Reddit Ads: Are You Targeting the Right Communities?

⬇️ Prefer to listen instead? ⬇️

Reddit CPCs are often 50–70% lower than Facebook or Instagram for niche campaigns.
Pixel-based targeting and Lookalike Audiences can reduce acquisition costs by up to 20%.
Carousel ads on Reddit drive 30% higher engagement than single-image formats.
74% of Reddit users are open to brands that are transparent and deliver value.
Reddit's subreddits allow brands to target user mindsets and interests—not generic demographics.

Reddit advertising is one of the most underutilized yet highly effective tools for digital marketers looking to go beyond surface-level targeting. With its diverse setup of niche communities, the platform offers a chance to position your brand exactly where your audience is most engaged, passionate, and ready to interact.

Whether you're targeting software developers, real estate investors, gamers, or photographers, Reddit marketing allows you to take part in high-context talks that drive conversions—not just impressions.

person using laptop in cozy home workspace

Why Advertise on Reddit? A Unique Opportunity for Authentic Engagement

Reddit is structured around thousands of “subreddits”—individual message boards organized around very specific interests ranging from cryptocurrency and SaaS to parenting and anime. With over 100,000 active communities and upwards of 50 million daily users, Reddit does well not on polished influencer content or viral videos, but on real, peer-driven talk.

That authenticity is what makes Reddit advertising so effective. Unlike other platforms where ads interrupt the scrolling experience, Reddit allows you to place your message into conversations where your users are already looking for solutions, sharing knowledge, or debating industry trends. If you position your ad properly, it won’t feel like marketing—it’ll feel like part of the community.

And Reddit's community members aren’t just passive consumers. They’re active participants in subreddit cultures, moderators of content, and people who add to high-value discussions. Getting into this level of engagement means your Reddit ads can do more than convert—they can build long-term brand loyalty.

multiple mobile phones showing different social apps

Reddit vs. Other Paid Ad Platforms: What Makes It Different

Every advertising platform offers its own set of advantages, but Reddit’s unique strength is its depth of context. While platforms like Facebook and Google are big because they reach so many people and have complex algorithms, Reddit focuses on interest-based engagement built on trust.

Cost Efficiency

Let’s talk money. Reddit ads tend to cost much less for certain industries. Campaigns focused on specific communities can see CPCs that are 50–70% lower than on Facebook or Instagram (Marketing Week, 2022). That means more clicks, more engagement, and more leads—at a lower cost.

Trust-First Ecosystem

Users on Reddit expect conversations—not pushy sales pitches. Brands that do well here treat Reddit like a forum, not a billboard. This change in thinking can be a clear advantage for brands that care more about teaching customers and showing thought leadership than using clickbait and hard selling.

Community Moderation

Unlike traditional platforms where content is checked by algorithms or the platform itself, subreddit moderators have a lot of control. This helps Reddit keep strong community rules, which builds user trust even more. But it also means advertisers need to be more careful. Ads that don't fit well can be removed by mods, so targeting the right place is very important.

monitor screen showing subreddit page interface

Getting Into Subreddits: Going Beyond Demographics

Reddit changes how we usually pick ad audiences. Forget age, gender, or general interests. Reddit lets you target people based on very specific passions and discussions.

Subreddits work like small cultures. For example, think about these ways to target:

SaaS Brands: Talk with decision-makers in r/SaaS, r/startups, or r/EntrepreneurRideAlong.
HR Tools: Reach professionals sharing tools and tips in r/humanresources or r/recruiting.
Finance Products: Get into r/personalfinance, r/financialindependence, or r/investing.
Gaming Startups: Focus on gamers in r/gaming or niche communities like r/indiegames or r/Twitch.

These places go beyond just showing interest in general topics. Users in r/RealEstateTechnology, for example, aren’t just into real estate—they actively look for tools to make things better, talk about ways to automate tasks, and expect high levels of new ideas.

