How to evaluate a reddit marketing agency without getting burned by spam tactics

Hiring a reddit marketing agency used to mean paying someone to drop astroturfed comments in existing threads, but with AI search engines like Perplexity sourcing Reddit content for up to 47% of answers, agencies have shifted toward Generative Engine Optimization. Full-service retainers currently run between $5,000 and $15,000 per month, yet many providers still rely on low-effort accounts that risk getting your domain blacklisted by moderators.

A far more stable strategy is building your own branded community hub for search indexing. When we set up a dedicated subreddit using Subgrow to publish daily answers targeted at high-intent search questions, AppFollow picked up 19 Gemini citations in under three weeks. The main downside of this approach is that an owned subreddit will not deliver immediate viral spikes; it functions as a long-term search and citation asset rather than a quick traffic bump.

Are you finding better search return from owning a dedicated brand subreddit or from paying agencies to place comments in established communities?