Reddit Launches AI-Powered Max Campaigns in Beta
Reddit has rolled out an automated ad-buying solution aimed at simplifying campaign execution while giving advertisers more visibility into who they are actually reaching on the platform.
The company on Jan. 5 unveiled the beta launch of Max Campaigns, artificial intelligence-powered campaigns that automate targeting, creative selection, placements and budget allocation across Reddit. The offering is designed to reduce hands-on campaign management while improving performance — a familiar promise in automated media buying, but one Reddit said comes with a key differentiator: more visibility.
Enabled by Reddit Community Intelligence, Max Campaigns use AI to predict the value of each ad impression in real time, optimizing delivery while surfacing creative and audience insights that are only available within this campaign type.
“Where some automated campaigns on other platforms limit performance visibility, Max Campaigns do the opposite,” the company said in its announcement, positioning the product as a way to “open the black box” of automation.
Brooks Campaign in Early Tests
Reddit said Max Campaigns have been tested in alpha with more than 600 advertisers across categories and business sizes. In early split tests comparing Max Campaigns to advertisers’ business-as-usual campaigns, participants saw an average 17% lower cost per acquisition (CPA) and 27% more conversions, according to Reddit internal data.
U.S. footwear brand Brooks Running participated in a campaign promoting the launch of its Ghost 17 running shoe. Reddit said the brand saw a 37% decrease in cost per click and 27% more clicks over the course of a 21-day campaign, without making any manual optimizations during the flight.
AI Creative Tools
Beyond performance, Reddit is also pitching Max Campaigns as a way to reduce operational friction. Campaign setup requires fewer steps, and advertisers can optionally tap AI-powered creative tools built into the platform. These include headline suggestions based on trending Reddit language, automatic thumbnail generation tailored to Reddit’s conversation-based ad formats, and — coming soon — AI-based video cropping to adapt creative from other platforms.
Audience Reporting Tied to Reddit Conversations
One of the most notable features tied exclusively to Max Campaigns is “Top Audience Personas,” a new reporting capability that clusters campaign audiences into AI-generated personas such as “new parents” or “ambitious home cooks.”
The reporting shows which personas are most actively viewing and engaging with ads, as well as what those groups are currently interested in — insights Reddit said are powered by the platform’s user conversations.
“What makes these insights unique is that they combine an advertiser’s campaign performance with Reddit Community Intelligence, which turns Reddit’s 23 billion-plus posts and comments into structured signals that help advertisers better understand their audiences,” the company said.
For advertisers increasingly focused on understanding consumer intent and context — not just reach — the persona-based reporting is positioned as a way to link media performance back to real shopper mindsets.
“Max Campaigns quickly became one of our most efficient levers for acquiring new customers efficiently on platform,” Alexandra Mota, performance marketing manager at Cozey, said in a news release. “We saw stronger ROAS and lower CPA without needing to constantly rebuild audiences or tweak optimizations. It’s now a core part of how we scale performance, especially on focus categories like furniture, rugs and dining as we continue to grow our business.”
Expanding Reddit’s Role in Performance Media
The launch comes as Reddit continues to emphasize its growing role in the performance marketing ecosystem. The company said its daily active uniques increased 19% year over year in Q3 2025, while ad conversions on the platform have more than doubled year over year.
“New advertisers are coming to Reddit each day,” Jyoti Vaidee, vice president of ads product at Reddit, added. “Our goal is to make their experience as simple and insightful as possible. Max Campaigns empower advertisers to launch high-performing ads in the right places on Reddit, while giving them insight into the audiences they’re reaching. We’re not just making ad management faster – we’re making it smarter and tailored to our community.”
What’s Next
Max Campaigns launched in beta this week for traffic and conversion objectives, with access rolling out to additional advertisers over the coming months. Top audience persona reporting is expected to follow in the coming weeks.
For now, the move signals Reddit’s broader ambition to compete more directly with other automated media-buying platforms — while leaning into what it sees as its core advantage: real-time, interest-driven conversations that can be translated into actionable marketing signals.
