How I Reached Nearly 1 Million Women with a Healthcare Reddit AMA

Authentic connection starts with listening. Reaching expectant mothers with the information they need, when they need it.

Nine months ago, I stepped away from corporate America to focus on consulting full-time. Since then, I’ve worked with a range of healthcare brands. Some projects stand out not just for their results, but for how clearly they reflect the kind of marketing I believe in.

This is one of them.

This fall, I led a campaign with DiabetesSisters, in partnership with The DECIDE Study and Dr. Kartik Venkatesh, to launch their first-ever Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) focused on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The goal was to bring accurate, empathetic, and evidence-based guidance directly to the women most affected by GDM, a group often underserved by traditional health communication.

The campaign reached over 900,000 women, became one of the most cost-effective health campaigns on Reddit in 2025, and demonstrated how community-centered strategies can drive both reach and real impact.

Here’s how I approached it, and what I learned along the way.

The Problem: Clinical Research Isn’t Reaching the Right People

Gestational diabetes affects 1 in 8 pregnancies in the U.S. Yet many women still lack accessible, relatable information about what it means and how to manage it.

The DECIDE Study aims to improve outcomes for women living with or at risk of GDM through better screening, earlier diagnosis, and postpartum care. But to make that mission meaningful, it was essential to connect with women where they already seek information and support.

That led me to Reddit.

The Strategy: Reach Women Where They Are

Reddit is an underutilized but powerful platform in health communication. It hosts vibrant, candid communities like r/BabyBumps and r/GestationalDiabetes, where women openly share questions, concerns, and lived experiences around pregnancy and health.

To reach this audience effectively, I led the planning and execution of a Reddit AMA campaign designed to:

• Connect women directly with a GDM expert, Dr. Kartik Venkatesh

• Build trust through approachable and transparent conversation

• Provide a long-term educational resource beyond the live event

What I Did

• Hosted a live Reddit AMA on u/DiabetesSisters

• Created a library of seed questions aligned with the study’s focus on screening, diagnosis, and follow-up

• Built a Gestational Diabetes Resource Hub for continued access to information

• Ran targeted Reddit ads to drive discovery and engagement

• Promoted the AMA through DiabetesSisters’ network and DECIDE’s community outreach

What Happened

• 617,325 total impressions across Reddit ads and posts

• 0.90% AMA thread click-through rate (CTR), three times higher than the Reddit benchmark for health campaigns

• $0.22 cost per click (CPC), significantly below industry averages

• 904,000 Reddit profile views, driven by both paid and organic interest

What I Learned from a Healthcare Reddit AMA

This campaign confirmed a few core beliefs I hold about effective healthcare marketing:

• Don’t make assumptions about where or how to reach people. What works for one audience, product, or condition may fall flat for another. It's critical to approach each campaign with fresh eyes and an open mind.

• Be willing to experiment. Just because a platform or format is new to your brand or community doesn’t mean it won’t work. In this case, Reddit turned out to be one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to connect with the right audience.

• Lead with listening. Before deciding what to say or where to say it, take time to understand the audience’s questions, challenges, and lived experiences. The strongest strategies are grounded in empathy and insight.

• AMA formats work. They humanize research, break down barriers to engagement, and create safe spaces for open and vulnerable conversations. Also

• Authentic voices often resonate more than polished brand content. People want to hear from others who understand what they’re going through. Content that feels real, relatable, and rooted in shared experience often builds more trust than highly produced messaging.

• Translating research into real-world conversations is possible. When you meet people on their terms, they engage more deeply, ask better questions, and are more likely to act.

This project was also a reminder that when healthcare brands listen more than they broadcast, they build stronger relationships and drive better outcomes.

Looking Ahead

As I head into the new year, I remain committed to working with mission-driven healthcare organizations that want to create real connection and measurable impact. Whether it’s bringing clinical research to life, shaping content strategies, or uncovering new ways to meet people where they are, I’m excited about what’s ahead.

If you’re looking to reach patients, providers, or partners more meaningfully, I’d love to help.