How to Make Reddit Meme Ads That Get Shared (4 Steps + a Bonus)
To make a Reddit meme ad that gets shared, pick one message, say it in fewer than 5 words, use a meme format people already know in the way they already use it, and make it funny and unbothered. Some of our ads have been shared thousands of times and reposted across multiple subreddits, with 183+ positive comments. Here are the four steps, plus a bonus.
Step 1: How do you choose the message?
Choose one message. Only one. Take one benefit, or one reason people choose you, and go with it. Don't write "benefit X, but wait, there are more benefits like Y and Z". People know how to buy. You just need one pain point big enough to be worth making memes about.
Step 2: How short should the message be?
Fewer than 5 words. No sentences, no long paragraphs and no emotional phrases. Get to the point. If you need more than 5 words, you may not understand your product or service well enough yet.
Step 3: Where do you find the meme?
Don't invent a new meme, and don't use AI to create meme comics (yes, clients have tried). Go to a meme site like imgflip, look through the top memes of the last 30 days, and see what others have made. Start catching the drift.
If a meme is about being emotionally hurt, leave it as that.
If it's about a confused revelation, leave it as that.
Use it exactly the way everyone else uses it. Don't change its meaning.
Step 4: How do you make it funny and unbothered?
Companies fear offending potential clients. Those people aren't your clients yet, and if they can't laugh at something, do you want to work with them? If you can make people wonder whether a brand really made that joke, or how it can be so unbothered, even better. Ads that split opinion get attention, get people talking and get people curious.
The limits: don't joke at anyone's expense, and don't joke about politics or war.
Bonus: how do you make it yours?
Add your logo, or your product or service name. A small personal touch makes the meme yours without breaking the format.
Why do most company memes fail?
They invent their own jokes. When we replaced a company's own jokes with our concepts, the ads performed about 2x better. You can't advertise what you don't understand.
They use AI. In our App installs case study, AI-generated memes got a 0.73% click-through rate, while real photos got 1.14%.
They explain the joke or pile on messages. One meme, one message.
Fluency takes time. We've been on Reddit for 15+ years, and the fastest way to learn is to browse the communities you target for 2 to 3 months, engage like a human with topics you enjoy, and watch what gets upvoted and downvoted.
How do you test meme ads?
Start with 2 completely different creatives and 2 completely different headlines for 4 combinations, and keep comments open so you can reply. See how to write Reddit ad headlines and Should you turn comments off on Reddit ads?. Sizes are in our Reddit ad specs, sizes and types.
Reddit meme ads: FAQ
Do meme ads work on Reddit?
They can. Some of our meme ads were shared thousands of times and reposted across subreddits. They work when the meme fits the community and the joke is real.
Should you use AI to make meme ads for Reddit?
In our experience, no. In our app installs case study, AI-generated memes got a 0.73% click-through rate, against 1.14% for real photos.
How many words should a Reddit meme ad have?
Fewer than 5. One message, no long sentences.
Where do you find memes for Reddit ads?
Browse the top memes of the last 30 days on a meme site like imgflip, and use them exactly the way people already use them.
What shouldn't you joke about in Reddit ads?
Anything at someone's expense, and politics or war.
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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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