By matching your campaign with subreddits that fit your main user mindset, Reddit ads go from noise to message. You're no longer interrupting; you're becoming part of a valuable conversation.

dashboard with targeting metrics and graphs

Smart Targeting with Customer Lists & Lookalike Audiences

Reddit’s ad targeting tools have gotten much better, now allowing for some of the more advanced methods you'd expect from Google or Meta. Two of the most useful features are:

Customer List Targeting

Have a collection of email addresses or CRM data from your current customers? Upload it to make a starting audience. Reddit then matches this info with user behavior and activity—especially subreddit engagement—to find these users on the site.

This means you can:

Target high-interest leads better.
Get users who stopped using your service to come back.
Send personal messages to people who already know your brand.

Lookalike Audiences

Once you have a starting list, you can get more reach with Lookalikes. These are Reddit users who act similarly to your best customers—visiting the same subreddits, talking about similar things, and so on. This helps you reach more people without losing focus.

When used with Reddit's own Pixel tracking for retargeting, these tools have been shown to lower the cost to get a customer by up to 20% (Statista, 2023). What this means? You're not just getting more leads—you're getting good leads that are like your perfect audience.

Carousel Ads: More Than a Slideshow—A Storytelling Format That Works

One of Reddit's newer ad formats, the carousel ad, lets advertisers put up to six image or text cards in one sponsored post. But what's special here isn't the number—it's the plan.

Why Carousel Format Works on Reddit:

Storytelling: Explain your solution step-by-step, or tell a story across cards.
Teaching: Use each slide to talk about common problems, then show how your product fixes them.
Building Trust: Include quotes from users, screenshots, or real user numbers without sounding too salesy.

Carousel ads lead to up to 30% higher engagement than single-image posts (eMarketer, 2022). Why? Probably because they act like the natural way people use Reddit: scrolling, looking around, and finding things.

Example: Imagine a SaaS company with tools for managing projects:

Slide 1: “Stuck using 10 tools just to plan a campaign?”
Slide 2: “Here’s what your week looks like with [Brand]”
Slide 3: Picture of a user dashboard
Slide 4: Real quote from a user
Slide 5: What you want people to do next

Now you're teaching and selling—without sounding like a billboard.

hands typing on laptop with online forum open

Content Is Context: Putting Your Brand Into The Reddit Conversation

Mixing your presence with paid ads and regular posts is key. Reddit isn’t a place you can leave after your ad starts running. Get involved, take part, and add value to community threads without always needing to “pitch.”

If you're selling a product that helps freelancers manage projects, answer questions in r/freelance about pricing or working with clients.
Have a new feature for people who sell online? Share tips in r/FulfillmentByAmazon or r/shopify—you’ll build trust before people ever see your ad.

By treating Reddit like talking to people in the real world—giving and taking—you make your position stronger before a user even clicks.

closeup of computer screen with ad draft text editor

Ad Copy That Feels Native: The Skill of Fitting In

One of the worst mistakes in Reddit marketing is sounding like... marketing. Redditors are good at spotting sales talk. That’s why changing your tone for each subreddit is a must.

Good Ways to Write Copy That Fits In:

Use the same language and style as the subreddit.
Make the ad feel like a regular post.
Use humor, make fun of yourself a little, and use real Reddit slang if it makes sense.

Bad Example: "Upgrade to our powerful AI chatbot today and save hours!"

Better Example in r/startups: "Built an AI bot that booked 15 demos last week while I slept. Ask me how."

Subtle? Yes. Sales-y? No. But curious Reddit users will do the rest of the work.

tablet showing real estate software dashboard

Case Study Spotlight: Real Estate SaaS Does Well on Reddit

Let’s see a plan in action.

Campaign Overview:

A real estate SaaS company wanted more demo sign-ups. Instead of targeting general subreddits like r/Advertising or r/Business, they focused their efforts on r/RealEstateTechnology and r/CommercialRealEstate.

