TL;DR: Why Reddit Ads Work for B2B
Reddit ads for B2B deliver precise community targeting at lower costs than LinkedIn. Running both feed and conversation ads on Reddit yields 83% higher brand awareness. Reddit organizes into communities called subreddits. Each one focuses on a topic or interest area. If you sell to data scientists, r/MachineLearning is where they discuss model architectures and training challenges. If you sell cybersecurity tools, r/Cybersecurity is where practitioners share threat intelligence and ask for tool recommendations.
People go to these communities to discuss their problems. You can advertise in those same places. LinkedIn can’t replicate this because it targets by job title and company, not by the conversations people are actually having. Reddit users engage with the platform for authentic answers as evidenced by Perplexity citing Reddit at 46.7% and Google AI Overviews at 21%.
Because of this, B2B advertisers have the means to enact precise targeting capability, but it’s not that simple.
In this post, we’ll walk through the main Reddit ad types. We’ll show what makes each useful for B2B, strategies, and targeting tips. Then I’ll close with how Obility can help you build a Reddit plus organic and social playbook.
Table of Contents
- Why Should B2B Companies Use Reddit Ads?
- What Are the Best Reddit Ad Formats for B2B?
- How Do You Target B2B Audiences on Reddit?
- What B2B Use Cases Work Best on Reddit?
- How Do You Create Effective B2B Ads on Reddit?
- What Mistakes Should B2B Advertisers Avoid on Reddit?
- How Do You Measure Reddit Ad Performance for B2B?
- What Is the Complete Reddit Ads Strategy for B2B?
- FAQ: Reddit Ads for B2B
1. Why Should B2B Companies Use Reddit Ads?
Reddit’s communities and conversations are almost entirely public, that gives businesses unprecedented access to conversations and niches. Tapping into those niches helps advertisers find as close a match to their target demographic as possible.
Niche communities equal intent adjacency
Subreddits form around specific interests and pain points. r/MachineLearning attracts engineers debugging model performance. r/Cybersecurity draws security teams researching threats. There are users browsing these communities and then there are audiences that actively join these communities to find answers or participate in conversations relevant to them. You can put your message directly in front of someone asking how to solve the problem your product addresses. Different subreddits talk differently and care about different things, so you need to rewrite your message for each community.
Lower cost relative to LinkedIn and other B2B channels
Our data shows Reddit has lower CPM and CPC than LinkedIn. You can test without spending your entire budget, then put more money behind what works. Choose CPM for awareness campaigns, CPC for traffic, or CPA for conversions.
Native feel that encourages comments and feedback
Reddit users comment on posts. Your ad sits in the same feed as regular posts, so people respond to it the same way. They’ll tell you if your message makes sense or if you missed something important. You get direct feedback instead of just watching metrics.
Emerging formats for long content and storytelling
Twitter cuts you off at 280 characters. LinkedIn buries anything past a few paragraphs. Reddit doesn’t. You can explain how something works, show screenshots of your product, or walk through how a customer uses it. People read long posts when those posts answer their questions.
Reddit ads for B2B work best with the right setup
Reddit is not perfect for all B2B conversion goals, so you will need to test incrementally and focus on what works for your audience, and to understand how they engage with Reddit before you spend money on ads there.
2. What Are the Best Reddit Ad Formats for B2B?
How do you choose Reddit ad formats by campaign objective?
Reddit groups its ad formats by what you’re trying to accomplish, such as awareness, engagement, traffic, lead generation, or conversions. Each goal works better with certain formats.
For awareness and reach campaigns:
- Image Ads
- Video Ads
- Takeovers
- Free-Form Ads
- Promoted Posts
For engagement campaigns:
- Conversation Ads
- AMA (Ask Me Anything)
- Promoted Posts
For traffic and lead generation campaigns:
- Conversation Ads
- Free-Form Ads
- Promoted Posts
For conversion campaigns:
- Carousel
- Product Ads
- DPA (Dynamic Product Ad for e-commerce)
One tip for testing Reddit ad formats
Don’t over-optimize too early, let campaigns run with a few formats, and then double down on what’s gaining lift towards your key KPIs.
