain technology. Social media jobs are also prevalent in this community.
The jobs posted are legit opportunities, and they often offer the potential to make a more significant amount of money than you could make with the subreddits discussed above, primarily for smaller tasks.
One of the unique features of this community is that you can request a middleman for your transaction. There are several middlemen that the moderators have approved to protect both parties and prevent fraud. You can also report scammers or middlemen if you’ve been victimized. Overall, the community does what it can to ensure that users and opportunities are legit.
Related: The Best Ways to Get Free Cryptocurrency.
#5. Best for Writers: r/HireAWriter
Freelance writing is one of the best ways to make money online, but finding clients can be challenging. r/HireAWriter is essentially a job board for writers at various levels of experience. Clients can post opportunities for entry-level, general or advanced writers. Writers can also post their availability and areas of expertise.
r/HireAWriter stands out as an excellent resource for a couple of reasons:
- All posts must include a pay rate. You’ll always know how much you can earn from a project, and you won’t waste time applying to jobs that pay below the rate you want to make.
- Minimum pay rates exist. To post to the community, entry-level jobs must pay at least 5 cents per word, general jobs must pay at least 10 cents per word, and advanced jobs must pay at least 15 cents per word. While these numbers aren’t extremely high, they’re significantly higher than the rates paid by many leading platforms and enough to earn a decent living.
The community is active, although there are currently more posts from writers looking for work than posts from companies looking to hire. Still, there are plenty of new opportunities posted, and it’s worthy of your time if you’re a freelance writer or an aspiring freelance writer.
More: How to Become a Freelance Writer.
#6. Best for Visual Designers: r/DesignJobs
r/DesignJobs is a job board community for graphic designers and those looking to hire designers. Community members can post details of the job they’re hiring for, and designers can post their availability and details of what they have to offer.
Currently, most posts are from designers looking to get hired, but there are new work opportunities posted almost every day. Most of the jobs are graphic design gigs, like creating a logo or designing product packaging.
One of the most challenging parts of building a freelance business is finding clients early on before you start developing word-of-mouth referrals. r/DesignJobs could be an ideal way to find some work and gain experience.
The community moderators have established rules against bartering and design competitions (speculative work), so you should discover legit paying gigs here. Of course, you can also post your availability and pitch your services to those who might be browsing the subreddit.
If youโre just getting started in the field, you may also want to read through our guide to freelancing as a graphic designer.
Tips For Making Money on Reddit
- There’s a subreddit for everything. Take the time to find communities that are a good fit for you. You can use the subreddit search, browse FindAReddit, or do a Google search for “best subreddits on ___”.
- Become an active user. It’s hard to get anything significant out of Reddit if you’re only using it occasionally. Be active every day and contribute to the community if you want to get the most out of it, and be aware that many subreddits are only open to users with a certain amount of karma (the points you earn when your posts and comments get upvoted).
- Follow the rules. Reddit is not a very forgiving community. If you don’t follow the rules, you’re likely to get banned. Be sure to read and follow the rules of any subreddit you’re using. If you’re not sure about a rule, reach out to one of the subreddit’s moderators.
- Don’t expect to be anonymous. Assume that whatever you post on Reddit can be linked back to your identity. Many Reddit users have experienced consequences when their identity was discovered, including Ken Bone.
- Know your purpose. The communities we’ve covered here offer different types of opportunities. Some are small gigs that pay a few dollars here and there, and others are legit opportunities for freelancers to find client work. Know what your goal is and how much money you’re looking to make. The right opportunities will be determined by how they fit in with your goals.
How to Avoid Getting Scammed
Like any online community, Reddit comes with the possibility of getting scammed. The subreddits focused on making money are especially vulnerable to fraud because scammers know that other users are looking for income opportunities. They take advantage of those who might not use the best judgment.
Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself from being scammed on Reddit:
- Take advantage of features offered by the community. Several subreddits mentioned in this article have taken significant measures to prevent fraud and protect users, but you need to take advantage of the features. For example, r/SlaveLabour includes a bidding functionality, and known scammers are banned from bidding. The moderators urge users not to engage in direct messages (DMs) from users who do not bid because they are likely scammers. r/Jobs4Bitcoin’s middleman feature is another example of ways that the communities attempt to prevent fraud, but it’s up to users to follow the suggested practices.
- Vet other users. Don’t trust everyone who posts in these subreddits. By clicking on the username, you can see details like their length of time on Reddit, previous activity, and the Karma points they’ve earned. Fraudsters usually have relatively new accounts or little previous activity. You should be able to get an idea of a user’s legitimacy based on browsing their history.
- Reach out to moderators. These communities all have active moderators who are also members of the community. If you’re not sure of something or you suspect another user may be up to something, reach out to a moderator. They may be able to provide advice and help you determine if an opportunity is legit.
- Use your judgment and common sense. Although it’s helpful to have moderators and resources at your disposal, no one will make every decision for you. You’ll need to be ready to form your own conclusions. If something feels too good to be true, it probably is.
How to Make Money on Reddit FAQs
No, it is not currently possible to earn money directly from Reddit. However, you can use Reddit to find ways to make money. Specific subreddits exist to allow users to share ideas and discuss available opportunities. You can find plenty of money-making opportunities through the subreddits covered in this article.
Reddit does not allow the use of affiliate links. Some of the subreddits focused on making money will allow referral links, but it depends on the rules of that subreddit. Always be sure to check the rules before posting, and if you’re using a referral link, it’s a good practice to openly mention that it’s a referral link.
Yes, you can start a subreddit and monetize it, but there are limitations. Reddit does not allow you to place ads on your subreddit. However, you are allowed to create communities related to your brand, business or website, and you can post promotional content within the subreddit. You’ll monetize it by pointing users towards resources like your website rather than directly making money from the subreddit.
The extremely popular community r/WallStreetBets is a community for high-risk investing. Many users have made lots of money based on discussions covered in the community, but many others have lost money. It’s certainly not a safe way to make money, and you should only take significant investment risks with money you can afford to lose (and even then, it’s usually not wise).
Making Money Online With Reddit: Closing Thoughts
While it’s not currently possible to make money directly from Reddit, there are many ways to use the platform and its communities to generate income. Subreddits exist specifically to help users find income opportunities of different types, and we’ve covered some of the best and most active communities here.
To have the best results, you’ll need to be active regularly, and you’ll need to become a contributing part of the community. It can be a challenging platform if other users think you’re only there for your own benefit, so be sure to contribute to the community and focus on giving as much as you’re taking.
