As Reddit marks its second anniversary since opening its doors in Canada, the company shared insights on its growth in the region.
With a dedicated team on the ground and an office in Toronto, Reddit continues to expand its local workforce, as well as the popularity of its online communities and brand engagement.
Since launching its Canadian presence in April 2021, Reddit has experienced tremendous growth, increasing its size by 15 times.
The company now boasts more than 90 local employees, including Sales, Product, and Engineering teams.
This has made Canada the company’s second-largest workforce outside of the United States—and Reddit is not done yet as it continues to hire for several roles with plans to expand its team even further.
Reddit is looking to expand its Canadian workforce because the social media platform’s presence in Canada has made it the third-largest audience for the brand worldwide.
As one example, the largest Canadian community, r/canada, has grown to include 1.7 million members, making it the go-to platform for Canadian redditors to engage with other passionate individuals. The platform has grown 42% year-over-year in terms of screen views, making it a thriving community.
“People come to Reddit to learn and engage with others who are passionate about the same things as they are,” said Mary Ann Belliveau, Reddit’s Vice President of North America, LCS. “Redditors feel like they can bring their full selves to communities on Reddit and this creates a circle of trust between people.”
Among the hottest topics for Canadian redditors are entertainment and sports.
Last year, an AMA with iconic band Tragically Hip in r/canada became one of the most popular AMAs, drawing in nearly 5,000 comments and upvotes from passionate fans. Sports discussions on hockey and basketball are continuously gaining eyeballs in r/leafs and r/torontoraptors, with both communities growing in membership at 45% and 17% from the previous year.
In addition to entertainment and sports, Canadian users have come together on Reddit to support causes that matter to them.
During the 2022 holiday season, for example, a moderator of r/alberta led efforts to fundraise and partner with local food banks in the area to help families in need. The initiative expanded to 10 Reddit communities across Canada, raising over $34,000. As part of the Community Funds program, Reddit matched the donations with an additional $20,000 for the community-led effort.
As community engagement on the platform continues to grow, Reddit’s local advertising business is also expanding. The platform has become a go-to place for brands and services to reach Canadians, and companies such as Tim Hortons are actively working with Reddit’s Canadian arm.
“Redditors are incredibly passionate and influential, so we know the importance of being on the platform with relevant content,” said Tim Hortons’ Senior Manager, Media, Anthony Campos. “We’re excited to continue to work with the Reddit team and grow our presence on the platform.”
According to a recent study by Talk Shoppe, Reddit is a trusted platform for Canadians to learn more about brands and services.
Canadian redditors are more likely to trust a brand that participates on Reddit than brands they see advertising on other platforms. They are also more likely to make purchase decisions if recommended by others on Reddit and are more open to ads that provide new or useful information about a brand or service, data from Talk Shoppe suggests.
“With trust comes action, and specifically a willingness to trial a new product, so there is a huge opportunity for brands to add to the highly engaged conversations already taking place on Reddit,” believes Belliveau.
