Reddit Launches Latest Keyword Targeting and Product Ad Options

Reddit has announced some recent ad options, because it continues to refine its business focus, with a view to maximizing its revenue potential.

Which has also seen it spark a brand new battle with users over API pricing – which makes this a somewhat oddly-timed announcement. But nonetheless, you now have some recent considerations in your Reddit ad campaigns.

First off, Reddit’s launching Contextual Keyword Targeting, to assist marketers get their ads in front of a broader range of users within the app.

As explained by Reddit:

“Contextual Keyword Targeting gives advertisers the choice to pick out specific keywords to associate with their brand, and even align keywords with their creative ad copy for added relevance. With a lot direct traffic to Reddit conversation threads originating from high intent organic searches or research sessions, Contextual Keyword Targeting unlocks value for advertisers during and after discussions unfold, since we all know Reddit threads continue to exist as priceless, searchable resources for our users.”

So relatively than specializing in specific communities, you’ll also now give you the option to make use of related keywords in your campaign set-up, which can then see your ads shown to users who engage with those terms and discussions.

To be clear, Reddit already offers community, interest, and placement targeting options inside its ad setup process, with this recent element set to supply more capability to associate an expanded range of keywords together with your campaign. So relatively than restricting your reach to certain subreddits, you’ll give you the option to go broader, based on the terms that specific users engage with, which might be of major profit to some brands.

Reddit’s also launching Product Ads, which can include product descriptions and pricing info, in addition to a ‘Shop Now’ CTA to guide purchase activity.

As you may see in this instance, Reddit’s product ads are geared toward driving direct shopping activity, with the CTA button referring viewers back to the advertisers’ website.

“Product Ads are geared toward seamlessly connecting brands with consumers after they are already in research mode and primed to make a purchase order decision. Integrated into the shopping journeys already happening on Reddit, Product Ads are a natural next step within the consideration process as users gear as much as make a purchase order.”

Reddit says that Product Ads can be built direct from a business’ existing product catalog, without having for extra creative resources, streamlining the listing process.

“If an advertiser is already activating shopping campaigns on other platforms, they’ll easily import those self same catalogs to the Reddit Ads Manager.”

On condition that many individuals now use Reddit as a key product search engine, with a view to glean real insights from actual humans, versus hand-picked endorsements on company sites, or paid comments in other formats, it might be a priceless consideration, especially for brands that see positive attention in certain subreddits.

Though it’s that human insight value that’s also sparked the most recent backlash at Reddit, with many subreddits set to ‘go dark’ next week in protest over Reddit’s increased API pricing, which can put many beneficial third-party Reddit apps out of business. As of Monday, the platform might be very quiet indeed, though to this point, Reddit has seemed unmoved in its strategy, which it’s implementing to stop other platforms from benefiting from its breadth of user-submitted insights and data.   

What the expanded impacts of that can be, we don’t know, but it surely’s one other area to observe because the platform continues to hunt more monetization opportunities.