Which Publications Do LLMs Cite Most? Targeting High-Value Media
Discover which publications LLMs cite most frequently and learn how to target high-value media for AI visibility. Data-driven guide to LLM citation patterns acr...
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The Sharp Decline: What Happened to Reddit Citations
In late September 2025, the digital marketing world experienced a significant shock. Reddit, which had been a dominant source for ChatGPT citations throughout the year, nearly vanished from AI-generated responses. According to data tracked by Seshes.ai, Reddit citations in ChatGPT dropped dramatically from approximately 14% in early September to just 2% by the end of the month—a decline of over 85% in visible citations. This sudden shift didn’t go unnoticed. Yahoo Finance reported on the impact to Reddit’s stock price, while industry analysts at AdExpert and Index Lab scrambled to understand what had changed. The drop was sharp, unexpected, and raised critical questions for brands that had invested in Reddit as part of their AI visibility strategy. However, it’s crucial to understand that this decline represents a change in visible citations—the links and references that appear in ChatGPT responses—rather than a complete exclusion of Reddit content from AI model training or internal knowledge bases.
Understanding the Root Causes Behind the Decline
The reasons behind Reddit’s sudden disappearance from ChatGPT citations are multifaceted and reveal important shifts in how AI systems retrieve and surface information. The primary culprit appears to be Google’s removal of the num=100 search parameter, which previously allowed tools like ChatGPT to efficiently access search results beyond the top 10 or 20 results. When this parameter was disabled, AI tools lost visibility into deeper search results where many Reddit threads rank. Since Reddit content often appears on page 2, 3, or beyond in Google search results, the restriction meant fewer Reddit threads were discoverable through Google’s search interface—the primary retrieval mechanism for ChatGPT’s web browsing feature.
| Aspect | What Changed | What Remained |
|---|---|---|
| Visible Citations | Dramatic drop from 14% to 2% in tracked samples | Reddit remains contractually available via OpenAI partnership |
| Underlying Usage | Unclear if internal knowledge usage changed | Reddit still contains valuable user-generated signals |
| Citation Reliability | Less predictable for brands relying on Reddit mentions | Reddit still ranks highly in traditional Google search |
| AI Model Behavior | Favoring fewer “canonical” sources (Wikipedia, official sites) | Reddit content may still inform model responses internally |
| Retrieval Mechanism | Limited to top search results only | Direct API access still available through partnerships |
Beyond the Google parameter change, AI systems appear to be shifting toward favoring fewer, more authoritative “answer-first” sources. Rather than citing multiple forum discussions, ChatGPT and similar models increasingly reference Wikipedia, official documentation, and structured knowledge bases. This represents a strategic choice by AI companies to provide more consolidated, authoritative answers rather than aggregating perspectives from multiple community sources. Additionally, there’s an important distinction between visible citations and actual usage. The model may still draw from Reddit content internally to inform its responses, but it simply doesn’t expose a clickable link to the source. This measurement artifact—where visible citations drop while actual knowledge usage remains—is a critical nuance that many observers missed.
The OpenAI-Reddit Partnership: Still Active and Relevant
Despite the dramatic drop in visible citations, the contractual relationship between OpenAI and Reddit remains intact and active. In May 2024, OpenAI and Reddit announced a formal partnership granting OpenAI access to Reddit’s Data API, providing real-time structured content for integration into ChatGPT and other OpenAI products. This $60 million deal (part of Reddit’s broader AI licensing strategy) ensures that Reddit content is formally recognized as a legitimate source for OpenAI’s systems. The partnership agreement has not been terminated or significantly altered, meaning Reddit remains a contractually approved content source for OpenAI’s models.
The key insight here is that contractual access does not guarantee visible citation. OpenAI can continue using Reddit content to train models and inform responses without displaying Reddit links in the final output. This distinction is crucial for understanding the current landscape. The decline in visible citations may reflect cost-efficiency decisions, changes in retrieval architecture, or strategic choices about which sources to highlight—but it doesn’t indicate that Reddit content has been excluded from the AI ecosystem. In fact, the partnership suggests the opposite: Reddit remains valuable enough to OpenAI that they continue paying for API access and data licensing rights.
Why Reddit Still Matters for AI Visibility
Despite the recent decline in ChatGPT citations, Reddit remains a critical component of the broader AI visibility landscape. First, Reddit continues to dominate traditional Google search results. As of late 2025, Reddit.com ranks as the second most visible domain in Google Search (US), appearing in 97.5% of product review queries and accounting for nearly two-thirds of Google’s “Discussions and Forums” SERP feature. This means that while ChatGPT citations may have declined, Reddit’s visibility in traditional search—which feeds into AI systems through various retrieval mechanisms—remains exceptionally strong.
Second, Reddit serves as an invaluable repository of authentic, user-generated content that AI systems continue to value:
- Authenticity and Trust Signals: Reddit discussions represent genuine peer-to-peer conversations, not marketing copy. AI systems recognize this authenticity and weight it accordingly.
- Community Validation: Upvotes, downvotes, and threaded discussions create a built-in quality filter that helps surface reliable information.
- Diverse Perspectives: Reddit hosts discussions across every conceivable topic, providing AI systems with nuanced, multi-perspective content that enriches model responses.
- Real-World Problem Solving: Users share actual experiences, failures, and solutions—information that’s invaluable for practical, actionable AI responses.
