Why your content feels flat, and how reddit can fix it
The secret to making an emotional connection with your content is hiding in Reddit threads.
Sanitized content doesn’t connect
Most content sounds like it was written by robot, even when it wasn’t. That’s what happens when we start with insights that have been aggregated and summarized until they are stripped of all emotion, personality, and pain. The same thing happens when brands use AI to write for personas that don’t actually exist. Read on if you want to learn how to avoid a common mistake that content writers make when using AI.
It starts with voice-of-the-customer (VOC) research.
Sanitized summarizes of customer insights feel shallow and lifeless because the raw emotion is stripped away. No wonder your social media posts aren’t getting engagement. You need to speak to people in language they relate to, using their own words. This is true for B2B and B2C because we write content for people.
A common practice in the AI age is to simulate a persona. When AI does this, it scrapes generalized content and synthesizes an average. A sanitized, generic average. And you don’t want your brand to show up as average in markets dominated by heavy competition. You want your brand to stand out.
Relatable content is one way to do that. So how do you get there?
Why Reddit?
With AI-generated content taking over the internet, Reddit is one of the last goldmines of human conversation. It’s not curated for likes or SEO. It’s responsive, raw, and immediate. People go to Reddit to be real, to vent, to ask for help, and to tell the truth about what they’re experiencing — good or bad. That’s where you’ll find the source of emotional truth.
Reddit isn’t just a forum. It’s a focus group you didn’t have to pay for.
It rewards value, not polish. Authentic, valuable content gets upvoted. Forced promotional content gets penalized. It’s one of the last platforms where real talk still rises.
Reddit’s new AI tools confirm the power of voice-of-customer
Reddit just launched two new AI-powered tools as part of its advertising suite:
Reddit Insights — a social listening tool that taps into 22 billion comments and posts to analyze audience sentiment and emerging trends.
Conversation Summary Add-Ons — which let advertisers display real, positive user comments beneath their promoted posts.
Sources:
Reuters — Reddit unveils AI-driven ad tools to help brands tap into user discussions (June 2025)
Axios — Reddit launches new “Community Intelligence” tools for advertisers (June 2025)
These tools are designed to help brands show up more authentically — and they confirm what I’ve been saying: Reddit is one of the most powerful sources of voice-of-customer insight available today.
And here’s the important part:
You don’t need a paid media budget or access to Reddit’s new tools to get these insights.
All of this emotional truth is already out there, in public threads, waiting to be explored. You can still search subreddits, mine pain points, collect user language, and turn that into content that resonates, without spending a dollar on ads.
So while these new tools are interesting, the real power comes from listening well.
That’s free.
AI Amplifies what you know — and what you don’t
AI is very useful for conducting research, analyzing patterns, and providing insights. But garbage in equals garbage out. If you don’t feed AI good source material or provide guidelines, it will hallucinate. You’ll get expert-sounding BS that puts your brand at risk.
This is why I recommend having experts in the driver’s seat. AI amplifies strategic thinking, but it can’t replace it.
So what do you feed it? When it comes to emotional content, feed it real stories. Actual conversations. Emotional verbatims from your audience. That’s how you get output that’s nuanced and personal.
How to Use Reddit for VOC
Here’s how I approach it:
Search Reddit. Go beyond your product category. Look at the communities where your people actually hang out. r/smallbusiness, r/smarthome, r/RunningShoeGeeks — whatever fits.
Gather verbatims. Look for emotional phrases. Pain points. Frustration. Confusion. Hope. Regret. “I feel dumb every time I try…” “I just want something that works".”
Create individual reports. Start with this framework:
What are they trying to accomplish?
What’s the emotional context or trigger?
What are their pain points?
What is their desired outcome (emotional relief)?
What assumptions do they have?
What have they tried? What failed? What were the consequences?
Let AI analyze the reports. Tell it to reference only your data. No assumptions. No made-up filler. Use it to find patterns, group stories, and identify emotional drivers.
Turn insights into content. Now your blog post, email, or ad copy isn’t just strategic — it’s relatable. Because it mirrors your customer’s real experience and uses their words.
Camping enthusiasts (like me) discussing which camp stove to buy in this subreddit.
From these 3 comments alone we gain these insights that can help with storytelling over real pain points and needs:
Is the extra $20 worth it
Wind resistance is important
Beach camping is a specific use-case
A reliable push-button igniter is important
It has a gas regulator while others do not
Cupped burner is a feature that helps keep stove lit
I have the MSR Pocket Rocket 2 Deluxe. I consulted Reddit when comparing backpacking stoves that stayed lit and allowed me to simmer so I could cook real food on the trail. Since it costs more than other stoves I wanted to make sure it had the features I needed. Reddit was invaluable for sharing real-user stories to help me make my decision.
Why this works
Individual stories are real. Relatable. That’s what drives engagement whether you’re comparing SaaS solutions or buying running shoes.
When you find trends — similar stories, repeated pain points — you find a common problem. When you tell an individual story, you give that problem a unique voice. Not a generic aggregate that fails to connect.
Reddit will tell you what your users REALLY think. That’s your opportunity to develop content that resonates.
But be careful
Reddit can also be an echo chamber. It’s not always accurate. Responses aren’t vetted. You need discernment. Triangulate what you find and flag unsubstantiated claims.
Still, for emotional resonance, authority, and relatable user stories? It doesn’t get better than Reddit.
Final Thoughts
Real content starts with real listening.
If your content feels flat, you’re probably starting in the wrong place. Don’t ask AI to pretend to be your audience. Go listen to them. They’re already telling you what they need. Reddit makes it easier to hear.
And when you are done creating content, you can ask your AI-developed audience persona for feedback and validation. That’s the best use of AI created personas.
So before you brief your next blog post to your team (or ChatGPT), do yourself a favor: spend 15 minutes on Reddit. Search a subreddit your audience uses. Read. Highlight. Steal like a strategist. And write content based on what real people are already saying.
This blog was written by me, with a little help from AI.