3. How Do You Target B2B Audiences on Reddit?
Reddit’s targeting stack isn’t as deep as LinkedIn’s, but it’s evolving quickly, and can work well when leveraged for the right community.
What are the core targeting dimensions for Reddit ads for B2B?
Community and subreddit targeting
This is the most powerful option for B2B. You can target by subreddit, for example, r/DataScience, r/DevOps, r/SaaS, because you can go hyper-narrow, and your paid reach is highly relevant.
Interest targeting
Broader, but useful when your ideal subreddits are small. Reddit allows you to pick interest categories. (For example, “tech,” “programming,” “business”).
Keyword targeting and contextual targeting
Match keywords in content or comments around your ad. Useful when you want to intercept search-like behavior within Reddit. Reddit users strategically search the platform for authentic answers. Perplexity cites Reddit at 46.7%. Google AI Overviews cite Reddit at 21%.
Lookalike and similar audiences
Based on existing audiences, Reddit finds similar users, such as site visitors and converters. This expands reach while maintaining relevance.
Retargeting and site-based audiences
If you have Reddit Pixel or CAPI installed, you can retarget. Retarget people who visited your site or took actions. This is particularly powerful for B2B SaaS flows. You can push people further down the funnel. You can reach them with additional offers.
Device, location, and platform filters
Standard targeting includes geography, OS, device type, and time of day.
Bonus targeting for Reddit ads partner agencies
If you work with a Reddit Ads Partner Agency like Obility, you can use Bombora targeting. This allows you to target by job title.
What are the best practices for targeting B2B audiences on Reddit?
Lean community-first for Reddit ads for B2B
B2B niches can be small, however community targeting often gives a higher signal. Don’t let Reddit automatically expand targeting if performance gets weak. Stick to your precise communities first, even if the audience is narrow.
Use layered targeting with exclusions
Start with core communities or interests. Then layer with lookalike or keywords. Exclude audiences who have already converted. Exclude audiences from unrelated domains. This reduces wasted spend.
Warm up with content and top-funnel campaigns first
Reddit users can be skeptical of ads. I suggest joining the communities first and see what is being discussed before deciding your ad content and creative. Warming your audience with content helps. Use informative campaigns via Free-Form Ads, AMA, or Conversation Ads. This builds familiarity before pushing conversion offers.
Combine feed and conversation placements
Running both feed and conversation ads simultaneously yields 83% higher brand awareness than using one alone.
Creatives must feel native
Reddit users can identify “out-of-place” marketing. Use language, tone, and formatting that match the communities you’re in. Get to know and understand the subreddits you are targeting. Do this before you run ads there. See what is being posted. See what ads look like. Learn from what folks are engaging with.
Measure and iterate quickly
Many B2B Reddit audiences are niche. You’ll need to monitor the signal carefully, such as CTR, conversions, and engagement. Don’t let campaigns run months before pivoting.
Test budgets conservatively, then scale
Reddit’s cost structure can vary by subreddit. (CPM, CPC, CPA all fluctuate). Start small. Gauge performance. Then scale into higher-performing segments.
4. What B2B Use Cases Work Best on Reddit?
Here are a few use cases to show how we’d apply Reddit ads for B2B in practice:
SaaS platform targeting ML engineers
You might target r/MachineLearning, r/DataScience, and r/ArtificialIntelligence. Use a Free-Form ad explaining a novel model architecture. Or share a benchmarking whitepaper. Then retarget those who clicked on a demo signup. Use Conversation or image ads for this.
Cybersecurity vendor promoting a threat intelligence report
Use Conversation Ads to appear in threads about “zero-day exploit” discussions. Offer a one-page download, and follow with carousel or image ads to those who engaged.
Founder AMA plus content campaign
Suppose your CEO hosts an AMA in a technical subreddit like r/DevOps. Promote that via AMA Ads. Include RSVP and reminders as this builds brand authenticity, then run a Free-Form Ad or Image campaign around takeaways or product relevance.
