Upvoted is Reddit’s new standalone site for original content, and it’s live now

Reddit, the social news site that lets users submit, discuss, and “upvote” articles and anecdotes, has spun out a brand new standalone service specifically for original content, and it’s live now.

Upvoted comes as little surprise, given the company started posting content directly to the r/upvoted subreddit last month, and the company began creating original video content some months earlier. The new dedicated Upvoted portal features podcasts, editorial, video, graphic art, and more.

Above: Upvoted

The editorial team include a bunch of staff writers, designers, and creators who will produce “between 10 and 40” stories a day, all headed up by Reddit cofounder and Upvoted general manager Alexis Ohanian.

Founded in 2005 by Ohanian and Steve Huffman, Reddit has grown to become one of the most popular social communities on the Internet. After raising $50 million last year in its first major funding round, the company reported its biggest year with 71 billion page views, and now counts more than 200 million monthly users.

Though Upvoted is for all intents and purposes a separate entity to Reddit, free from the controversy the service often courted, Reddit will still serve as the “muse” for much of the content. “They will scour every nook and cranny to cover Reddit’s untold stories, conduct interviews, and, in some cases, orchestrate podcasts or video content,” Reddit explained in a blog post.

“We want to go beyond the upvote and tell stories with you and your communities at the epicenter,” it continued. “What happened before that post was made? What happened afterward? We’re not here to repackage content and present it as our own. We’re not just regurgitating stories. The focus here is you: Reddit’s collective sense of creativity is the spotlight.”

Anyone whose Reddit content spawns an original piece on Upvoted will be notified via a personal message. Upvoted will also see its popular AMA (Ask Me Anything) series gain an official new home in video form.

In terms of monetization — well, Reddit said that it won’t be splashing Upvoted with banner ads. Instead it’s taking the native ads approach, and will be “working with brands on sponsored content, all of which will be visibly distinguished as such.”

It’s early days, but Upvoted sounds very much like Reddit’s version of BuzzFeed.