Reddit Ads Best Practices 2026: What 43,000+ Ads Show
Updated: Oct 6
Reddit ads work best with comments on, the right campaign objective, tracked links, headlines under about 150 characters, and several ads per audience. That's what we see in 43,000+ Reddit ads from about 15,000 advertisers between 2019 and 2025. This post updates our original study of 24,000 Reddit ads with new data, and shows how advertisers have changed.
About the data: we analyzed 43,873 unique Reddit ads from about 15,000 advertiser accounts, launched between 2019 and 2025. The data combines two collections of public Reddit ads (the Reddit Ads Library via AdLibro) and 5,824 ads pulled through the Reddit Ads API, which also shows each ad's objective, placement, budget tier and comment settings. The API data shows how advertisers set up their ads, not how each ad performed, so the fixes below come from our own campaign experience.
What changed since our 24,000-ad study?
2022 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
Median headline length | 129 characters | 102 characters |
Ads with UTM-tagged links | 15% | 61% |
Advertisers are getting better at the basics: shorter headlines and more tracking. But the bigger setup mistakes haven't changed much. See The most common Reddit ads mistakes.
What is the best headline length for Reddit ads?
In our original study, headlines between 30 and 160 characters got the most positive engagement (upvotes). Reddit allows 300 and recommends under 100, but our data supports a practical limit of about 150 characters. Today about 1 in 3 headlines (32%) still go over 150. Put the main point in the first 80 characters so it survives on mobile.
Should Reddit ads have comments on?
Yes. 79% of ads turn comments off, but in our original data, ads with more comments also tended to get more upvotes, especially smaller ads. Comments give people a reason to engage, and a fast reply from your brand builds trust.
Which Reddit campaign objective should you use?
Match it to your goal. 54% of ads use the traffic objective, but only 36% optimize for conversions. If you want sales, signups or installs, use conversions or app installs, with tracking in place first. See our Reddit Pixel and Conversions API guide.
How many ads should you run?
More than most do. Most advertisers in our data show up with just one ad. They may test more than we can see, but many seem to run one creative and pause everything if it doesn't perform. The top 10% of advertisers make 42% of all ads, and brands like IBM, Apple and Lenovo run dozens of variations. Start with 3 to 5 ads per audience.
Which ad formats do advertisers use?
In the API data, 65% of ads are images, 23% video, 9% carousel and 2% text. Game advertisers lean on video much more, at 48%. See Reddit ads for games: the mistakes game advertisers make.
Should Reddit ads be in English?
About 96% of ads are in English. If you sell internationally, local-language ads face much less competition.
Charts from our original 24,000-ad study
These charts come from the first version of this study and still hold up in the new data.
Reddit ads best practices: FAQ
What is the best headline length for Reddit ads?
Up to about 150 characters, with the main point in the first 80. Reddit recommends under 100, but in our data headlines up to about 150 got the most upvotes.
Should you turn comments on for Reddit ads?
Yes. Most advertisers turn them off, but comments build trust and engagement when you reply.
How many ads should I run on Reddit?
At least 3 to 5 per audience. Most advertisers in our data show up with just one.
Should I use UTM tags on Reddit ads?
Yes. 61% of 2025 ads do, up from 15% in 2022. Without them, your analytics can't see Reddit traffic properly.
About the author
Written by Dāvis Lejnieks, CEO of Undecided Agency and a Redditor for 15+ years. He plans and runs Reddit ad campaigns for DTC, gaming and app brands, and shares what the data shows here.
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