What does Ranked vs New mean?

When browsing your Mentions feed, you'll notice a toggle at the top to switch between Ranked and New mentions. These represent two fundamentally different discovery methods, each valuable for different reasons.

Ranked mentions

Ranked threads are discovered by scraping Google search results for your tracked keywords. These are Reddit threads that are already ranking on Google, meaning they're established, high-authority discussions that are actively receiving search traffic.

How it works:

CrowdReply searches Google for your tracked keywords and identifies the top Reddit threads that appear in the search results. Because these threads already rank on Google, we know exactly how much traffic they receive and how valuable they are.

Characteristics:

• Already ranking on Google for your keywords
• Known traffic volume and traffic value (powered by Ahrefs data)
• Likely already being cited by AI models in their responses
• Proven, established discussions with measurable impact

Why Ranked threads are easy wins:

These are your low-hanging fruit. You already know which threads are getting traffic, how valuable they are, and that they're ranking well.

Engaging on these threads with a helpful, relevant comment is one of the most reliable ways to drive brand visibility both for human readers finding them through Google and for AI models citing them in their answers.

When to engage on Ranked threads:

• When you want reliable, proven impact — these threads are already successful
• When the thread has high search traffic — your comment will be seen by the most people
• When the thread appears in your Citations page — engaging here directly influences AI answers
• When you're building a consistent, long-term engagement strategy

New mentions

New threads are discovered by scraping Reddit directly (not Google). These are recently posted discussions that CrowdReply picks up as they're created by other Reddit users.

How it works:

CrowdReply monitors Reddit in real-time for your tracked keywords and surfaces new threads as they get posted. This is a direct Reddit scrape — Google is not involved in this discovery method.

Characteristics:

• Freshly posted (hours to a few days old)
• Discovered directly from Reddit, not from Google rankings
• Lower upvote and comment counts (still growing)
• Active, real-time discussions

Why New threads are easy wins:

New threads offer a unique advantage: you can be one of the first to engage. Early comments on Reddit threads tend to accumulate the most upvotes because they're seen first. This means:

• Lower competition — Fewer existing comments means your contribution stands out more
• First-mover advantage — Being among the first to respond lets you shape the discussion and get your brand mentioned early
• Less moderation and filtering — New threads typically have much lower filtration and moderation activity from Reddit compared to established, high-visibility threads
• AI models love fresh content — LLMs prioritize recent, actively-engaged discussions. A new thread with strong early engagement is exactly the type of content AI models pick up and cite in their answers

When to engage on New threads:

• When you want to get in before competitors — being first matters
• When a topic is trending — catching a discussion early as it gains momentum
• When you want content that AI models will cite — fresh, well-engaged threads are prime citation targets for LLMs
• When monitoring competitor launches or industry events in real-time

Which should you focus on?

If you're just getting started: Focus on Ranked threads. They're proven, high-impact, and you can see exactly how much traffic and value each thread has before engaging.

Once you have a routine: Mix in New threads. Spending 30–40% of your engagement on new discussions can yield outsized results, especially for AI visibility, since LLMs actively seek out and cite fresh content.

For maximum AI visibility: Use both. Ranked threads give you presence on the sources AI already cites. New threads position you on the sources AI will cite next.

Pro tip: Watch New threads become Ranked

A powerful workflow is to:

1. Find a promising New thread and engage early
2. Star it as a favorite
3. Check back in a week — has it started ranking on Google and gaining traffic?
4. If yes, consider adding an upvote order to push your comment to the top of a now-high-traffic thread

This lets you get in early at low cost and then amplify your position once the thread proves itself.

Updated on: 16/03/2026