Creative best practices: What Reddit’s top performing ads have in common

Build for Mobile

The majority of Reddit users access their favorite communities on mobile devices. With this in mind, advertisers who build for mobile by maximizing mobile real estate see big returns. Here are some tips & tricks to make your presence known to Redditors:

• Tip 1: Building content in a 4:5 aspect ratio is best for both images and videos. Advertisers who created 4:% videos, saw +409% in Revenue and +445% in Install Summary (when compared to advertisers who used a different aspect ratio)
• Tip 2: Add closed captions (CC) to drive performance and engagement. Brands that added CC to their video ads were 2.1X more likely to see a positive lift in Brand Favorability.
• Tip 3: User text overlays to tell your brand’s story. By using text overlays, advertisers were rewarded with a 32% higher clickthrough rate (CTR) on their ads

Be a Brand

Reddit is a place where people can be their authentic selves, meaning they’ve come to expect and respect when brands show up in genuine ways on the platform. In this respect, brands that include obvious and clear branding in their ads are more likely to achieve brand and performance objectives. The following are data-backed creative best practices we recommend to all advertisers:

• Place your branding on the the top left corner of images
• Include your brand name in headline copy
• Redditor’s prefer polished static ads to drive brand awareness (think: clean, premium, high quality, professional ads)
• Video is HUGE with Redditors - get experimental with your video ads (polished AND user-generated/less polished ads BOTH work on Reddit)

Show & Tell

Short & sweet means success on Reddit. Redditors respond best to brands that keep their headline copy short and their products front and center. Make sure you demonstrate how your products are used or consumed, while also communicating the unique benefits and features of your brand and/or product.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when showing off your brand or product:

• Tip 1: Keep your headline copy short. Try optimizing your headline copy to be 150 characters or less. Brands that went over 150 characters in their headlines saw reduced brand awareness and lower funnel success.
• Tip 2: Explore using videos – only up to 60 seconds though. Promoted video posts work on Reddit, but only up to a certain point. If you want to keep Redditors engaged while driving lower funnel performance goals (think installs or revenue), try to keep the videos below 60 seconds. 
• Tip 3: Deal or No Deal? Redditor’s love deals and respond quickly to time-sensitive messages. Drive more clicks on your post by including a Reddit-unique discount code or limited time offer.  

Reddit like Reddit

YSK (You Should Know): Redditors respond best to brands that display a keen understanding of our communities. That means leaning into “Redditisms” or language and acronyms created by our users and uniquely found on Reddit. 

‍TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Advertisers that used Redditisms saw 2X Higher Median MMP Revenue when compared to advertisers that did not use Redditisms.

Be Prescriptive

Use clear Call to Actions (CTAs) in your copy! Brands that included a CTA in their headline saw 98% more installs and 340% higher MMP Revenue. Not sure what CTA to use? Popular CTAs on Reddit are: “Shop now” and “Learn more”.

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