Want to chat about your new fave workout? Maybe you’re looking for advice about training your dog. Perhaps you just want to find others that are loving the latest book you just read.

Great news! The internet eliminates geographical barriers, giving you access to millions of people that share the same interests as you. Users from all over the world can chat about anything they have in common. 

One of the most popular virtual meeting places to share ideas and thoughts with others is the discussion site, Reddit. Reddit is an awesome place to discuss nearly any subject you happen to be interested in. From video games to cooking, there are others like you ready to bounce ideas off each other. 

Reddit is also super organized, making it easy to find threads on the exact subject you’re searching for. You can even follow subreddits on your favorite topics, making it easy to stay in the loop.

Threads can be voted up or down, changing where they are placed on the subreddit pages. If a thread gets enough upvotes, it can earn placement on the coveted front page.

Like many other innovative tech ideas, Reddit was born on a college campus. In 2005, two college roommates, Steve Huffman and Alex Ohanian, were inspired by a groundbreaking lecture. The host of the lecture, Paul Graham, brought the two students into the first class of his startup generator, Y Combinator.

The two created Reddit with funding from Y Combinator. The site took off, and the two sold the site to Conde Nast the following year for at least $10 million, though the exact price was never disclosed.

The founders continued to work with the site but eventually moved on in 2009. However, Reddit’s popularity just continued to grow. That same year, the site launched its advertising model.

Huffman and Ohanian would eventually return to Reddit, helping evolve it even further. They updated the site and gave it a significant facelift. They also created mobile apps to make participating in discussions more convenient. 

Reddit is now taking social media by storm. It’s now estimated to be worth at least $3 billion and is only increasing in popularity. 

This promising outlook can mean great things for your brand. Advertising on Reddit can help you reach their large and growing audience. It’s a perfect way to create an excellent campaign.

This guide will help you create great ads that will make a splash on Reddit. No matter your goals, these tips will help you reach them. This knowledge will give you the jumping-off point to begin successfully advertising on Reddit.

How Reddit Works and Why Advertise?

So how exactly does Reddit work? And what makes it so unique?

Reddit is basically just an online community. Users are there to exchange ideas and seek inspiration. 

This flips the typical social media behavior on its head. While other sites are platforms for users to show their friends what’s going on in their lives, Reddit focuses on the world as a whole.

Known as “the front page of the internet,” Reddit is the place to be to check out what’s going on in the world. Trending topics, from lighthearted to serious, are all found in one convenient location. 

Reddit users decide what stories are most relevant. By voting upwards and downwards, stories are listed in order of popularity. 

The home page consists of a list of the most popular stories, no matter their subject. The result is an incredibly diverse compilation of information, all in one place.

Users can also search for subreddits on an endless variety of subjects. These subreddits allow users to join smaller communities with topics that interest them. Everything from vegan food to nail polish has communities where users can share ideas.

Threads are voted up and down in the subreddits as well. Comments allow users to discuss threads, while the save feature allows you to bookmark that great idea or delicious recipe. 

This community feel has helped Reddit amass a vast number of active users. Around 430 million people pop onto the site each month to check in with the over 130,000 active communities. In fact, Reddit is the fifth most visited site in the country.

These numbers alone mean you can’t miss out on this advertising opportunity. Getting your ad in front of this huge audience is a great strategy. Developing a successful Reddit campaign can mean big things for your brand.

Reddit Advertisement Options

There are two main types of Reddit ads. These can be used for different purposes and to reach different objectives. They also vary in the time they take to launch.

Promoted Post Ads on Reddit

Promoted posts, like this one, show up in the feed amongst other posts. They have a little indicator to show that they are promoted ads and not just another user post.

Promoted posts can include a combo of photos, videos, text, and links to your external website. They can also be used to drive users to your page within the Reddit community. 

What’s great about promoted posts is that they are super quick and easy to launch. You can use the intuitive Reddit ad dashboard to self-publish your promoted posts.

Reddit Display Ads

Display ads appear on Reddit pages next to the threads. They are clickable graphics designed to grab the attention of users. 

These stand out visually from the rest of the page and are great for boosting sales and creating brand awareness. 

Display ads are significantly more expensive than promoted posts. They have to be published via a Reddit account rep, making launching one a little more time-consuming.

However, these ads can churn up some great results for your brand. They can be hugely successful and might just be worth the investment in time and cash.

Getting Started With Reddit Advertising

Setting up a Reddit ads account is quick and easy. Within minutes, you’ll have access to your campaign dashboard and the ability to publish your first promoted post. 

From the helpful and intuitive platform, you can design a campaign tailored to your goals. You can create ad groups as well as individual ads. This portal also makes setting all of the metrics for your ad quick and easy. 