Author authority increases AI citations by 340%. This makes founder-led content valuable for building long-term visibility.
Lower-funnel retargeting
Retarget site visitors, for example, trial signups, feature page visitors, etc., and use conversation ads or simple image ads to remind them of value propositions.
5. How Do You Create Effective B2B Ads on Reddit?
Use community language and insider tone
Mirror how people in the subreddit talk and avoid overly polished sales jargon, as Redditors favor authenticity.
67% of SaaS companies lose between $450,000 and $10.1 million annually due to content that’s too complex or technical.
Accessible language is critical for Reddit ads for B2B.
Use strong headlines up front
Front-load your value in headlines, because feed preview truncation hides deeper copy, and include “TL;DR” sections in Free-Form ads. This helps quick skimmers.
Test short versus long copy
Some communities favor brief, bold statements, while others will read deeper narratives. Use A/B testing to see what performs best. Reddit offers formats that combine images, video, GIFs, and long text. This allows for deeper storytelling than most social platforms.
Include an invitation to comment and provide feedback
Reddit is social by design, it prompts users to react or ask questions, which builds engagement and trust. It signals quality to Reddit’s algorithm.
Be visual, but lean
Use in image or carousel ads, keep visuals simple that have a clean design, bold typography, and contrast. Avoid cluttered overlays.
Use strong, direct CTAs
Make them contextually relevant, for example, “Download the benchmarking report” or “Ask us your X question” to match the ask to the funnel stage.
Align creative with format
If you use Carousel, make sure each card builds a coherent mini-story
If using Video, optimize for mobile, since approximately 75% of Reddit’s audience is mobile.
Use social proof and examples
For B2B in particular, referencing customers and data helps, for example, “used by 100 engineering teams” or “30% reduction in onboarding times” to help reduce friction. Customer case studies and success stories are a great way to share social proof.
US consumers read reviews before making purchase decisions. Social proof is increasingly important for B2B SaaS.
Iterate fast
Don’t wait weeks. Pivot creative or targeting quickly based on early performance signals.
6. What Mistakes Should B2B Advertisers Avoid on Reddit?
Blasting broad interest targeting only
Without subreddit or contextual targeting, you’ll reach many irrelevant users. B2B niches demand precision.
Overly polished “agency ads”
A generic ad that looks like a banner ad will often underperform. Redditors dislike obvious marketing.
Skipping content and warming phases
Diving straight to conversion offers rarely works. You need to prime the audience.
Failing to monitor and cut losers early
Niche audiences are small. Wasted spend escalates fast.
Ignoring negative feedback and comments
Ads might attract criticism or pushback, engage constructively, adapt messaging, and be ready to pull creatives that receive negativity. Use it as a learning example and move on to the next ad set.
Expecting immediate scale
Even high-performing subreddits have volume ceilings. Don’t expect Reddit alone to deliver lead targets in early stages and layer other channels. We often pair Reddit with LinkedIn and Meta.
58.5 to 63% of searches now end without a click. Visibility building requires multi-channel presence.
Using Dynamic Expansion blindly
Reddit offers “dynamic targeting expansion,” as this lets their algorithm broaden reach. In B2B, this often pulls in low-quality users. Just say no.
7. How Do You Measure Reddit Ad Performance for B2B?
Use Reddit Pixel and server-side tracking
For lead-gen or conversion campaigns, this is critical as it enables retargeting and attribution.
Set clear metrics per funnel stage
For awareness campaigns:
- Impressions
- Reach
- Video views
For engagement campaigns:
- Clicks
- Comments
- Votes
For lead-gen campaigns:
- Form submissions
- Trial starts
- MQLs
Segment performance by subreddit and audience
Some communities may outperform others and weed out underperformers.
Creative refresh cadence
Rotate creatives often (every 2-4 weeks) to avoid fatigue, particularly in small communities.
Layer retargeting funnels
For example, Awareness → Engagement → Lead offer.
Retarget those who engaged but didn’t convert.
Use attribution windows carefully
In B2B, conversion latency is longer.
Choose attribution windows that reflect realistic customer behavior. (7 to 30 days, etc.).
