How to Successfully Run Reddit Ads as B2B Company

With over 504 million active users, Reddit is emerging as an intriguing option for B2B marketers. 

It’s not exactly the first place you’d think of when considering B2B advertising - LinkedIn and Google are usually the go-to platforms - but Reddit's unique ecosystem offers a compelling and affordable alternative, especially for companies willing to experiment.

In a recent episode of the Attributed Podcast, Kris Wojcik, Senior Performance Marketing Manager at AdConversion, shared his expertise on using Reddit ads for B2B marketing. 

His insights offer valuable lessons for marketers looking to expand their reach beyond traditional channels.  

Here’s a breakdown of how B2B companies can succeed on Reddit, and why it's worth a closer look.

You can listen to the entire conversation here.

Why use Reddit Ads for B2B marketing?

Reddit is one of the largest online communities, with users participating in niche "subreddits" each centered around a specific topic. These subreddits cater to a wide range of interests, and you're almost guaranteed to find ones relevant to your target audience. 

This unique structure makes it surprisingly well-suited for reaching a B2B audience. 

On Reddit, you have specific communities related to specific a niche or specific problems… there's plenty of communities that will be of interest to you.

This inherent organization makes it easier to target your ICP and tailor your messaging to resonate with their specific needs and interests. 

For more information on B2B Reddit Ads click here. 

Affordability and Reach

Reddit also offers some compelling advantages over more traditional B2B platforms like cost-effectiveness and reach. 

Compared to other platforms, Reddit is incredibly affordable.

It's way cheaper to advertise on Reddit… you’ll pay probably $3, $4, and that’s on the higher end.

This is a significant difference when compared to LinkedIn, where costs per click can easily exceed $7.

Moreover, Reddit offers a largely unduplicated audience. Kris cited data suggesting that up to 44% of Reddit users aren’t active on other major social media platforms. For B2B marketers struggling to stand out on crowded platforms, this represents a potential blue ocean of prospects who may not be reachable via traditional channels.  

To highlight this, Kris saw success with AdConversion, where a $2,000 test budget on Reddit yielded a significantly lower cost per lead than other platforms. 

Reddit was, off the top of my head, 60% cheaper for cost per lead compared to big platforms like LinkedIn.

This combination of affordability and unique reach makes Reddit a compelling option for B2B marketers, especially those with high ACV products where a single conversion can have a significant impact.

Targeting on Reddit: communities over interests

When setting up your Reddit Ads campaign, targeting is crucial. 

While LinkedIn allows for highly specific targeting based on job title, company size, and other demographics, Reddit’s targeting options are more limited. 

You can choose between targeting specific subreddits (communities) or broader user interests. 

Kris recommends focusing on communities:

I would highly recommend using community targeting over interest targeting because with interest targeting, you will appear to some random communities.

Kris also emphasizes the importance of segmenting your campaigns into individual ad groups for each community.

If you merge multiple communities within one [ad] group, you won't be able to track which one actually brought you revenue on the UTM level.

This granular approach allows marketers to measure performance more effectively and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Best practice for creating B2B Reddit Ads

The nature of Reddit requires ad creatives that feel native to the platform. 

Redditors are generally averse to blatant marketing, so your ads need to blend into the user experience while still being engaging enough to grab attention.

Kris advises keeping your messaging concise and direct:

Short and sweet. This is the problem, this is the solution, book a demo now.

Meme culture is prevalent on Reddit, and B2B companies shouldn't shy away from incorporating humor. However, Kris cautions against going overboard:

You don’t want to become a meme account because will love you but might not necessarily buy your products.

 A balanced mix of product ads, memes, and direct calls to action is key.

Tracking and Attribution for Reddit Ads

Accurately tracking the performance of your Reddit ads is essential for optimizing campaigns and understanding your ROI. Reddit provides basic ad analytics, including impressions, CTR, conversions, and CPA.

While Reddit's built-in tracking tools are improving, they still require some extra attention and a nuanced approach.

Kris strongly recommends installing the Reddit Pixel on your website to track conversions and optimize campaigns. 

But even with the Pixel in place, he suggests looking beyond last-touch attribution, because Reddit ads can take a while to create pipeline.  

This delayed impact underscores the need for a long-term perspective when evaluating the success of Reddit ads. 

If you go beyond last attribution, you will still see impact.

Watch out for pitfalls

Reddit ads aren't without their challenges. 

One major pitfall Wojcik warns about is turning on “audience expansion” in your targeting settings. This feature expands the reach of your ads to users outside your chosen communities, potentially leading to wasted ad spend. 

Unlike LinkedIn or Facebook, where personal and professional personas often overlap, Reddit offers a sense of anonymity that fosters open discussions. 

This can be both a blessing and a curse, as users are more likely to share their true opinions but are also more likely to criticize ads if they feel irrelevant or poorly executed. 

If your ad doesn’t fall into the taste of that specific community that you’re advertising within, you might enrage somebody—and they are anonymous, so they will just write whatever offending thing they can think about.

Another potential issue is attracting low-quality leads. At Cognism, for instance, Kris and his team discovered that while targeting the r/SaaS community generated leads, many were from small businesses that couldn't afford their product. 

By carefully monitoring UTM performance and community engagement, they were able to adjust their strategy.

Conclusion

Reddit might not be the most intuitive platform for B2B marketing, but it offers significant rewards for those willing to put in the effort. As Kris summarizes:

Different creatives, different communities, and different objectives. Mix and match and play and see what works.

For B2B companies seeking to break through the noise and connect with a unique audience at a lower cost than other platforms, Reddit presents a compelling opportunity.

It might take some experimentation to get it right, but with a well-executed strategy, Reddit ads can deliver a strong ROI and unlock new avenues for growth.

About the speaker

Kris Wojcik is a Senior Performance Marketing Manager at AdConversion, with a strong background in digital advertising across platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn, particularly for B2B companies. He began leveraging Reddit’s potential in early 2023 during his tenure at Cognism, where he developed expertise in targeting niche communities and optimizing ad strategies. Kris is known for his practical, data-driven approach to performance marketing, helping businesses refine their messaging and boost engagement on emerging platforms.