March 5, 2015
As the number of digital advertising channels continues to grow, it is important to be up to date with all them. One of the newer options is reddit.com, a website known as “the front page of the Internet”.
The site has been growing rapidly over the past decade (over 170 million visits/month last fall!), and users can submit links, images, or videos on any subject to a relevant “subreddit” community (Example: reddit.com/r/news, /r/funny, /r/technology). Users are then allowed to upvote or downvote content as they see fit, and all the subreddits an individual subscribes to combine to create your 'front page' of links and content.
This is an example of a reddit thread link
Whether the post contains a link to another site or image or just a paragraph of original content or opinions, there is an open comment section which allows for anyone to comment freely on the topic. Lots of discussion happens between users, and the engagement of the individual subreddit communities is what makes reddit unique. For example, celebrities have started to use reddit as a legitimate forum to advertise their current projects during “Ask Me Anything” threads (AMAs). These AMAs highlight the engagement opportunities throughout the site (see President Barack Obama’s AMA here as an example).
Because of this potential for engagement, reddit becomes a very interesting advertising option for businesses to expand their consumer base to new audiences.
In terms of the advertising options available, most advertisers will select the promoted post option. Promoted posts appear at the top of any given reddit page and have similar formatting as to that of a normal post (with a small sponsored note).
This is an example of a reddit ad at the top of a page
In order to create a promoted post, you will first need to create a (free) reddit account to associate as the author of the post. It is recommended to be associated with your business, but it does not have to be.
Next, you will need to choose a post type, title, and image. A promoted post can either send users directly to your business website or landing page, or it can be a text post that links to an individual reddit thread about your website or promotion. This grants the advertiser flexibility in sending them directly to your desired conversion funnel, or potential direct consumer engagement within your promotion thread. The text post can allow for comments, so a business can directly engage with the audience concerning comments or questions about the post. The title is recommended to be casual and concise with its intended message. The image is a small thumbnail (70x70px) but can be an effective way to catch the attention of users on an already crowded reddit page.
This is an example of a reddit ad post with customer engagement. Notice that the CharminOfficial reddit account is directly engaging with the audience via comments.
The targeting options on reddit are relatively slim compared to other channels. Your promoted post can be shown on a user’s “front page”, on a specific subreddit, or both. If you are selling a cookbook, perhaps advertising on /r/food or /r/cooking is the best option, compared to the front page. There is also “Interest Group Targeting” (https://www.reddit.com/wiki/advertising/interestaudiencegroups) which targets a group of subreddits with a similar theme.
In terms of location targeting, the default is worldwide, but if advertising on the front page you can narrow it down to country or city specific targeting. If you want to know more about the users of reddit in general, click here for a media kit with more specific demographic statistics.
Once your targeting is selected, you just need to select the scheduled timing and budget for your ad. Reddit offers both CPC and CPM pricing as of January 2015, and the timing of your ad depends on inventory available for a given subreddit.
Once that is set, you just need to add your payment and you are ready to advertise on reddit!
Not convinced reddit advertising is for you? Check out this site for case studies and more information.
Want to learn more about reddit advertising? Ask us questions in the comment section below, email us at [email protected], or tweet us @Perfect_Search!
Director, Search & Social Advertising
Eric Yarnik is a Northwestern University Alum who considers writing the Perfect Search Ping Pong Power Rankings Column to be one of his favorite tasks at work. If he had to pick one fictional character to be friends with, it’d have to be the one who lives in a pineapple under the sea.