Reddit Marketing: From Niche Network to Relevant Advertising Platform

Reddit has 16 million users per monththe self-proclaimed Front Page of the Internet, in Germany. This number contrasts with the reputation that Reddit has always had. Because the supposed nerd platform is seen in a completely new light. This article explains what’s changed about Reddit and why marketers should keep Reddit on their radar for the last six weeks of the year.

The Reddit Renaissance: The IPO makes it possible

What has changed? Over the last few years, Reddit management has developed ambitions to take Reddit public, which was achieved in March 2024. The path to the IPO has led to Reddit being strongly developed as a business in order to create trust among investors.

Even more advertising in the communities?
Reddit goes public

Reddit is now an advertising platform that rivals Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. A new door opens for marketers to find potential takers. Investments were also made in business with agencies, as there are now direct contacts for agencies in all markets who are available to answer any questions. At the beginning of the year, Reddit also entered into a cooperation with Google, which means that Reddit content is now featured prominently in the search engine. So community-based expertise is becoming more important.

These changes have not gone unnoticed: in 2022, Reddit was included in the for the first time ARD/ZDF-Onlinestudie taken into account. Reddit could also be used in Germany have more users than LinkedIn – but this cannot be said with certainty, as Reddit itself is keeping a low profile on the details.

Who is on Reddit?

The bare numbers

On many social networks there are more female users than male users. On Reddit, the gender ratio is reversed. According to the Global Web Index 2021, Reddit users are 72 percent male and 28 percent female. Reddit has not yet provided any information about people who identify as diverse or non-binary. Most users (70 percent) are between 18 and 34 years old.

The interests

The niche is celebrated on Reddit, because there are so-called subreddits for every hobby and every interest imaginable. Everything from politics to pop culture is represented. Many subreddits serve as news aggregators in which relevant articles and international developments from the community are posted and commented on.

What makes Reddit special: Text-based, not image-based

Reddit is one of the few text-based social networks. Many other social networks, such as Instagram, rely on images or videos. Reddit’s approach, on the other hand, is very reminiscent of the Internet forums from the early 2000s. A post with a title opens a thread in which other users can comment. The post itself and the comments in the thread can be voted up or down, which influences the ranking and reflects the community’s agreement with the statements made. Although images and videos can often be the reason for a post, the explanatory texts and discussions in the thread are what make Reddit come alive.

Reddit communities are organized into so-called subreddits, each of which deals with a specific topic. In every subreddit, moderators ensure that a certain culture of discussion is maintained. Authenticity is particularly valued on Reddit.

Quickstart Guide Reddit Marketing

1. The minimum requirements: A Reddit campaign should run for at least five weeks. A minimum budget of 600 to 1000 euros should be used.
2. Advertising formats: There are all common feed advertising formats, such as single image ads, video ads or carousels on Reddit. Reddit also offers unique formats, such as conversation placement ads, which are played out in a comment thread under a post. Feed and conversation placement ads can also be used in combination with each other.
3. Targeting und Conversion: Reddit allows you to target communities based on their interests. This is unique because advertising can be very specific without having to accept gigantic wastage. In our experience, the traffic campaign objective is a good all-rounder with cheap CPMs, even for awareness campaigns, which are often more expensive with Reddit’s awareness campaign objective.
4. Performance Benchmarks: Anyone hoping for CPCs and CTRs like on TikTok will be disappointed. According to Reddit information, the cost-per-click benchmark in Germany for traffic campaigns in the region is one to 1.50 euros. Click-through rates are currently 0.2 to 0.25 percent. These values ​​are comparable to LinkedIn.

Success factors for Reddit content: Inform, don’t sell

Good content counts on Reddit. And what makes Reddit content good is the information content and not primarily entertainment. That’s why it’s not a bad idea to provide ads with detailed text. The clumsier the advertising message, the more likely it is that there will be a poor response. So here too it is important to be specific and get to the point.

It also helps to engage directly with the Reddit community. In so-called AMAs (Ask me anything), for example, various experts or members of professional groups or witnesses to certain events can be asked about their experiences. These forms of direct interaction have also been used for marketing, but here too, the information value for the Redditor is the key to success.

Conclusion – Reddit, the alternative

Reddit is an underrated social network that is gradually gaining importance. More and more users are discovering this reduced form of social media, which is so different from endless short video feeds.

This makes Reddit an interesting option for marketing, because now everything is in line: strong user base, good advertising platform and increased attention among the population.