Reddit 104: Creating Ads For Reddit

Like the Big Four social media platforms, Reddit has its own system for the creation and deployment of advertisements.

If you think your content has a home in Reddit, you’re going to want to use this system to your advantage.

For experienced marketers, this creative process will feel familiar. Even so, Reddit throws a few quirks into the system to keep you on your toes. Let’s dive into the ad creation process on the platform so you can better understand what hoops you’ll need to jump through to see your ads on Reddit.

Step 1: Creating the Campaign

You can’t launch an ad without a campaign. To start building your Reddit campaign, you’ll need a username and an account with a verified email address. Once you’re active on the platform, you can start pulling together your necessary ad elements, including:

• Your copy
• Thumbnail images
• Videos
• Links
• Third-party analytics

It’s worth noting that yes, you’ll be able to keep better track of your analytics if you utilize a third-party tool like Google Analytics.

Step 2: Targeting Your Audience

With your materials gathered and your campaign named, you’ll be able to choose the audience you want to target. You can do this through a number of different mediums, including different subreddits. Choose which subreddits you want to target ahead of time as well as those subreddits you’d rather exclude.

Once you’ve sorted your subreddits, you can target your audience through more traditional means, including:

• Location
• Interest
• Device
• Time of Day

It’s also worth your time to check the “Allow Reddit to expand your targeting to maximize your results” box. While you don’t have to, doing so will allow Reddit’s algorithm to share your ad with a broader audience.

Step 3: Mapping Out a Budget

Reddit also requires you to explicitly detail your budget while creating a campaign. You’ll need to share information about your daily spending and lifetime ad budgets before submitting your ad for approval.

You’ll also need to establish a bidding cycle and budget. Reddit Ads uses a second price auction system. This means the top bid on CPM, CPC or CPV will only need to clear the second-highest bid by $0.01.

During this step, you’ll also need to set your campaign start and end date. Reddit runs on EST, so make sure you’ve planned the length of your run accordingly. This length will also determine what kind of funding you’ll need to supply Reddit with to keep your ad online.

Step 4: Building Your Ad

Building your ad is as straightforward as ever, even though doing so comes later in Reddit’s process. You’ll need to choose what kind of post you’re creating and how – or if – you want to include a CTA.

Reddit’s runnable ads include:

• Text
• Link
• Video
• Combinations of the three

You can also choose from a variety of on-site CTAs, including:

• Download
• Install
• Shop Now
• View More
• Sign Up
• Learn More
• Contact Us
• Get a Quote
• Apply Now

If you don’t want a CTA on your ad, you can keep your selection on the default option.

Step 5: Submit and Wait for Review

With an ad at hand, your budget outlined and all of your ducks in a row, you can submit your ad for Reddit approval. Ads must be reviewed by human moderators before being posted on Reddit, and this review process can take up to 48 hours.

However, once your ad is cleared, you’ll be able to reach your desired Reddit audience with ease!

Image attribution: PixieMe – stock.adobe.com