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Setup

Reddit Ads — Campaign Setup

Create and configure Reddit Ads campaigns, ad groups, and ads via the Reddit Ads API v3

Instructions

Reddit Ads — Campaign Setup

Create and manage Reddit advertising campaigns programmatically via the Reddit Ads API v3. The API provides full CRUD control over accounts, campaigns, ad groups, and ads.

Authentication

Reddit Ads API uses OAuth2. You need a Reddit Ads account and API access.

  1. Apply for Reddit Ads API access at https://business.reddithelp.com/s/article/Reddit-Ads-API
  2. Create an OAuth2 app at https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps (type: web)
  3. Required scopes: ads:read (GET), ads:manage (POST, PATCH, DELETE)

Get an access token:

curl -X POST https://www.reddit.com/api/v1/access_token \
  -u "CLIENT_ID:CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials&scope=ads:read ads:manage" \
  -A "YourApp/1.0"

Response: {"access_token": "TOKEN", "token_type": "bearer", "expires_in": 86400}

Base URL: https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3

Rate Limits

  • 1 request per second per access token
  • Batch operations where possible to stay within limits
  • Implement exponential backoff on 429 responses

Campaign Hierarchy

Reddit Ads follows: Account -> Campaign -> Ad Group -> Ad

  • Campaign: Budget, objective, start/end dates
  • Ad Group: Targeting (subreddits, interests, keywords), bid, schedule
  • Ad: Creative (headline, body, image/video, CTA, destination URL)

Create a Campaign

POST https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns
Authorization: Bearer TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "paid-reddit-ads-smoke-{date}",
  "objective": "CONVERSIONS",
  "daily_budget_micro": 50000000,
  "start_time": "2026-04-01T00:00:00Z",
  "end_time": "2026-04-08T00:00:00Z",
  "is_paid": true,
  "configured_status": "PAUSED"
}

Notes:

  • daily_budget_micro is in microdollars (multiply dollars by 1,000,000). $50/day = 50000000.
  • Objectives: CONVERSIONS, TRAFFIC, AWARENESS, VIDEO_VIEWS, APP_INSTALLS
  • For lead generation, use CONVERSIONS with a landing page form
  • Start campaigns in PAUSED status to review before launching
  • Minimum daily budget: $5 (5000000 micro)

Create an Ad Group

POST https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/adgroups
Authorization: Bearer TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "adgroup-subreddit-{target_subreddits}",
  "bid_micro": 3000000,
  "bid_strategy": "CPC",
  "target": {
    "subreddits": ["startups", "SaaS", "devops"],
    "geos": [{"country": "US"}],
    "devices": ["DESKTOP", "MOBILE"],
    "expansion": false
  },
  "start_time": "2026-04-01T00:00:00Z",
  "end_time": "2026-04-08T00:00:00Z",
  "configured_status": "PAUSED"
}

Notes:

  • bid_micro: CPC bid in microdollars. $3.00 CPC = 3000000.
  • bid_strategy: CPC (cost per click), CPM (cost per 1000 impressions), CPV (cost per view)
  • Subreddit targeting: pass subreddit names without the r/ prefix
  • Best practice: 3-5 subreddits per ad group, mix one large community with 2-4 niche ones
  • Set expansion: false to prevent Reddit from auto-expanding targeting beyond your selected subreddits

Create an Ad

POST https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/adgroups/{adgroup_id}/ads
Authorization: Bearer TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "ad-variant-{variant_id}",
  "post_url": null,
  "headline": "How 200+ teams cut deploy incidents by 73%",
  "body": "Free checklist: the 5 steps that actually work. No signup needed.",
  "thumbnail_url": "https://yoursite.com/images/ad-creative-1.png",
  "click_url": "https://yoursite.com/reddit-lp?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=paid-reddit-ads&utm_content=deploy-checklist",
  "call_to_action": "LEARN_MORE",
  "configured_status": "PAUSED"
}

Notes:

  • headline: Max 300 characters. Keep under 100 for readability.
  • body: Optional expanded text. Keep authentic and non-salesy for Reddit audiences.
  • call_to_action: LEARN_MORE, SIGN_UP, SHOP_NOW, DOWNLOAD, GET_QUOTE, CONTACT_US, APPLY_NOW
  • Always include UTM parameters in click_url for PostHog attribution
  • thumbnail_url: Upload image via the creative upload endpoint first, then reference the URL

Upload Creative Assets

POST https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3/accounts/{account_id}/creatives
Authorization: Bearer TOKEN
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

file=@/path/to/creative.png

Supported formats: PNG, JPG, GIF (static only for promoted posts). Video: MP4, MOV (for video ads). Recommended image sizes: 1200x628 for link ads, 1080x1080 for carousel.

Update Campaign Status (Launch)

PATCH https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns/{campaign_id}
Authorization: Bearer TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "configured_status": "ACTIVE"
}

Also activate ad groups and ads with the same PATCH pattern.

List Campaigns

GET https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns
Authorization: Bearer TOKEN

Returns all campaigns with their status, budget, and performance summary.

Error Handling

  • 401 Unauthorized: Token expired. Re-authenticate.
  • 403 Forbidden: Missing ads:manage scope or insufficient account permissions.
  • 404 Not Found: Invalid account, campaign, or ad group ID.
  • 429 Rate Limited: Back off for the duration specified in Retry-After header.
  • 400 Bad Request: Validation error. Check response body for field-level errors (e.g., budget below minimum, invalid subreddit name).

Python Client Alternative

import requests

class RedditAdsClient:
    BASE_URL = "https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v3"

    def __init__(self, client_id, client_secret):
        self.token = self._authenticate(client_id, client_secret)

    def _authenticate(self, client_id, client_secret):
        resp = requests.post(
            "https://www.reddit.com/api/v1/access_token",
            auth=(client_id, client_secret),
            data={"grant_type": "client_credentials", "scope": "ads:read ads:manage"},
            headers={"User-Agent": "GTMSkills/1.0"}
        )
        return resp.json()["access_token"]

    def _headers(self):
        return {"Authorization": f"Bearer {self.token}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}

    def create_campaign(self, account_id, payload):
        url = f"{self.BASE_URL}/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns"
        return requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=self._headers()).json()

    def create_adgroup(self, account_id, campaign_id, payload):
        url = f"{self.BASE_URL}/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/adgroups"
        return requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=self._headers()).json()

    def create_ad(self, account_id, campaign_id, adgroup_id, payload):
        url = f"{self.BASE_URL}/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/adgroups/{adgroup_id}/ads"
        return requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=self._headers()).json()

n8n Alternative

Use the HTTP Request node in n8n with OAuth2 credentials:

  1. Create Reddit Ads OAuth2 credentials in n8n
  2. Use HTTP Request nodes for each API call
  3. Chain: Create Campaign -> Create Ad Group -> Create Ad
  4. Store IDs from each response for subsequent calls