Reddit announced new ad options, including free-form ads, which take inspiration from engaging Reddit posts; tailored creative assets, which propose ad formats based on audience personas; Redditor highlights; and updated shopping ad formats.
First, Reddit launched a free-form ad generator in beta. The tool enables advertisers to create more Reddit-aligned creative by taking inspiration from existing long-form Reddit posts.
Reddit’s free-form ads can utilize text, images, GIFs and video in order to build ads that are more aligned with what Reddit users are engaging with. The feature also gives brands more room to explain their products and services.
This could be a significant benefit, given that Reddit has become a key source for artificial intelligence chatbots. Free-form promotions give brands more space and capacity to build Reddit-relevant explainers that can be upvoted and commented on.
That could eventually see these promotions cited in AI chatbot replies, which could extend the value of these placements.
Reddit also launched tailored creative assets in beta. This feature will recommend headline and image combinations based on what’s driving engagement in Reddit communities.
The tool will also recommend specific subreddit communities to target with campaigns, which could provide valuable guidance for planning.
Reddit is also expanding access to its Redditor highlights ad offering, which enables advertisers to embed real Reddit conversations into ads.
The company is also testing new shopping ads, which will display multiple products from participating brands beneath relevant conversations.
So it’s like Google ads, but in a Reddit context, with brands competing for space within a related carousel. This could be a valuable placement option, though it does also seem like Reddit is pushing the envelope with what its users will tolerate in terms of in-stream ad overwhelm.
In addition to these new formats, Reddit also published some new numbers from its latest Path to Purchase survey, in which Reddit surveyed 13,956 users to glean more insight into how they’re using the app to inform their purchase decisions.
The data showed that:
- Half of U.S. shoppers verify AI recommendations on Reddit.
- Half of Reddit users said that the platform helps them discover new products.
- Reddit ranked number one among all social platforms for helping people make faster purchase decisions in both the U.S. and the U.K.
The data underlines the growing role that Reddit is playing in validating purchase decisions, with the platform’s crowd-sourced, upvoted reviews and insights helping confirm AI-powered recommendations with actual user insight.
This information could make these new ad offerings even more valuable, as more people turn to Reddit for assurance.
