Reddit Ads Targeting Explained: Community vs Interest vs Keyword (2026)
Reddit has three main ways to target ads: communities (subreddits), interests and keywords. Community targeting is the most precise, and it's where we start. Keyword targeting is contextual, so keep it specific. Interest targeting is the broadest, and the one we use least. Use one targeting type per ad group, because combining them widens your audience instead of narrowing it.
At the time of writing, Reddit has no age or city targeting. What it has instead is targeting by what people read and join, which is why your choice of communities matters more than any demographic setting.
What targeting options does Reddit offer?
Targeting | Who sees your ad | How precise | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
Community | People who browsed, posted in, upvoted, commented in or joined the subreddits you pick | Most precise | Start here |
Keyword | People viewing or taking part in posts and comments that match your keyword context | Depends on how specific your keywords are | Good for niches, if the keywords stay specific |
Interest | People in broader categories Reddit infers from their activity | Broadest | Use rarely, mostly at scale |
Reddit also lets you set location and device, and build audiences from your website visitors, customer lists, lookalikes and people who engaged with your ads.
How does community targeting work?
Community targeting (also called subreddit targeting) shows your ads to people who engaged with the communities you choose: they browsed, posted, upvoted, commented or subscribed. It's the best-known option and the most underrated, because many advertisers never go beyond the obvious subreddits.
People who reach Reddit through a Google search are included too, because they view subreddit content. That means you can reach audiences you can't catch with regular SEO.
Not every community can be targeted. Reddit has about 1.1 million subreddits, but only about 143,000 are targetable, because sensitive topics like war, healthcare, religion and politics are excluded.
Your audience is still on Reddit even when the exact subreddit you wanted is off limits. Look at the communities next door.
When should you use keyword targeting?
Keyword targeting is contextual. Your ads show to people who view, interact with or take part in posts and comments that match your keywords, and Reddit's AI uses your whole keyword list to work out who the audience is. A list like "nike, shirts, adidas, shoes, socks" reaches people talking about clothes or sportswear in general, which may or may not be your buyer.
If you use it for a niche, be as specific as you can and don't broaden the list. It's the intent that matters, not the exact phrase. We like it for cheap awareness when paired with conversation placements. See Reddit ad placements: feed vs conversation.
Why are we careful with interest targeting?
Interest targeting is community targeting that Reddit has already batched for you. The problem is that being interested in a topic and owning something are very different things. Someone who enjoys dog pictures in r/awww isn't necessarily a dog owner, but someone in r/dogs probably is. Interest targeting reaches both groups.
Unless your product is very broad, we don't use it, because you lose control and can't swap individual subreddits in and out. At large scale it can be worth testing.
What happens when you combine targeting types?
Combining keyword, interest and community targeting expands your audience instead of narrowing it. If you want it narrower, use audience exclusions. We give each targeting type its own ad group, so you can see which one works: one for community, one for keywords, one for interests if you test them, and one for remarketing. More in Reddit ads campaign structure.
How do you find the right communities?
Build your targeting map from two lists: where registered users hang out, and which subreddits show up most in Google. In August 2026, about 55% of Reddit's website users weren't logged in, so the second list matters. Together they reach people who'll talk about you and people researching a fix to their problem.
Choose communities by what your customer owns or does, not by what your product is. Someone buying a travel charger might be in r/travel, but also in communities about digital nomads, MacBooks, iPhones, onebag travel or airlines. Our free subreddit finder is free, needs no email, and returns 10 to 50 subreddits for the phrases your audience would use.
Should you turn off automated targeting?
Reddit's audience suggestions can expand your targeting automatically. In one of our tests, we doubled reach with more automated targeting and revenue dropped 40%. A smaller, more precise community beat the automation. In 2026, ads usually perform better with automated targeting turned off, but your results may vary.
Which targeting should you start with?
Start with community targeting: 10 to 50 subreddits grouped by theme.
Keep location tight to where your customers actually are.
Test keyword targeting in its own ad group, with specific keywords.
Skip interest targeting until you've scaled.
Judge each ad group on its own results before you widen anything.
Reddit ads targeting: FAQ
What targeting options does Reddit have?
Communities, keywords and interests, plus location, device and audience types like retargeting and lookalikes.
Which Reddit ad targeting is best?
Community targeting is the most precise, and it's where we start. Keyword targeting works for niches when you keep keywords specific.
Can you combine Reddit targeting options?
You can, but it widens your audience instead of narrowing it. Give each targeting type its own ad group, and use exclusions to narrow.
Does Reddit have age or city targeting?
At the time of writing, no. Reddit targets by what people read and join.
How many subreddits can you target?
About 143,000 of Reddit's roughly 1.1 million subreddits. Sensitive topics are excluded.
Should you use interest targeting on Reddit?
Rarely. Interest targeting reaches people who like a topic and people who own the product, and you can't swap individual subreddits in and out.
Get the full playbook
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.
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