Social media users are starting to feel influencer fatigue kicking in. Their feeds are flooded with paid partnerships, and it’s harder than ever to tell what’s genuine and what’s another influencer marketing campaign.
The question is: How can small businesses break through the noise, stand out in the competitive world of online marketing, and connect with their audience? The short answer is: Find a platform where people are looking for real experiences and honest recommendations.
Enter Reddit, where authenticity reigns, and customers are more likely to trust another Redditor’s recommendations than the latest influencer flexing their newest sponsorship.
In this article, we’re exploring Reddit advertising, why it’s the right platform for small businesses, and how you can leverage its unique communities to get your message in front of the right people without looking like a walking ad. Ready to step up your advertising game? Let’s go.
Contents
- What is Reddit advertising?
- Does Reddit advertising work?
- What to do before you start advertising on Reddit
- How to get started with Reddit advertising
What is Reddit advertising?
Reddit has grown from a collection of niche forums to a huge player in the social and search game. But unlike search engines and social sites, it’s difficult to get seen on Reddit unless you’re investing (a lot of) time, energy, and resources into building a genuine community. That’s where Reddit advertising comes in.
Reddit advertising refers to paid promotional content that appears on the Reddit platform. It allows businesses to target specific communities (subreddits) or user interests using display ads, promoted posts, or video ads. These ads can be targeted based on factors like user demographics, behavior, or subreddit topics.
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Why does Reddit advertising work?
Reddit isn’t just the internet’s meme corner—it’s a serious powerhouse in digital advertising. With over 2.2 billion visits in March 2024 alone, Reddit ranks among the top websites on the internet. This massive traffic means that advertisers can tap into an enormous pool of engaged users, making it an ideal platform for reaching a wide audience.
But it’s not just about traffic. It’s about the conversations happening on Reddit. With over 16 billion posts and comments, Reddit hosts the world’s largest archive of user-generated discussions, rich with real, unfiltered opinions and recommendations. This is what makes Reddit such a goldmine for advertisers looking to target specific interests, hobbies, and pain points. People trust Reddit for personalized advice and recommendations, often more so than other platforms, AI search tools, or influencers
In fact, 90% of Reddit users trust the platform to learn about products and brands. Redditors don’t just scroll past ads like on other social media sites. They’re actively seeking out product feedback, reviews, and genuine recommendations. About 79% of users even want to see brands share more content about their products on Reddit.
Moreover, 27% of Reddit ad viewers are more likely to make a purchase after seeing an ad, especially because they’re often deep in research mode and primed to buy. Reddit’s combination of reach, trust, and engaged audiences makes it a unique, high-impact advertising platform that works.
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What to do before you start advertising on Reddit: Dos and don’ts
Due to the community-based nature of the platform, it’s important to start with organic marketing before going into Reddit advertising. Let’s look at the best practices and things to avoid.
Dos
- Lean into what makes you unique. Be prescriptive about who you are, what you are selling, and what you want your audience to do next.
- Engage with the community. Actively participate in discussions without being overly promotional. Build trust by offering valuable insights and answering questions.
- Target the right subreddits. Focus on subreddits that align with your niche. Choose communities where your product or service is relevant.
- Tailor content for Reddit. Reddit values unique, conversational content. Craft your posts to fit the platform’s tone and culture instead of using generic marketing messages.
- Learn and use Reddit’s lingo. If you use Reddit, make sure to post the way Redditors do. Here are some of the terms you need to know: OP: “Original poster” (the person who created the original post); ELI5: “Explain it like I’m five” (use plain language); TL;DR: “Too long didn’t read” (a summary of a long post); AMA: “Ask me anything” (a Q&A session, often with a founder).
- Be transparent. Disclose when you’re promoting your business. Reddit users value authenticity, so don’t try to hide your intentions.
Don’ts
- Don’t spam. Don’t flood the platform with promotional content. Redditors don’t like hard selling or too much promotional material.
- Don’t ignore community guidelines. Each subreddit has its own rules. Always read and follow them before posting. Violating them can get your account banned.
A few of the community guidelines for the /plumbing subreddit.
