Reddit tests audio and video formats to capture passive consumption
CEO Steve Huffman cites growing traction of narrated content on other platforms as the platform seeks to broaden its audience beyond traditional text readers.
Reddit has commenced a limited experiment to introduce audio and video versions of text posts and comments, allowing users to consume content via listening or viewing rather than reading. The initiative, available on iOS and Android applications, targets select English-language posts within specific communities to gauge user engagement and scalability.
The company describes the test as affecting a sample of posts across select communities, with original text remaining unchanged. These legacy posts will still link to the new media formats, enabling users to toggle between traditional text and the new audio or video experiences. It remains unclear exactly how the interface for these new formats will appear to end users.
CEO Steve Huffman previewed the change during the company’s second-quarter earnings call in July. He noted that narrated Reddit stories have gained traction on other social media platforms, where creators or text-to-speech tools read viral posts, sometimes accompanied by unrelated footage. Huffman described this emerging content type as akin to podcasts, suggesting that spoken-Reddit could be a highly engaging format.
This move follows a previous test of video comments introduced in June, which allowed users to post videos in comment threads. The latest experiment aligns with a broader effort by Reddit to attract new users and retain casual lurkers by offering passive consumption options that do not require reading walls of text.
The platform is known for maintaining its core features, including a legacy version of its site for longtime users who prefer the original interface. However, the introduction of these new formats marks a shift towards more interactive and multimedia-heavy content consumption within the community.
Claims regarding the effectiveness of the initiative in attracting new users are based on CEO statements and should be treated as strategic goals rather than verified outcomes. The description of the test as limited suggests it is not yet a full platform-wide rollout, and the long-term impact on user engagement remains to be seen.
