Reddit Ads Mistakes: What 43,000+ Ads Reveal (2026)
Updated: Oct 13
The most common Reddit ads mistakes are turning comments off, buying traffic instead of conversions, running traffic campaigns in conversation placements, skipping link tracking, writing headlines that get cut off, and testing too few ads. We found all of them at scale in 43,000+ real Reddit ads. Here's each mistake, how common it is, and how to fix it.
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.
Mistake 1: Turning comments off
79% of ads have comments turned off. On Reddit, the comment section is part of the ad. Turning it off removes the one thing that makes Reddit ads feel like a conversation, and readers notice.
Fix: keep comments on, and reply quickly and honestly. Most comments are questions other buyers have too.
Mistake 2: Buying clicks when you want sales
54% of ads use the traffic objective. Only 36% optimize for conversions. A traffic campaign tells Reddit to find the cheapest clicks. Cheap clicks are rarely buyers.
Fix: if you want sales, signups or installs, use the conversions or app install objective, and set up tracking first. See our Reddit Pixel and Conversions API guide.
Mistake 3: Traffic campaigns in conversation placements
39% of ads combine the traffic objective with conversation placements (ads shown between comments). That combo produces very cheap clicks, but many are accidental taps or low-quality traffic, and they rarely convert.
Fix: start with the feed placement. Only add conversation placements with creative made for them, and judge them by conversions, not clicks.
Mistake 4: Not tracking where clicks come from
Half of ads (50%) send people to a link with no UTM tags. That means Google Analytics and other tools can't tell those visitors came from Reddit, and Reddit looks worse than it is. It's improving: about 61% of ads launched in 2025 use UTM tags, up from 15% in 2022.
Fix: add UTM tags to every ad link, plus the Reddit Pixel and Conversions API on your site.
Mistake 5: Headlines that are too long
About 1 in 3 headlines (32%) are over 150 characters. Reddit allows 300 and officially recommends under 100. But in our data, headlines up to about 150 characters got the most positive engagement (upvotes), so 150 is a better practical limit. Headlines are getting shorter too: the median dropped from 129 characters in 2022 to 102 in 2025.
Fix: keep headlines under 150 characters, and put the main point in the first 80 so it survives on mobile. See our Reddit ad specs, sizes and types.
Mistake 6: Testing too few ads
Most advertisers in our data show up with just one ad. That doesn't mean they never test. But it suggests many run one creative, and pause everything if it doesn't perform, instead of testing new angles. Meanwhile, the top 10% of advertisers create 42% of all ads. Brands like IBM, Apple and Lenovo each ran 60 to 100+ ads in our data, testing different messages for different audiences.
Fix: launch with at least 3 to 5 ads per audience, and replace the losers every few weeks.
Mistake 7: Spreading a small budget too thin
69% of ads run on Reddit's lowest budget tier. A small budget is fine. A small budget split across many audiences means none of them gets enough data to learn.
Fix: test fewer audiences at once, and move budget to what works. See How much do Reddit ads cost?.
Mistake 8: English-only ads for a global audience
About 96% of ads are in English, while a large share of Reddit's users are outside English-speaking countries. Local-language ads face far less competition.
Fix: if you sell internationally, test ads in the local language for your biggest non-English markets.
Reddit ads mistakes: FAQ
What is the most common Reddit ads mistake?
Turning comments off. In our data, 79% of ads do it.
Should I use the traffic objective on Reddit?
Only if you really want visits. If you want sales, signups or installs, use conversions or app installs.
Are conversation placements bad?
Not always, but combined with the traffic objective they often bring cheap, low-quality clicks. Start with feed and add conversation placements with creative made for them.
How many ads should I run on Reddit?
At least 3 to 5 per audience, so you can see what works and replace what doesn't.
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.
Keep reading
Undecided Agency is a Reddit ads agency for DTC, gaming and app brands. Want a plan for your product? Get a Reddit Ads Game Plan.
Comments