The Reddit ad dashboard tool allows you to create your perfect target audience as well as set and alter your budget. The features are super smart and can be your best partner in creating a campaign that works for your goals. 

With easy to use tools, you can monitor your campaign and make changes accordingly. The dashboard allows you to pull reports to see how your campaign is doing in real-time. 

Creating a Dynamic Reddit Ad Campaign

Now that you understand Reddit and how to get started, let’s talk about how to create a dynamic campaign.

Sure, it’s super quick and easy just to pop a promoted post on the site and call it a day. However, without a plan, you’ll likely waste a serious chunk of change. You also might miss out on an awesome opportunity for some great exposure.

These ten tips will help you create a thoughtful campaign. Through careful planning, you can capitalize more and target better. You’ll learn how to design ads that work and give your brand a voice. 

Laser Focus Your Reddit Advertising Objective

Before you jumpstart any campaign, it’s essential first to decide what you are trying to accomplish. What goal are you striving towards for your brand?

Maybe you simply need to let customers know you exist. Creating or increasing brand awareness can be a challenging task. Luckily, with Reddit’s massive audience, you have a good chance to get the word out. 

Perhaps you are looking for more visits and interaction with your website. Driving traffic and conversions is more successful with enticing advertising.

You might just want users to watch your videos or install your app. You can also set your campaign to encourage click-throughs.

Once you decide on your objective, it might be overwhelming to determine how to work towards it. Fortunately, Reddit’s got your back. Check out the ad dashboard. 

The very first step of creating your campaign is choosing your objective from the menu. This allows Reddit’s intuitive ad analytics to place your ads for the most desirable outcome. 

The other great thing about your objective-based campaign is that you only pay when you move towards your goal. In the menu, it clearly shows what you’ll be paying for. 

So whether you pay for each click-through to your website or per video view, you’re only shelling out cash for real results. 

Fine Tune Your Audience When Advertising on Reddit

After you figure out your goal, it’s time to decide who you are targeting. What audience do you want to get your ad in front of? Without this planning, you’ll likely waste marketing dollars.

Because Reddit, by nature, is all about interests, they have some great data about their users. This data allows you to fine-tune the interests of your audience. 

Are you marketing a physical store location or market? The dashboard also allows you to limit your scope by location. 

The trick is to have a broad enough audience that your reach is wide. However, you want to make sure you are marketing to those most likely to find your product relevant to them.

Reddit’s tools allow you to see the estimated daily impressions as you create your audience. This gives you the unique opportunity to predict how well your campaign will go.

So, say you’re selling fitness apparel. You could simply select sports as your targeted interest. With that audience, you’ll likely see around 19.2 million daily impressions.

However, when you add those interested in healthy living and fitness apparel, that number jumps to around 24.6 million. 

Playing around with these target interest groups can help you find the widest, most relevant audience. 

You can also allow Reddit to optimize your audience automatically. This can give you some incredibly impressive results and maximize effectiveness.

Figure Out Your Advertising Budget for Reddit

Next, you’ll want to figure out how much you are willing to spend on your campaign. Luckily, this is easy to set and adjust based on the results. 

You’ll have two numbers to decide on. How much to spend per day and how much you want to invest throughout the life of the campaign. 

Here, you can select how much you are willing to pay for results. You can also set your daily budget. Your ad will stop being promoted once you hit your cap for the day.

Use the dropdown menu to select your campaign’s lifetime budget. Your campaign and ad placements will automatically stop when this amount is reached.

Create Your Reddit Ad

Now, here’s the fun part! Once you have the analytics figured out, you’re ready to create your ad! From the dashboard, you can create three different types of promoted posts.

Reddit Video Ad Posts

Video posts are an engaging way to share the benefits and features of your brand. This is awesome for increasing consideration and brand awareness.

Simply add an attention-grabbing title and your web address. Select a call to action like “shop now” or “view more” from the dropdown menu. 

The trick here is uploading a great video that will earn views. It needs to be unique and grab the user’s attention. Get to the point early on to get your message out. 

Many mobile users are likely scrolling on mute. Use graphics and text to tell your brand’s story. Make sure you are making the most of the few seconds you have in front of the viewer’s eyes.

Reddit Text Ads

You can also create a basic text ad. This is also an excellent way to promote engagement and awareness of your brand. 

Make sure your text is to the point and gets your message across effectively. You want it to appear authentic and natural on users’ feeds. However, you also want to use great verbiage that will encourage them to read it.

Reddit Link Posts for Advertising

Are you trying to drive traffic to your website or promote installing your app? A link post is perfect!

With imagery that leads to your desired destination, it’s a great way to capture users’ attention.

A stunning design is the best way to catch the attention of scrollers. Try to include your logo and at least one awesome thing about your product that will tempt them to learn more. 

