Reddit Ads Not Delivering or Not Spending? 9 Checks to Run First
If your Reddit ads aren't delivering or spending, run these checks in order: status, billing, dates, budget, bid, audience size, restrictions, recent changes and placements. Most delivery problems come down to three things: the ad isn't approved or active, the budget or bid is too low to win, or the audience is too narrow. This is the order we check them in.
What's the difference between not delivering and not spending?
Not delivering: zero impressions. Something is blocking the ads completely.
Not spending: you get impressions, but far below your budget. The ads win too few auctions or reach too few people.
What are the 9 checks?
1. Status
Problem: the campaign, ad group or ad is paused, or an ad was rejected or is still in review.
Fix: open each level in Ads Manager and check its status. Fix and resubmit anything rejected.
2. Billing
Problem: the payment method failed or is missing, or your ad credit ran out.
Fix: check your billing page. If you use ad credit, check what's left. See Reddit ads credit guide.
3. Dates and schedule
Problem: the start date is in the future, the end date has passed, or a schedule limits delivery.
Fix: check the dates and schedule on the ad group.
4. Budget
Problem: the daily budget is too low. Budgets are set per ad group, with a $5 per day minimum, so many ad groups means each gets little.
Fix: raise the budget, or run fewer ad groups. See Reddit Ads limitations and How much do Reddit ads cost?.
5. Bid
Problem: a low bid or bid cap can lose auctions.
Fix: raise the cap, or switch to the default bidding, then wait a few days before judging.
6. Audience size
Problem: the audience is too narrow after you combine communities, exclusions, location and device. A community's member count is also bigger than the audience Reddit can reach.
Fix: add more communities (10 to 50 is a good range), widen the location, and remove exclusions you don't need. See Reddit ads targeting and our free subreddit finder.
7. Restrictions
Problem: your category is restricted. If you're in healthcare, housing, banking or gambling, ads may need whitelisting. Sensitive topics are also excluded from community targeting.
Fix: talk to the Reddit team about whitelisting.
8. Recent changes
Problem: big changes can trigger the learning phase, and delivery can dip for a few days. In one account, profit dropped about 4x for 3 to 4 days each time.
Fix: wait before changing again, and make one or two significant changes a month. If the same people see the same ad again and again, add a fresh creative. See Reddit ads campaign structure.
9. Placements
Problem: feed only, one country and one device can shrink the audience a lot.
Fix: test with a wider setup first, then narrow. See Reddit ad placements.
What if everything looks fine?
Wait. A new ad group takes about 4 days to start generating results.
Compare it with a working ad group in the same account.
Contact Reddit support or your Reddit rep, with the ad group ID and the settings you've already checked.
Reddit ads not delivering: FAQ
Why are my Reddit ads not delivering?
Most often the ad isn't approved or active, billing has a problem, the budget or bid is too low, or the audience is too narrow.
Why are my Reddit ads not spending my budget?
The ads may be winning too few auctions, or the audience may be too small to absorb the budget. Check the bid, audience size and placements.
How long should you wait before changing a Reddit ad group that isn't spending?
About 4 days for a new ad group, and avoid making big changes every few days.
What is the minimum budget for a Reddit ad group?
$5 per day for each ad group.
Can restricted categories stop Reddit ads from running?
Yes. If you're in healthcare, housing, banking or gambling, talk to the Reddit team about whitelisting.
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This post comes from my free eBook, How Reddit Ads Actually Works. It also covers targeting, creative, comments and measurement. Get it free, by email.
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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