- Longevity and Searchability: Unlike social media posts that disappear, Reddit threads remain indexed and discoverable for years, providing persistent knowledge sources.
Third, other AI platforms continue to cite Reddit heavily. While ChatGPT citations declined, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and other emerging AI systems still reference Reddit threads frequently. The decline appears to be specific to ChatGPT’s retrieval strategy rather than a universal shift across all AI platforms.
Shifting from Forum-Mentions to Answer-First Authority
The decline in Reddit citations signals a broader shift in how AI systems evaluate and surface information. Rather than hoping your brand gets mentioned in a Reddit thread that ChatGPT happens to cite, the new paradigm requires building answer-first authority on your own owned properties. This represents a fundamental change in AI SEO (or Generative Engine Optimization—GEO) strategy.
Instead of relying on Reddit mentions to drive AI citations, brands should focus on creating comprehensive, well-structured content on their own domains that directly answers the questions their audience asks in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. This means developing content that is:
- Structured for AI Parsing: Use clear headings, bullet points, numbered lists, FAQ sections, and schema markup that AI systems can easily extract and understand.
- Answer-Oriented: Create content specifically designed to answer common questions, not just promote products. Think “How to,” “Why,” “What is,” and “Comparison” formats.
- Authoritative and Trustworthy: Build E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) through author bios, credentials, citations, and consistent publishing.
- Current and Maintained: AI systems favor fresh, regularly updated content. Outdated information gets deprioritized.
- Comprehensive: Provide depth and nuance rather than surface-level answers. AI systems cite sources that thoroughly address user intent.
The shift from “hope to be mentioned on Reddit” to “own the answer on your domain” represents a maturation of AI visibility strategy. It’s more work upfront, but it provides far greater control and reliability than depending on community mentions.
Diversifying Your Citation Pathways
One critical lesson from Reddit’s citation decline is the danger of over-reliance on any single visibility channel. If your AI visibility strategy depended primarily on Reddit mentions driving ChatGPT citations, you’ve experienced a significant setback. The solution is diversification across multiple citation pathways.
A robust AI visibility strategy should include:
- Owned Content Authority: Your website, blog, and knowledge base as primary answer sources
- Structured Data Optimization: Schema markup (FAQ, HowTo, Article) that helps AI systems understand and cite your content
- Multiple Platform Presence: Visibility across different AI systems (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini) rather than optimizing for one
- Traditional SEO Foundation: Strong Google rankings that feed into AI retrieval mechanisms
- Strategic Community Engagement: Authentic participation in Reddit and other forums, but not as your primary visibility driver
- Third-Party Authority: Mentions and citations on reputable industry sites, news outlets, and expert platforms
This hybrid approach ensures that if one channel experiences disruption—like Reddit citations declining—your overall AI visibility remains stable. You’re not betting everything on a single platform’s algorithm or partnership decisions.
Practical Reddit Strategy Adaptation
Rather than abandoning Reddit entirely, the smart move is to adapt your Reddit strategy to reflect the new reality. Reddit remains valuable, but in different ways than before. Instead of viewing Reddit primarily as a citation-generation channel, consider it a multi-purpose tool in your broader strategy:
Content Ideation and Research: Reddit is an unparalleled source of real customer questions, pain points, and language. Monitor relevant subreddits to understand what your audience actually cares about, then create comprehensive answers on your own site addressing these topics.
Community Listening and Reputation Management: Track mentions of your brand, products, and competitors across Reddit. Understand what people are saying, identify common objections, and respond constructively to both praise and criticism.
Authentic Engagement: Participate genuinely in communities where your expertise is relevant. Share insights, answer questions, and provide value without overt promotion. This builds credibility and may still result in citations, but shouldn’t be your primary goal.
Monitoring Subreddit Visibility: Track which subreddits and threads still appear in Google search results and AI citations. Focus your efforts on communities that maintain visibility rather than spreading yourself thin across dozens of subreddits.
User-Generated Content Insights: Use Reddit discussions to identify case studies, testimonials, and real-world use cases that you can develop into more polished content on your owned properties.
The key is shifting from a “promotion-focused” Reddit strategy to a “research and engagement-focused” approach. You’re mining Reddit for insights and building relationships, not primarily trying to get cited.
Measuring Success in the New AI Landscape
Traditional metrics like Google organic traffic and keyword rankings are no longer sufficient for understanding your visibility in the AI era. You need new measurement frameworks focused on AI citation tracking and visibility. This means moving beyond vanity metrics like upvotes and focusing on signals that actually correlate with AI citations and referral traffic.
Key Metrics to Track:
- AI Citation Frequency: How often does your brand appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview responses? Use tools like Seshes’ Citation Index or manual testing to track this.
- Branded Query Performance: Search for your brand name in various AI systems and note whether your official content appears in the responses.
- AI Referral Traffic: Monitor your analytics for traffic coming from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms. This is direct evidence of AI visibility impact.
- Content Saves and Bookmarks: On Reddit and other platforms, track which of your content gets saved (a stronger signal than upvotes) and referenced by others.
- Competitive Benchmarking: Compare your AI visibility to competitors. Are they being cited more frequently? In which AI systems?
- Sentiment and Context: When you are cited, is it positive, neutral, or negative? Are you being cited as a solution or as a cautionary example?
Tools like AmICited.com specifically address this need by monitoring how AI systems reference your brand across different platforms. Rather than guessing whether your strategy is working, you can measure actual AI visibility and adjust accordingly.