Test formats side-by-side
Run Image versus Conversation versus Free-Form Ad in parallel.
Do this for the same audience to see what resonates best.
8. What Is the Complete Reddit Ads Strategy for B2B?
Here’s a quick playbook for a B2B brand starting with Reddit ads for B2B:
Step 1: Define your ICP and map to subreddits
Brainstorm 5 to 10 subreddits where your buyers hang out. Join those subreddits and observe. Better yet, add value from a brand user without being salesy or promotional.
Step 2: Launch awareness and content campaigns first
Use Free-Form Ads, Image, Video or AMA Ads.
This warms the audience. It establishes voice and builds familiarity.
Step 3: Layer feed plus conversation placements
Combine to maximize reach and lift. Per Reddit’s reported 83% lift when used together.
Step 4: Retarget engaged users
Use Reddit Pixel or custom audiences.
Retarget people who clicked, commented, or visited your site.
Step 5: Introduce conversion-focused ads
Use Carousel or Product Ads. (If you have a catalog).
Or promote gated content and offers via Free-Form Ads or Conversation Ads.
Step 6: Optimize and scale
Pause communities and ad versions that underperform.
Double down on winners. Refresh creative. Iterate.
Step 7: Integrate Reddit with your broader ad stack
Use Reddit as a complement to LinkedIn, Meta, paid search, and display programs.
Particularly for top-of-funnel reach and community engagement.
9. FAQ: Reddit Ads for B2B
How much do Reddit ads cost for B2B companies?
Reddit ads typically cost less than LinkedIn for B2B campaigns.
Our data shows lower CPM and CPC rates. Reddit offers flexible bidding models. You can choose CPM, CPC, or CPA.
Start with small test budgets ($500-$1,000). Then scale based on performance.
What industries work best for Reddit ads in B2B?
Tech, SaaS, cybersecurity, data science, and DevOps work particularly well.
Any B2B company with niche technical audiences benefits. Reddit has active communities for most specialized industries.
How long does it take to see results from Reddit ads for B2B?
Awareness campaigns show results within 7 to 14 days.
Lead generation and conversion campaigns typically need 30 to 60 days. B2B sales cycles are longer.
Attribution windows of 7 to 30 days reflect realistic customer behavior.
Should B2B companies use Reddit ads or LinkedIn ads?
Use both for best results.
Reddit offers lower costs and niche community targeting. LinkedIn offers deeper professional targeting.
What ad formats work best for B2B on Reddit?
Free-Form Ads work best for storytelling and product breakdowns.
Conversation Ads work well for engagement and lead capture. Carousel Ads work for product showcases.
Start with Free-Form and Conversation Ads. Then test other formats.
How do you target decision-makers with Reddit ads?
Target relevant subreddits where decision-makers participate.
(For example, r/DataScience, r/DevOps, r/SaaS)
If you work with a Reddit Ads Partner Agency like Obility, you can use Bombora targeting. This allows targeting by job title.
What metrics should B2B companies track for Reddit ads?
Track CTR, conversion rate, and cost per lead for performance.
Track impressions and reach for awareness.
Track comments and votes for engagement.
Segment performance by subreddit to identify winners.
How do Reddit ads compare to other B2B advertising channels?
Reddit offers lower costs than LinkedIn and more niche targeting.
It requires more community understanding and a native creative approach.
Reddit rewards accessible, authentic communication.
Obility, Your In-House Partner for Reddit Ads for B2B
Want help building a Reddit Ads program that’s genuinely worth your ad spend? (Not just another test).
Obility’s B2B paid media team and data team can help you:
- Identify your ideal Reddit communities
- Build a testing roadmap of effective formats
- Craft native-feeling ads and feedback loops
- Design retargeting flows from Reddit into your site funnel
- Track, scale, and optimize based on real B2B ROI
If you’re ready to explore Reddit Ads or better integrate it with your paid social and organic Reddit strategy, let’s talk. Reach out to Obility and we’ll build you a strategy that doesn’t just “try Reddit,” but actually moves the needle.
