How do I run a first Reddit Ads campaign without getting it rejected?

What Reddit says, in its own words

The Reddit Advertising Policy shows no date, and says Reddit may change it at will and without notice.

What that means if you have just launched

None of the pages listed below says which rules reject the most ads. Reddit's page on ad review lists what to check before you submit.

• Check your category first. The policy has its own pages for dating, finance and cryptocurrency, gambling and healthcare, among others. The review page says ads such as those for healthcare products or financial services need certifications before going live, and ads such as those for alcohol, gambling and pharmaceuticals must be approved beforehand and managed by a Reddit sales representative.
• Promise only what you can prove. The policy on deceptive advertising lists irresponsible use of the word "free", exaggerated claims without proof, and withheld pricing or terms. An ad for a free trial that becomes a paid plan should say so.
• Keep the copy plain. The editorial requirements allow no more than 50% of the ad copy in capitals, and rule out excessive emojis, symbols or punctuation.
• Finish the landing page. The same requirements say the display URL must match the page and the advertised product must be available on it. The review page says the page may not demand an email address unless that gives access to more information, and needs an SSL certificate if it collects visitor or payment details.
• Expect edits to be reviewed again. In most cases, the review page says, changing the copy, destination URL, budget, creative or targeting sends the ad back to review. Changing only the bid or schedule does not.
• One suspension covers both. Reddit's page on setting up an ads account says a suspended Reddit account loses its access to Reddit Ads too. Breaking the rules on posting for free can cost you the paid channel.

An approved ad has broken no rule. Whether anyone buys is a separate question.

What you can target, and how results are counted

Reddit's page on audience targeting lists communities (people who subscribed to, viewed or visited one in the last 28 days), interests, keywords in English, your own audiences such as site visitors or a customer list, and location, gender, language, device and carrier.

Two limits matter on a small budget. Automated targeting is on by default. While it is on, the communities, interests and keywords you pick guide delivery and do not limit who sees the ad. Reddit's page on standard campaigns says you can leave it off if your budget is limited or you want more precise targeting. And the targeting guidelines forbid targeting people by health, political beliefs, religion and other sensitive categories, and targeting anyone under 18. Communities for addiction support, medical and mental health, trauma support and mature themes can never be targeted.

The Reddit Pixel is a snippet of JavaScript for your site that records what visitors do after seeing or clicking your ad. Without it or the Conversions API, the page on standard campaigns says, a sales campaign can only be optimised for clicks. Read its counts with care: by default Reddit credits an ad with a conversion within 28 days of a click or one day of a view, so a sale can be counted for someone who saw the ad and never clicked.

The numbers Reddit states

None of these pages gives a price for a click or for a thousand impressions. Each is set in an auction.

How Sami uses it

Sami ranks Reddit Ads against the other channels for your product and says why it is in or out. Free methods come first, so posting on Reddit within its rules is weighed before any ad.

A paid step gets one week if your product is bought on the page, with the spend and the stopping line set before it starts. Should I run ads before anyone has paid? tells the founder's own test for Prep66, an exam preparation site: a Reddit ad at £5 a day from 27 August to 1 September 2026, about £25 spent, one signup, no payment, switched off. It also says what a test that small can and cannot prove.

Sami never runs the campaign or spends the money. You do. The spend, clicks, signups and payments you bring back as an export or a screenshot each become a dated record. Two figures judge the test: your customer acquisition cost and your conversion rate.