Reddit Ads Playbook for B2B SaaS

Why Reddit for B2B?

Reddit isn’t another spray-and-pray display channel. It’s where technical buyers do homework, ask peers, and validate decisions—often over multiple sessions. That means efficient reach, lower CPCs in many categories, and conversions that convert. Set your measurement up accordingly, or you’ll undercount impact.

Campaign & Audience Strategy

Your three core audience types

1. Metadata Audiences (first-party / platform audiences from Metadata).
2. Community targeting (subreddits where your buyers live).
3. Keyword targeting (terms your buyers actively read/search on Reddit).

It’s a combination of Paid Social and Paid Search targeting.

Combination rule: Interests can supplement targeting, but shouldn’t stand alone. Start broad, then narrow based on performance (CPC/CPL). Separate campaigns by audience type (Firmographic Targeting vs. Keywords) so budgets and bids optimize cleanly.

Structure

• Campaign A: Keywords (broad/phrase → refine).
• Campaign B: Communities (cluster by theme/use-case).
• Campaign C: Metadata Audiences (prospects, trials, customers).
• Campaign D: Retargeting based on Reddit traffic.

Pro tip: Reddit explicitly calls out Run of Site (ROS), Interest, Community, and Keyword as distinct levers; keep them isolated early to see true lift per lever.

Keyword Discovery (fast start)

If you’re light on terms, use this prompt to generate a starter list, then prune:

“This is my website [URL] and an example ICP customer website [URL]. These are our LinkedIn personas/titles: [LIST]. Bring me a list of Reddit-native keywords, product terms, problems, and jargon worth testing for my Reddit campaigns.”

Review and load the top 50–100, launch keywords as broad or phrase match, then cut the lowest performers based on low CTR and high CPC after 3 to 5 days of delivery.

Budgets, Bids & Optimization

1. Bidding: Start manual (not auto-bid) so you own the cost and pacing.
2. Budget: As little as $2K/month is enough to validate fit and find a path to scale.
3. Attribution windows: Reddit research shows most purchases happen after exposure, not the click itself; use 7-day click and 14-day view minimum, or you’ll under-credit Reddit.

Bid hygiene

• If delivery is thin, relax caps or broaden (add adjacent communities/keywords).
• If CPCs spike, prune expensive keywords and re-weight budgets to proven community clusters.
• Expect a “research” journey – optimize to qualified site actions (docs, product pages, trials), not just CTR.

Creative: What Works on Reddit (and why)

Format ratios: 4:5 video wins; static 4:5 or 1:1 also strong

The 4:5 video format has shown lower CPL in Reddit’s own testing.

Topic angle: Informational and technical is far better than fluffy brand lines. Lead with the problem, show the proof, link the how.

Message pillars for B2B:

• “How we cut [waste] by [X%] by using [method].”
• “Your [Non-Problems] are fine. Your [Pain-points] are the problem. Here’s the fix.”
• “Playbooks, benchmarks, and scripts” (stuff people bookmark).

Social proof, not slogans: Quotes, screenshots, and bite-sized results outperform synergistic adjectives.

Native tone: Write like a smart Redditor looking for an answer, not an ad. Lose the buzzwords.

Creative checklist

• Hook (pain or insight) → proof (metric or mini-case) → action (what they get).
• Legible overlay text on static; captions on video; result-oriented and brand minimal.
• Test 3–5 headlines per ad set and pause the bottom 50% after 3 to 5 days.

Benchmarks to Aim For

• CTR: Platform and industry aggregates suggest ~0.2–0.3% CTR baseline and a 0.5–1.0% CTR is strong with relevant creative/targets. Have an early goal for 0.6% CTR when starting out.
• CPC: While consumer campaigns often see < $1 CPC; B2B/SaaS comes in around $0.50–$2.00 depending on targeting and competition. Aim for < $3 when starting.

Use these as guardrails – optimize to qualified actions and pipeline.

Measurement on Reddit is different than other channels

• Implement Reddit Pixel/CAPI before launch.
• Optimize to mid-funnel and bottom-funnel events (content views, pricing visits, form submissions, trial starts, and demo requests)
• Include view-through in reporting and use longer windows to reflect research behavior. A vast majority of Reddit-influenced conversions don’t come from an initial direct ad click.

Budgets & Timing (Reddit starter plan)

Month 1 – Learn: $2K total

• 40% Keywords (broad/phrase)
• 40% Communities (3–5 clusters) and/or Metadata Audiences
• 20% Retargeting

Month 2 – Focus: Shift 60–70% to winners (best performing qualified actions), introduce 1–2 high-intent keyword packs and a niche community cluster.

Month 3 – Scale: Add creative variants around your best proof points (case stats, short demos, ROI calculators, etc).

FAQ

Question: Is Reddit worth it for B2B?

Answer: Yes – Reddit drives reach and efficient conversions, especially for more technical buyers.

Question: What’s a good CTR on Reddit?

Answer: Expect a 0.2–0.3% baseline CTR; 0.5–1.0% is a strong goal to have over time.

Question: What’s a good CPC on Reddit?

Answer: B2B CPCs typically range from $0.50–$2.00; your initial goal to reach should be < $3.

Question: Is Reddit’s targeting and segmentation accurate? 

Answer: Reddit’s targeting and segmentation is limited. Third-party vendors like Metadata allow for firmographic targeting that surpasses what’s currently available natively on
Reddit.

Question: How do Metadata Audiences perform on Reddit?

Answer: Metadata Audiences allows for firmographic targeting that surpasses what’s currently available natively on Reddit – allowing for more accurate targeting and segmentation.

Question: What ad format should I use?

Answer: Start with 4:5 video and 4:5 or 1:1 static image; Reddit reports lower C