Thank you so much, Micaela! This is a great comprehensive review and the list of subreddits to check out -- I am motivated to give it a whirl.
Original Message:
Sent: 06-12-2025 07:56 AM
From: Micaela Knox
Subject: Successful use of Reddit for visitor engagement?
Hi! Off-and-on reddit user. Sorry this is a long reply, but I hope it answers all of your questions:
I follow three museum-related subreddits:
- r/museum is used as a catch-all to showcase artworks, though I'm always elated when someone breaks the mould and posts other objects. It has a very large and active daily community.
- r/museumporn is NOT NSFW (porn used in this context means stylized images or videos for enthusiasts of the topic). That said, not a very popular subreddit, with only a few posts a month and the quality of content isn't very consistent. This is a great place for if you're researching exhibit design or museum architecture.
- r/museumpros is the community for exactly that. Daily posts and committed users. The post topics tend to skew towards younger professionals.
- r/museums is the catch-all for all of the above content. The audience feels like it is more for museum-goers.
Then there's related subs, like r/artefactporn, r/talesfromthemuseum, r/history, and subs dedicated to all of the different niches of history and culture you can think of.
I find Reddit to be a great place to kickstart my research and ask obscure questions. It's also fantastic finding that one topic that is riveting for you and you find is also exciting for others. It comes at the risk of being a community-moderated, anonymous social media though. Moderation is not consistent across the many subreddits, and unless sources and proof is provided, you can never 100% tell if information is accurate.
That said, I think it's a great idea for a museum or museum professionals to use Reddit to broaden the museum's message. Find that enthusiast topic niche or start your own and promote the heck out of it all over the place.
Establish your account as the verified official voice of the museum. On Reddit, verification tends be a post that explicitly states yourmuseum name, place, and website, plus the user's title and credits, often with an attached image that somehow communicates legitimacy (professional sitting in a professional space holding a sign that shows the account username or the subreddit you're posting on).
AMAs (Ask Me Anything) are popular forum events. Build the hype across your messaging platforms that your museum will host an AMA on a certain subreddit alongside a leading voice on the topic, like a curator, archivist, researcher, or someone even more grassroots (an artist, lender, donor, community member accessed for an exhibit/collection/museum project?). Establish a start and end time for the event. It's helpful to also set some boundaries. Most popular AMA-dedicated subreddits are /IAmA and r/AMA. You can find great examples on how to run an AMA there.
Here is a thread that shows that there's excitement for a museum-hosted AMA almost anywhere, including on r/mustard.
Other than that, just generally engage with the audiences there. Reddit is majorly a community for information sharing, so share that information!
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Micaela Knox
Program Coordinator
Great American Songbook Foundation
Carmel IN
Original Message:
Sent: 06-11-2025 01:45 PM
From: Andie Hall
Subject: Successful use of Reddit for visitor engagement?
Hello! Has anyone had success with Reddit as means to engage with potential and past visitors? With over 70 million daily users it seems as though the opportunity is strong! If you have had experience (success or not) what are the subreddits/threads/posts etc. that have worked? Does anyone follow or enjoy any museum specific subreddits?
Thank you in advance for your insight!
andie
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Andie Hall
Cultural Partnerships
Verboort, OR
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