Your Brand’s Unique Voice Should Be Conveyed in Your Reddit Ads

With online and social media advertising, your brand’s voice is everything. It’s essential to make sure your voice is unique and makes sense for your brand. 

Think about both your brand and your target audience. You want your voice to represent your products and the mission of your company. You also want it to appeal to your customer base. 

The demographics of your audience can help you determine your voice. Use this to personify your brand, so your customers feel loyal and engaged.

Check out these shots from a video ad for Renew Life Probiotics. 

Not only does the imagery and verbiage create a voice, but it is also perfectly in tune with its audience. They speak directly to the customer they are targeting and explain why their brand is the best for them as individuals.

Whether you are using display ads or promoted posts, you want to develop a cohesive voice and feel. The more you stay consistent, the more likely customers will trust and want to get to know you.

Resist Too Much Fluff in Your Reddit Ads

Reddit users spend more time on the site than any other social media platform. However, their visits are still, on average, only around fifteen minutes. And they likely don’t spend that time soaking up the ads. 

So it may be to your advantage to make things quick and straightforward. Communicate your message with minimal fluff so you can get the important details across.

Let consumers know exactly what it is you want them to do. Whether it be to learn more about your product or sign up for your service, keep it simple.

Let’s take a look at the ads for HBO Max. Both their promoted post and display ads are nearly identical. Simple graphics, minimum verbiage, and few colors.

But you come away knowing what’s important. HBO Max is on sale and you can cancel anytime. Oh, and this is your last chance. Add to that a clear call to action, and you have a clean, streamlined, and effective ad.

Make Your Reddit Ads Relevant to Your Reddit Audience

Reddit users are on the site because they care about what’s going on in the world. Most love current events and hot topics. 

Make sure your brand is on top of what’s relevant at the moment. It’s a great strategy to create ads that seem like they belong on the site and make sense in users’ feeds.

This promoted post from State Farm plays off the current football season. Their spokesperson is doused with the traditional water bottle splash before the ad segues into a clip of a great play.

This strategy can be thought of as soft marketing. Sure, they are trying to sell their product, but by posting a relevant football clip, they are also making an effort to be part of the conversation.

Use the Power of Fame in Your Reddit Advertising

There’s a reason celebrities grow to fame. They’re talented, often likable, and know how to sell themselves and their skills. 

Fortunately, you can also use them to sell your products too. The trick is to find the perfect celebrity that aligns with your brand image. It has to be believable that they would use your product.

Here, Corona uses Snoop Dogg and his laidback demeanor to promote their beer. His tone and chill personality show just how tranquil sipping a Corona on the beach can be.

This relaxed vibe blends effortlessly with the idea that Corona can give you a carefree escape. Combined with the sounds of waves crashing and seagulls calling, the brand successfully sets their desired mood.

Think about your brand and how you can endorse it using a celebrity. An athlete is perfect for promoting your sports drink. Your clothing line can benefit from a famous fashionista touting its benefits. Just make sure your chosen celebrity is a great match for your brand.

Engage with Reddit Users While Running Your Ad Campaigns

One of the best things about social media is getting to engage with users. When you engage effectively, you could potentially end up with more exposure for the same price.

When users comment on your promoted posts, it gives you the chance to have a valuable back and forth with them. Use this opportunity to answer questions or address concerns. Just make sure the ability to comment on your posts is turned on, and you are checking them out frequently to respond quickly.

Use your tools to get organic views. Ask users to share your posts to get more widespread exposure. The trick to this is creating unique posts that are worth sharing.

Set Yourself Apart From Other Reddit Advertisers in Your Niche

In the world of online marketing, you must set yourself apart. What makes your brand special among the sea of products? Why should consumers pick you?

When creating your Reddit ad, making a statement about your brand’s uniqueness can help it break through the white noise. Make it clear and obvious why they should choose you over the competition.

In this ad, Vizzy makes it known why they are different from the countless seltzer brands popping onto the market. 

First, they address the fact that the market is becoming saturated. Then, they quickly and clearly state why they’re different. The witty caption also reinforces this. 

Using Reddit to Elevate Your Brand

Reddit is a can’t-miss opportunity for your brand. With their user base and market share, they are a great advertising platform for your ad placements. 

Targeting your audience and creating clear goals is your first step. Luckily this is all made simple with Reddit’s easy to use dashboard. 

Then, you can focus on creating unique and dynamic ads that will grab the attention of Reddit users. This gives you the chance to make an impact and grow your audience. 

With this knowledge, you’re ready to begin a Reddit campaign of your own. By preparing your promoted posts and creating awesome display ads, you’ll have consumers hitting the up arrow on your brand in no time!