- Don’t ignore negative feedback. If users leave negative comments about your business, address them constructively. Ignoring criticism can hurt your brand’s reputation.
How to get started with Reddit advertising
If you’re wondering why you should advertise on Reddit, the answer is simple: Redditors don’t hang out on other social platforms. Data shows that 30% of Redditors are not on Facebook, 45% of Redditors are not on Instagram, and 58% of Redditors are not on TikTok. So, if you want to reach a diverse audience, Reddit is your best bet. Plus, Reddit increasingly ranks in search results for queries you probably want to show up for.
Advertising on Reddit is simple. Let’s look at the steps needed to get started.
1. Build a brand profile
Start by creating a business profile with Reddit Pro, a free suite of organic business tools to help discover, join, and contribute to Reddit’s communities and conversations. All you need is a username, a cover photo, a profile image, and a short description.
You can manage your business’s assets, user roles, and ad accounts in the Business Manager.
2. Install the Reddit pixel
To get a clear picture of the impact Reddit has on your business, you should install the Reddit pixel. This snippet of JavaScript code gives you insights into your customer’s journey, from seeing an ad on Reddit to making a purchase.
The Reddit pixel allows you to retarget those who almost converted and maximize the ROI of Reddit advertising. The more data you collect, the better Reddit can target users interested in what you’re selling.
3. Choose your targeting
Target specific communities and keywords
- Interest targeting: You can target an audience based on the content they’ve interacted with and are interested in.
- Community targeting: Whether you’re looking for gardening enthusiasts, fitness fanatics, or cat lovers, Reddit has over 100K communities, allowing you to reach niche audiences.
- Keyword targeting: Reddit allows you to target users based on the content they view on the platform and the keywords they engage with.
- Retargeting: Moving prospects down the funnel requires multiple touchpoints. Here’s where retargeting comes in handy. You can use Reddit to retarget people who have shown interest in your brand or interacted with your website.
4. Define your budget
When deciding on your Reddit advertising budget, you can choose between a daily and a lifetime budget.
A daily budget allows you to specify the amount you want your ad group to spend daily. A lifetime budget lets you determine the maximum amount your ad group will spend over its entire lifetime. If you choose a lifetime budget, it will automatically calculate how much should be spent per day based on your start and end dates.
5. Choose an ad type
Reddit offers different ad types you can choose from depending on your goals. So whether you want to increase brand awareness, get traffic, or boost conversions, Reddit has an ad type to help you achieve your goals. Reddit ad types can generally be grouped into two main categories: promoted post types and high-impact offerings. Promoted posts seamlessly blend into the user experience as they appear in a Redditor’s feed. On the other hand, high-impact options are designed to make a bigger splash and grab attention.
- Promoted post types: These ads seamlessly blend into the user experience as they appear in a Redditor’s feed. You can choose from these different ad types: free-form ads, image ads, video ads, carousel ads, conversation ads, product ads, and AMA. In this example, the wellness and personal care brand Hims uses an image ad to promote its products.
- High-impact offerings: These ads are designed to make a bigger splash and grab attention. This way, your ads will be the first thing Redditors see across the home page, first feed placement, search page, popular page, and more. You can choose from these different ad types: Reddit takeover, category takeover, and first view.
6. Decide your ad placement
Ad placement is crucial for success. In-feed placements allow your ad to blend seamlessly with regular posts, while conversation placements put your ad in the middle of the action.
Reddit is packed with niche communities, so choosing the right placement means reaching the people who are most likely to care about what you’re offering.
7. Test and optimize
The secret of successful Reddit advertising lies in fine-tuning, tweaking, and finding out what actually works. By testing different ad formats, placements, and targeting, you can optimize your strategy for results, not just guesswork.
Should you get started with Reddit advertising?
Reddit holds great potential for small businesses because of its unique audience. This audience relies on other Redditors’ recommendations and is ready to make a purchase. If you decide to include Reddit in your marketing strategy, don’t forget to test the waters with organic marketing and understand the platform and the audience. Next, you can dip your toes into Reddit advertising and use smart targeting to make the most out of your investment.
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