Voices of Search Podcast

Episode: Reddit vs. Google: The Future of AI Search

Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Danny Kirk, Founder of Ready Reach
Date: January 12, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Jordan Cooney hosts Danny Kirk, founder of Ready Reach, to explore the seismic influence of Reddit on search engine optimization (SEO), AI-driven search tools, and content marketing. They delve into Reddit’s evolving role as a primary data source for large language models (LLMs) powering tools like Google Search, ChatGPT, and Claude, analyzing what this means for brands and marketers. The conversation also covers practical strategies for leveraging Reddit ethically, navigating reputation risks, and understanding how discussions on Reddit shape AI search results and, therefore, public perception.

Main Topics & Insights

1. Reddit’s Surprising SEO and AI Influence

Timestamps: 00:43–03:02

• AI prioritizes Reddit content:
  • “86% of AI citations come from sources brands already control. So how do you navigate a community like Reddit when it's top of mind in AI responses? ... Reddit is beating traditional SEO out of the game of rankings in Google.” — Jordan Cooney (00:43)
• Reddit as the new battleground:
  • “That means your brand reputation is being shaped by Redditors and not your marketing team.” — Jordan (01:03)
• Heavy investment validates Reddit’s data value:
  • “Google paying $60 million to license Reddit data and Sam Altman holding 9% stake in Reddit stock ... Reddit is becoming the AI training ground for discovery.” — Jordan (01:11)

2. Danny Kirk’s Unusual Path to Reddit Marketing

Timestamps: 03:02–05:56

• Musician to marketer: Danny shares going from classically trained trumpet player to startup founder, eventually building Ready Reach, an agency helping brands ethically scale their presence on Reddit.
• Personal connection to Reddit:
  • “For me personally, it's like a source of truth on many matters. Lots of hobbies and business. If I'm looking for product reviews, if I'm traveling someplace, all that jazz.” — Danny Kirk (04:56)
• Reddit’s growing importance: Recognized Reddit as the largest, easily influenced data source for AI and doubled down on it in their agency practice.

3. Case Study: Underdog Success Amidst Giants

Timestamps: 05:56–07:07

• Protein bar brand story:
  • “We did have a protein bar brand… their competitor is a nine-figure behemoth … but you know, they weren't doing much on Reddit or weren't doing much on AI search. So we were able to kind of fight for the underdog ... and then getting picked up by AI search as well.” — Danny (06:08)
• Lesson: Niche targeting within Reddit communities can help smaller brands punch above their weight and get noticed by AI engines.

4. Shifting AI Citations: Is Reddit’s Dominance Waning?

Timestamps: 07:07–09:27

• Statistical reality check:
  • “It was like 80… some charts said 90%. Let's just all acknowledge that's way too high … But you're right, it did drop from 80% down to 20% on average.” — Danny (07:48)
• 20% is still huge:
  • “When you look at sources of any data, 20% is quite a bit.” — Danny (08:30)
• Reddit’s value proposition for LLMs: Reddit’s unique, up-to-date human data makes it valuable for LLMs compared to the static, brand-controlled websites.

5. Financial & Human Incentives Behind Reddit–AI Partnerships

Timestamps: 09:27–11:34

• Reddit’s first viable business model:
  • “Reddit has been famously unprofitable for its entire existence. Thank goodness for LLM scraping their data because they might not have been around today. So this is finally a business model that is working for them…” — Danny (10:23)
• LLMs need current, unbiased data:
  • “They also need up-to-date information. ... You can't get it directly from the website, that's too biased.” — Danny (10:50)

6. Reputation Risk (and Reward): Reddit’s Community Power

Timestamps: 13:01–16:26

• Reddit as a reliable reputation mechanism:
  • “One of the greatest features of Reddit is the upvote and the downvote. It is the law of the crowd… And you look at the crowd's voice and it's actually pretty accurate.” — Danny (14:08)
• Marketing with integrity:
  • “We were told that we're the first non-sketchy marketers… We care about our brands, we follow the rules, we don't say untrue things, … do a really great job at what we're focusing on because of reputation.” — Danny (15:17)

