What changed
Reddit renamed its crosspost feature to 'repost' on June 4, 2026, with the change now live on all platforms. The core functionality remains the same: users can still share an existing Reddit post into another eligible community. Reddit described the rename as "part of a broader set of updates we're testing to make Reddit simpler and more intuitive to all redditors."
A week later, on June 11, video comments became available in all eligible, public, safe-for-work communities, with moderators given an early access period to update settings before the feature rolled out to all users. The feature lets any Redditor upload or record a short-form video reply directly in the comments of any post.
A video icon now appears alongside the existing image and GIF options in the comment box, allowing users to either upload an existing video or record one in place. Videos do not autoplay, and Reddit's safety systems check video comments before they are posted.
What it means for social media marketers
The terminology shift from 'crosspost' to 'repost' isn't cosmetic. It's Reddit adopting the language every other platform already uses, lowering the barrier for newer users while quietly eroding what made Reddit distinct. That matters for marketers because it signals Reddit is no longer protecting its text-first, community-purist identity. It's chasing mainstream engagement.
Video comments are the bigger strategic move. The launch reflects Reddit's broader push to become a more visual platform as it competes for engagement with TikTok and YouTube. Where Reddit once won on depth of discussion and anonymity, it's now asking users to perform on camera or upload reaction clips, the exact behaviour TikTok has normalised.
Celebrity and expert AMAs are a natural fit: a host can record personalised video responses to individual questions in the thread. But Reddit's user base has traditionally favoured anonymity and text-based discussion, and in practice, video comments are likely to become another meme format, with users replying to posts with reaction clips rather than showing themselves on camera.
For brands, this is an opportunity if you move early. Video comments open a channel for tutorial content, product demos, and behind-the-scenes replies that feel native to the thread rather than interrupting it. The feature enables brands to share authentic, face-to-face responses, tutorials, or behind-the-scenes moments rather than being limited to text, images, or GIFs. The format suits technical products, how-to content, and any category where showing beats telling.
Subreddit moderators can disable the feature for their communities, and only public, SFW subreddits are eligible; private and NSFW communities are excluded. That moderator control is Reddit protecting itself from the obvious risks (spam, harassment, low-quality content flooding comment threads), but it also means the feature's reach will be uneven. Some of your target communities will allow it; others won't. You'll need to map that before planning video-led engagement.
Why Reddit is doing this now
Reddit's been posting sharp growth. The platform reached 126.8 million daily active unique users in Q1 2026, up 17% year-over-year, with total revenue of $663 million representing 69% annual growth; in Q4 2025, Reddit reported $726 million in revenue at 70% growth, with 121.4 million daily active users.
But growth alone doesn't explain the visual pivot. What does is competition for time spent. TikTok owns short-form visual engagement. YouTube dominates long-form. Instagram has Reels. Reddit's text threads, no matter how good, don't compete for the same eyeball hours. Video comments are Reddit's attempt to capture more time on platform without abandoning the discussion model that still differentiates it.
The timing also aligns with Reddit's broader monetisation agenda. Whether Reddit plans to extend its advertising products to accommodate video in comments is not addressed in the announcement, but the platform's recent product trajectory shows systematic integration of engagement features with advertising capabilities, including Interactive Ads in November 2025, Dynamic Product Ads reaching general availability in May 2025, and Collection Ads and a Shopify integration announced at Shoptalk in March 2026. Each of those products followed the same logic: take an existing Reddit behaviour and build an advertising product around it. Video comments will likely follow.
What to do with it
If you're running brand or agency social, here's what changes:
Test video replies in your active communities. Identify the subreddits where your brand already has credibility, check whether video comments are enabled, and experiment with short, useful video responses. A 15-second clip showing how your product works in reply to a question will outperform a 200-word explanation.
Adapt your Reddit content strategy to include visual assets. Reddit used to reward long, well-researched text posts. That's still true, but now the discussion underneath can be visual. If you're posting product updates, technical guides, or campaign announcements, prepare supporting video content that works as a comment response, not just a standalone post.
Don't over-invest yet. Video comments are new, moderators can disable them, and Reddit's community culture will take time to settle on what constitutes good versus spammy video use. Run small tests, measure engagement relative to text and image replies, and scale only where the data supports it.
Watch the advertising product roadmap. If Reddit builds a video comment ad unit, early adopters will have an advantage. The platform's ad products have consistently followed feature rollouts by a few months. If you're already testing organic video comments, you'll understand the format when the paid opportunity arrives.
Reddit's no longer the text purist in the corner. It's moving toward the visual engagement model every other platform is already betting on. Whether that's good for Reddit's community culture is debatable. Whether it's good for marketers willing to adapt early is not.