Execution:

Carousel ad showing: dashboard demo, real user quote, and what the product offers.
Headline: “Built to cut down 5 hours/week of leasing admin work.”
Body copy: Casual, helpful, and written for the subreddit's tone.

Organic Engagement:

Team members joined talks about CRM tools, took part in FAQ posts, and offered free advice—never pushing the product unless someone asked.

Results After 30 Days:

32% more site visits from Reddit traffic.
18% of visitors signed up for a demo on their landing page.
Over 1,000 upvotes on helpful comments and answers.

The lesson? Doing Reddit marketing over time builds customer interest—not just clicks.

person browsing reddit and taking notes on paper

Ads + Organic Participation: The Secret Mix for Reddit Success

Businesses that see Reddit ads as just another cost on a list miss the bigger point. Reddit rewards being present.

By using:

🔹 Branded ad posts to get noticed,
🔹 Valuable subreddit participation to build trust,
🔹 Smart targeting tools to avoid wasting money…

…you make your ad content and your regular voice work together. What happens? A campaign that feels personal, not like an advertisement.

analytics dashboard with red and blue line graphs

Tracking Success: What Numbers Matter in Reddit Ads

Reddit has surprisingly good analytics. While clicks and conversions are important, don't forget other Reddit-specific numbers:

💬 How many comments and what people think—good for testing different ads.
🔼 Upvotes vs. ❌ Downvotes—quick feedback on tone, how fitting the ad is, and value.
🔁 How often posts are shared and traffic from outside Reddit.
⏱️ How long people stay on your site from Reddit traffic—are the clicks you get from Reddit more interested?

Pro tip: Test different ads not just in how they look, but in the words you use. Something that doesn't work in r/SaaS might do great in r/Entrepreneur.

frustrated marketer looking at laptop with crossed arms

Challenges in Reddit Ads: Things to Be Careful About

Reddit isn't super easy to use right away. Here are the biggest problems:

Targeting the Wrong People: Redditors will point out ads that don't fit. Always check your targeting before starting.
Ads Getting Stale: The Reddit feed doesn’t change as much as Instagram, so seeing the same ad over and over is more obvious. Change your ads every 10–14 days.
Community Saying No: Moderators can block or remove ads that feel like they don't belong, even if they are technically allowed.

Think about Reddit marketing like going to a very specific event. Know the subreddit, read the rules, and respect how people act there.

thoughtful user reading forum on tablet

Reddit Users Hate Bad Ads: How to Get Them On Your Side

Yes, Redditors are direct—sometimes very much so. But they are not against advertising. What they hate is being talked down to.

74% of users say they welcome ads from brands that offer value and are open. This tells you to:

Teach, don’t interrupt.
Make it personal, don’t make it general.
Listen, don’t just put something out there.

Do these things, and you’ll find users who are very loyal and interested, in a way that just looking at conversion numbers can't show.

laptop with marketing automation software open

Automation Meets Reddit: Making Things Easier with Smart Tools

Running campaigns on Reddit can get complicated—especially when you use other platforms too.

This is where automation tools come in. The right set of tools lets you:

Quickly test different Reddit ad headlines and pictures.
Reuse successful words from Reddit ads on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), or Threads.
Check and compare how ads are doing for specific subreddits.
Keep Reddit’s native voice by using ready-made tone/language guides.

By adding Reddit into the tools you already use for marketing, you can do more of what works without losing the community feel Reddit needs.

Reddit Is a Long Game—Start Building Trust Now

Reddit isn't the place for quick wins. It’s where you go to put your company into the conversations your buyers care about most.

Take time to:

Learn how people act in subreddits.
Join in before you promote.
Change things based on feedback, not just what you think.

Over time, Reddit becomes more than just another way to advertise. It becomes a trusted place where your brand shows up—not just to sell, but to help.

Ready to make your multichannel strategy easier—including Reddit? Try our content automation platform to reuse, test, and put out creative across Reddit’s communities and elsewhere.