7. Long-term Reddit Marketing Strategies

Timestamps: 16:26–17:37

• Value-first engagement:
  • “Our number one goal is to help the reader. It's not to mention our client's brand even. … Just snowballed over time… reputation increases and then AI is continually scraping that information.” — Danny (16:44)

8. What Brands Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Reddit?

Timestamps: 17:37–19:54

• Best fit: Broad total addressable market (TAM) and niche products; e-commerce brands with specific subreddits.
• Less fit: Small, geographically limited businesses.
• Buy button future:
  • “ChatGPT released this, what was it, three weeks ago ... your future customer is never going to your website ... It gave three recommendations ... and then there's a buy it now button …” — Danny (19:02)

9. The Cycle from Reddit Sentiment to AI Search Results

Timestamps: 19:54–21:58

• Reverse engineering visibility:
  • “You could just go onto Google, type in best X for Y Reddit, and it'll show you all the top Google rated links. You could then ask ChatGPT ... and just see what people are involved with.” — Danny (20:37)
• Transparency limits: Acknowledges AI models are black boxes, but evidence shows Reddit content surfaces in AI answers.

10. Managing Negative Sentiment on Reddit

Timestamps: 21:58–23:41

• Don’t feed trolls:
  • “You never feed a troll on Reddit. ... There is only downside in that. … Just really focus on adding value and being helpful in ones that are virgin territory.” — Danny (22:15)
• Practical advice: Ignore isolated negative posts and invest in constructive engagement elsewhere.

11. Brands Being Proactive on Reddit

Timestamps: 23:41–25:12

• Branded accounts should serve, not sell:
  • “I really love the approach of just being like a branded customer service representative... Just being out there and being helpful... Not being salesy, not being pushy, just answering questions and trying to be helpful…” — Danny (24:15)

12. Will Reddit Be the Next Wikipedia for AI?

Timestamps: 25:12–27:11

• Predicting Reddit’s role:
  • “Wikipedia is kind of a static thing though. So Reddit is always changing and moving and sentiment about brands, whereas Wikipedia is more like historical information… Reddit is like the voice of the crowd.” — Danny (26:04)
• Reddit’s staying power: Unless a new contender emerges, Reddit will remain a crucial data source for AI search.

Notable Quotes

• “Reddit is becoming the AI training ground for discovery.” — Jordan Cooney (01:11)
• “What do the big LLMs want? They want that human data and they’re not going to pay $60 million a year if it’s bad data, if it’s fake data, if it’s just bots talking to bots.” — Danny Kirk (08:58)
• “Your future customer is never going to your website... They're not googling anymore. Your website doesn't matter. Your ads don't matter. All they did was they typed in something into ChatGPT.” — Danny Kirk (19:02)
• “Reddit is like the voice of the crowd… And you look at the crowd's voice and it's actually pretty accurate.” — Danny Kirk (14:08)
• “You never feed a troll on Reddit. ... Just really focus on adding value and being helpful in ones that are virgin territory.” — Danny Kirk (22:15)
• “Wikipedia is kind of a static thing though. … Reddit is like the voice of the crowd.” — Danny Kirk (26:04)

Key Takeaways for Marketers & Brands

• Reddit has a significant, direct impact on how brands are represented in AI search results—management of Reddit presence is now essential, not optional.
• Marketers should focus on value-driven, transparent interactions on Reddit—helpful engagement is more effective than traditional ads and less risky for reputation.
• Negative posts should not be engaged directly; focus on building positive momentum elsewhere.
• Brands best-suited for Reddit: Large or worldwide e-commerce brands with engaging niche products.
• Proactive customer engagement on Reddit builds trust and can directly influence AI-generated recommendations, possibly replacing traditional SEO and ads in some cases.
• Reddit’s role as a key AI data source is likely to remain strong, but marketers must be ready for evolving platforms and algorithms.

For more insights or to contact Danny Kirk, visit readyreach.com or check the Voices of Search show notes.