Recently, I spoke to student success professionals about the student experience data available through social intelligence. As always, I spent some time talking about Reddit, and the role it plays—particularly for younger people—in experience sharing, information gathering, and ultimately decision making. After the session I learned that some attendees were uncomfortable with real-life examples shared that mentioned their college.
I was surprised by this feedback, not only because I’ve been sharing examples like this in talks for nearly ten years, but also because of the beliefs I presume it reflects:
These are severely limiting beliefs for a higher ed administrator, with potentially serious consequences for reputation, enrollment, and fundraising. Reddit is on the rise. What’s happening on Reddit isn’t just a higher ed trend—it’s impacting nearly all verticals.
It’s the third most visited website in the United States (behind Google and YouTube). People visit Reddit.com more often than Facebook.com, Instagram.com, or Chatgpt.com.
Reddit’s daily active users have nearly doubled in the last two years.
48% of Americans aged 18–29 use Reddit—more than WhatsApp, X, and Threads. Reddit usage increases with household income and education level.
GenZ is 8x more likely to use Reddit than Baby Boomers. The only site with a larger age gap in users is Snapchat.
75 million people search Reddit every week, and that number is rising. Their latest shareholder letter says, “We’re redesigning the Reddit experience with a more modern, search-forward interface and streamlining onboarding so it’s easier for new users to find what they're looking for with a dynamic, personalized home feed.”
Reddit posts are also displayed prominently in Google search results, thanks to a 2024 partnership between the two companies.
Campus Sonar defines brand experience as how your specific stakeholders experience your brand, what they say about it, and whether or not they believe your brand provides unique value. Students are sharing their story—and seeking others’—on Reddit more than ever.
Campus Sonar found that over the last decade, the number of conversations on Reddit about college admissions increased over 900%.
Universities dedicate significant resources to “telling their story.” What stories can be told, who else will tell them, and how many people the stories will reach is greatly influenced by your brand equity—the value a brand holds in the minds of consumers. Campus Sonar measures five aspects of brand equity:
Reddit influences awareness, perception, and experience. People go to the site to find solutions for their needs, compare solutions in-depth based on consumer feedback, and inform decision-making. They then return to Reddit to share their experience after they’ve made their choice. It’s all public, and is archived indefinitely.
This is why Reddit is always part of our social intelligence-powered brand equity diagnostics. It’s paired with data from social media, news, blogs, and other forums to develop a holistic and authentic representation of your brand presence, with tailored recommendations to improve or leverage your brand equity.
If you’re eager to field a brand perception or student experience survey, yet nervous to know what’s said about your institution on Reddit, you’re not adequately assessing brand equity—especially with Gen Z.