"The Inside Story on How Reddit Was Created: Harnessing Virality to Make the World Suck Less"

"The Inside Story on How Reddit Was Created: Harnessing Virality to Make the World Suck Less"

The creation of Reddit is an inspiring tale of two young entrepreneurs, Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman, who sought to make the world a better place. They drew inspiration from two popular websites of their time, Delicious and Slashdot, and combined their ideas to develop Reddit. The journey began when the duo joined Y Combinator (YC), a startup accelerator, and dedicated countless hours to crafting the first version of Reddit.

To their surprise, YC founder Paul Graham linked to Reddit in a blog post, driving its first thousand visitors. However, in the early days, Ohanian and Huffman resorted to creating fake users and content to populate the site. This strategy was short-lived, as the genuine engagement and contributions of real users quickly replaced their fabricated content.

One of the keys to Reddit's success was the incorporation of virality into its core mechanics. This approach aligns with the principles outlined in "9 Ways to Build Virality into your Product." Let's explore some of these strategies and how they relate to Reddit's growth.

Firstly, creating an incentive for users to invite their friends and for their friends to accept the invite is crucial for viral growth. LinkedIn understood this concept, displaying the number of connections on users' profiles to incentivize them to invite more people to join their network. Similarly, Reddit successfully motivated users to share content and engage with others, building a strong community.

Additionally, enabling collaboration and communication between users is inherently viral. Products that facilitate teamwork or coworking naturally attract more users as their value increases with each additional participant. Reddit fostered this sense of collaboration by allowing users to post and discuss various topics, encouraging active participation and engagement.

Furthermore, embedding your product into other websites can significantly expand its reach. By doing so, you not only gain exposure but also provide potential users with a firsthand experience of your product's content and functionalities. Reddit's ability to be shared and integrated into other platforms contributed to its widespread adoption.

Another effective strategy for creating virality is social sharing. If your product generates compelling and shareable content, users are more likely to spread the word on their social networks. Auto-shared content onto other networks, as Chris Dixon describes it, can be a powerful tool in attracting new users. By creating appealing artifacts that users want to share, Reddit tapped into this aspect of virality.

Moreover, incorporating viral loops into your product's core mechanics is essential. These loops involve users spreading awareness and consideration of your product. However, it is crucial to note that virality alone is not enough. The quality of the product plays a significant role in converting users and fostering loyalty. As Hotmail demonstrated with its signature line in emails, the product itself must provide a valuable experience that compels users to share and engage with it.

In conclusion, the story of Reddit's creation showcases the power of harnessing virality to build a successful product. Ohanian and Huffman's journey, combined with the actionable advice outlined above, serves as a reminder that incorporating virality into the core mechanics of a product from the start is crucial. By incentivizing users, enabling collaboration, embedding the product into other platforms, encouraging social sharing, and focusing on product quality, entrepreneurs can increase the chances of their product gaining traction and making a positive impact in the world.