Your B2B Reddit Ads Setup Checklist

Reddit isn’t your typical ad platform. Reddit Ads are quicker to launch than ads on LinkedIn and often more affordable than ads on Google, but only if you approach Reddit Ads strategically. 

But here's the catch: If you skip the strategy, you’ll burn through your budget fast. Get it right, and you’ll reach high-intent buyers exactly where they're asking questions and weighing decisions.

This blog is your launchpad for building smarter, more effective Reddit campaigns designed with your B2B goals in mind from the start.

Before You Launch: Lay the Foundation

To be effective with Reddit Ads, you have to do more than just click "create campaign" to get started. You need to prepare your presence and tracking tools so your efforts actually lead to insights and conversions.

1. Set Up Your Reddit Account

Redditors can smell inauthenticity a mile away. If your brand’s presence on Reddit looks placeholder or like a hard-sell account, your campaign will suffer. Treat your profile like a landing page: polished, relevant, and credible. 

You should:

• Create a professional, brand-aligned handle

• Add a recognizable profile image, concise bio, and a link to your company website

• Make sure it looks trustworthy (because first impressions matter)

2. Install a Reddit Pixel

If you're not tracking what happens after someone clicks your Reddit ad, you're flying blind.

To get meaningful insights and optimize campaign performance, make sure to:

• Add a Reddit Pixel via Google Tag Manager (or add it directly in your site’s header)

• Track B2B signals like content downloads, demo requests, or form starts

• Define conversion goals that reflect your real sales funnel

3. Add UTM Tags

Reddit’s native analytics leave gaps. UTM parameters give you clarity by showing exactly where traffic comes from.

• Example: utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=demo_ads

4. Adjust Attribution Settings

Reddit’s attribution window can be misleading if you’re not aware of how it works.

Be sure to:

• Use 28-day click + 28-day view attribution

• Heads up: Reddit credits conversions to the view date, not the action date

Objectives and Targeting: Start with Strategy

1. Set a Single Campaign Objective

Don’t treat Reddit like a plug-and-play ad platform. Success starts with clear objectives, the right format, and hyper-relevant targeting that aligns with how Reddit users think and engage. 

Here are a few common B2B goals to choose from:

• Conversions: demo requests, form fills

• Traffic: content downloads, landing page visits

• Video Views: awareness via explainers or intros

2. Choose the Right Ad Format

Not all formats perform equally and Reddit users expect content that feels native, not salesy. Choose what aligns with your goal and the culture of your target subreddits. 

Here are the top format options and when to use them:

• Static images: Clean visuals + short copy 

• Carousels: Perfect for multi-step products or feature walkthroughs

• Short-form videos: Hook them in the first 3 seconds

3. Nail Your Targeting

Reddit’s real strength lies in its niche communities. Subreddit targeting gives you access to buyers already engaged with your topic. 

To reach the right audience:

• Prioritize subreddit targeting over broad interests

• Layer in geo filters for relevance (e.g., US-only campaigns)

• Test subreddits + keyword combos for precision

Ad Strategy: Think in Funnels

Reddit Ads work best when campaigns are structured around your buyer’s journey. Don’t throw all your audiences and messages into a single campaign. Instead, align creative and spend to each stage of the funnel.

1. Structure Your Messaging

Reddit doesn’t do well with one-size-fits-all messaging. Segmenting your campaigns by funnel stage allows you to customize messaging and track results more clearly. 

Break it down into:

• Campaigns: Organized by goal (brand awareness, lead gen, retargeting)

• Ad Groups: Segment by funnel stage

  • Cold: first-touch traffic

  • Warm: visited or engaged

  • Hot: returned to pricing, demo, or contact pages

• Ads: 3-4 per group testing different angles and types of creative 

2. Budget Wisely

Reddit is cost-effective, but only if your budget is spread wisely. If you underfund top-of-funnel or neglect retargeting, performance will stall.

Use this as a general budget breakdown:

• 70–80% on top-of-funnel to build volume

• 20–30% on retargeting to close deals

• Expect CPCs between $0.50–$1.50

• Minimum: $5/day per ad group

Creativity That Fits Reddit

Creative is your biggest variable on Reddit. You’re competing with memes, AMAs, and genuine conversations. If your ads feel out of place, they’ll be ignored or worse, downvoted.

1. Follow Creative Best Practices

Subreddits reward clarity, not fluff. Keep it useful and straight to the point.

Here are a few best practices to follow:

• Images: Make them 1200x900px (4:3) or 1200x1200px (1:1)

• Video: Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds

• Headlines: Keep to <150 characters

  • Copy: Be clear more than clever. 

• Tone: Direct, useful, and aligned with that subreddit’s specific culture

2. Choose Your Placements

Where your ad shows up matters just as much as what it says. 

Consider these placement options:

• In-feed promoted posts: Appear in subreddit feeds

• Conversation placements: Show up above the top comment on a thread

• Bonus: Promote AMAs or valuable resources for organic reach

3. Build Custom Audiences

Reddit lets you build solid custom audiences with longer lookback windows than most platforms. 

To get the most from your targeting, here’s what to build from:

• Build audiences from:

  • Reddit ad engagement (views, clicks)

  • Website activity (asset views, form starts, demo page visits)

• Use 90-day lookbacks for longer B2B cycles

Build, Test, Optimize, Repeat

Even the best strategy needs tuning. Testing isn’t just about launching variants, it’s about learning what truly moves the needle for your audience and funnel stage.

Use a Creative Testing Framework

Avoid testing everything at once. Isolate variables so you can identify what’s really working.

Here are a few tips for effective creative testing:

• Change one variable at a time (image, CTA, copy)

• Run for 7-10 days to get clean data

• Use separate ad groups per audience

Watch Performance Metrics

Reddit’s attribution delays results. Don’t panic if conversions don’t show up immediately.

 To make sense of your results:

• Wait 10+ days

• Break down by device, placement, subreddit, and funnel stage

Scale What Works

Once something’s working, don’t just let it ride, scale with purpose.Here are some ideas.

Here’s how to scale smarter:

• Increase spend by 20-30% weekly

• Refresh creatives and test new angles

• Expand into adjacent subreddits

Reddit isn’t LinkedIn. It’s not Facebook either. It’s where professionals go to research, learn from peers, and ask questions they can’t on sales calls. If you meet them there, with structure and strategy, you’ll stand out.

At Wheels Up Collective, we help B2B teams go from “Where do we start?” to campaigns that convert. We bring the strategy, the creative, and the nuance Reddit demands.

Want the full checklist? Download it now.