Reddit is where product curiosity turns into consideration, and Smartly makes sure it doesn’t stop there.

When we first introduced Smartly’s Reddit integration, we focused on the opportunity to tap into Reddit’s high-intent, highly trusted communities. Now we’re zooming in on how to turn that attention into action using Reddit’s best practices and Smartly’s automation and optimization tools.

This article unpacks Reddit’s most effective tactics for conversion campaigns and explores how Smartly helps you activate them with speed and scale.

Why Reddit Converts

Reddit users don’t just browse. They research, recommend, and buy. In fact, 25% of Reddit conversations include product recommendations, and over 40% relate to products or services (Reddit Internal Data). This makes Reddit an ideal space to reach consumers already deep in the decision-making process.

Reddit also delivers outsized impact compared to spend. According to TransUnion, Reddit generates 120% more incrementally attributed revenue than its share of the media budget, while also lifting brand trust (+46%) and purchase intent (+27%).

Smartly helps marketers harness that performance potential at scale.

Set the Foundation with Strong Signals

Reddit’s performance tools work best when they’re powered by reliable signal data. That starts with implementing both the Reddit Pixel and Conversions API (CAPI). Together, they reduce signal loss, improve match rates, and drive more accurate reporting.

To get the most out of Reddit’s optimization models, you’ll also want to pass a complete set of full-funnel events, especially lower-funnel actions like Purchase or Sign Up. 

Campaigns that combine the Pixel and CAPI see up to 30% more matched conversions and 10% lower CPAs on average.

Choose Attribution That Reflects User Behavior

Redditors tend to act after exposure, not clicks. In fact, 96% of users who convert after seeing a Reddit ad don’t click on it. That’s why Reddit recommends using both view-through and click-through attribution windows. Most purchases happen within 10 days of exposure, so a 7-day click and 7-day view window is ideal.

If you're only using last-click, you're likely underreporting performance.

Target with Intent—and Efficiency

Reddit’s audience targeting is designed to support full-funnel strategies. For conversion campaigns, the highest-performing targeting tactics include website retargeting, customer lists, and lookalike audiences. Keyword targeting and community/interest targeting can help expand reach, especially when combined with automated targeting.

Campaigns that enable automated targeting see 11% more conversions and 10% lower CPA compared to those that don’t. Smartly provides the flexibility to test different targeting options and personalized creative to discover and scale what works. Smartly also supports automated ad creation, allowing you to tailor personalized messages to each audience automatically. It’s easier than ever to segment by geography, interests or communities, and scale personalized messaging while doing the same amount of work.

Let Placement Work Harder

Reddit offers two core ad placements: Feed and Conversation. Feed ads appear within the main content feeds (Home, Popular, and Community feeds), while Conversation ads are nestled below the post or in between comments. Instead of separating them into different ad groups, run both together. Reddit’s delivery system will optimize in real time to reach your audience wherever they’re most engaged.

This multi-placement strategy simplifies execution while driving performance. Advertisers like Lenovo saw 26% lower costs on average using this approach, and Conversation ads specifically had 40% lower CPAs than campaign averages.

Build Creatives That Belong on Reddit

Reddit isn’t a place for generic, repurposed social creative. Assets need to feel native to the platform and respectful of its communities.

Smartly makes it easy to adhere to Reddit’s best practices—short, clear headlines under 150 characters, simple visuals with minimal text, and mobile-optimized formats like 4:5 or 1:1. Rotate in fresh creatives frequently—aim for five to seven assets per ad group.

Smartly Creative simplifies asset production, scaling, and performance-based delivery optimization.

Activate Product Discovery with Dynamic Product Ads

Smartly also supports Dynamic Product Ads (DPA) on Reddit, helping performance marketers serve hyper-relevant product creatives at scale. DPA pulls directly from your product catalog and dynamically tailors ads based on audience behavior and interest.

Combined with Smartly’s catalog management and creative templates, you can maintain brand consistency while customizing creatives for each product, streamlining production without sacrificing personalization or performance.

Automate for Smarter Performance

Smartly’s automation features align with Reddit’s bidding best practices. Set daily budgets at least 3x your CPA goal and focus on lower-funnel conversion events like Purchase or Sign Up. Reddit’s machine learning models perform best when they’re given space to learn and optimize.

With Smartly, you can reduce manual workload using intelligent triggers that automatically adjust campaign status, budgets, and bids. This frees up your time while keeping your campaigns agile and efficient.

Once campaigns stabilize, Smartly provides visibility across performance with cross-campaign and cross-channel reporting—so you can optimize strategically, not reactively.

Measure What Matters

Reddit offers native measurement tools, but Smartly goes further by integrating with third-party solutions like Campaign Manager 360, Google Analytics, and Rockerbox. This gives you a holistic view of Reddit’s impact alongside other channels—whether you're tracking conversions, incremental lift, or multi-touch journeys.

Better yet, Smartly can use these connected data sources to inform optimization. Any signal that’s reportable in Smartly can become an optimization trigger, from platform-native events to custom server-to-server integrations. This allows you to optimize toward the KPIs that matter most, across Reddit and beyond.

Smartly Predictive Budget Allocation (PBA) also helps maximize impact by dynamically reallocating budget to your top-performing campaigns, whether within Reddit or across other platforms.

If you’re serious about optimizing performance, Smartly helps connect the dots across your ecosystem.

Bring It All Together

Reddit is a historically untapped digital advertising channel that represents a strong opportunity to take early advantage of efficient auction dynamics, especially for brands focused on performance. With the right setup, creative, and automation, Reddit can deliver better ROAS, stronger trust signals, and measurable growth.

Smartly brings it all together. From automating media setup and optimization to delivering creative scale, cross-channel reporting, and integrations, we help marketers unlock Reddit’s full potential.

See how Smartly can turn Reddit conversations into conversions. Get a demo!

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