Reddit’s VP of International Growth, Durgesh Kaushik, sits down with Mobile Marketing Magazine to discuss the innovative strategies being implemented by the social media platform to scale growth in core regions, enhance accessibility and revolutionise internationalisation.

Kaushik joined the social media forum in December last year, being appointed Vice President of Growth of APAC and Emerging Markets before his promotion earlier this year.

Now as the VP of International, Kaushik is spearheading a comprehensive internationalisation strategy, focusing on responsible scaling and growth across all of Reddit’s core regions.

“My work is focused on creating a truly local and culturally relevant experience for people, no matter where they live,” Kaushik says.

“The more we can deliver this to audiences worldwide, the more benefit we will ultimately bring to local advertisers in these markets.”

On expanding into new markets

Over the past three years, Reddit’s international footprint has “grown steadily”, according to the former Snap Managing Director.

As a result, the company has entered markets including the UK, Canada, Australia and non-English speaking countries like Germany and France.

In all of these instances, Reddit was already, and completely organically, a thriving destination for local users, he claims.

However, before launching into a new market, there are several factors that need to be considered.

“We always look at where people are actively engaged on our platform and how we can continue to add value to their Reddit experience through teams on the ground, who bring invaluable local context and nuance, and ultimately allow us to scale the experience for users and advertisers alike,” Kaushik adds.

On becoming more accessible and culturally relevant

Kaushik’s broader internationalisation strategy at Reddit is centred around accessibility, localisation, cultural relevance and a true sense of “community and belonging”.

Part of this strategy includes connecting with local moderators, to ensure they have what they need to cultivate and grow their communities, which is something Reddit has been doing across multiple countries in the past year.

Another part of this is understanding where and how its local audience is spending their time on Reddit, and serving up experiences that enhance this activity.

For example, to celebrate the Cricket World Cup in November, the platform localised Reddit avatars and custom accessories for the participating countries, turning Reddit into an unofficial second screen for fans.

On future plans

Kaushik hints at ongoing innovations and technologies that will impact the internationalisation of mobile marketing, stressing that internationalisation efforts are inherent in everything Reddit builds.

As a result, he reveals the platform is focused on making Reddit more “accessible” and welcoming to a diverse set of users globally.

“We [Reddit] are trialling and testing products in international markets that will eventually be rolled out across the platform

“We are focused on making Reddit easier to use and more welcoming to a more diverse set of users around the world.

He concludes: “You will continue to see the product and design improvements that will simplify and streamline how people discover, join and contribute to communities, and bring new ways to engage in conversations and content – which is especially important to our growing international user base.”