Reddit introduces Interactive Ads for custom brand experiences

Reddit announced the launch of Interactive Ads on November 10, 2025, introducing a custom ad format designed to transform traditional advertising into participatory experiences within the platform's 100,000+ communities. The alpha testing phase includes Paramount Pictures, Electronic Arts, the Ad Council, and Red Bull as initial brand partners experimenting with the new advertising capabilities.

Interactive Ads enable brands to create custom experiences ranging from countdown timers and quizzes to fully bespoke campaigns built specifically for Reddit's community-driven environment, according to the company's announcement. The format leverages Reddit's Developer Platform to power these experiences directly within the advertisement itself rather than requiring users to click through to external destinations.

"Interactive Ads are a Reddit-unique format that offer ad innovation at scale, making it simple for brands to create immersive moments that drive discovery and participation right where conversations are happening," according to Jyoti Vaidee, VP of Ads Product at Reddit. "The result is brand interactions that earn attention and create lasting impact in a space the audience trusts."

The announcement arrives as Reddit continues expanding its advertising product portfolio throughout 2025, having introduced Dynamic Product Ads in May 2025 with documented performance improvements of 2x higher Return on Ad Spend compared to standard conversion campaigns. The company's advertising revenue reached $465 million in Q2 2025, representing 84% year-over-year growth driven primarily by impression volume increases and pricing improvements.

Entertainment and gaming brands test interactive formats

Paramount Pictures utilized Interactive Ads to promote The Running Man, scheduled for theatrical release on November 14, 2025, through a custom movie-themed escape game featuring Glen Powell. The experience incorporated custom content capture and provided users who completed the game with access to an exclusive film teaser not available through other channels.

Electronic Arts deployed the format to introduce its Battlefield franchise through two distinct approaches. The company created a custom gaming challenge that tracked Reddit users' collective progress toward a shared group mission in real-time. EA simultaneously implemented a countdown template to build anticipation ahead of the game's launch.

The dual implementation strategy demonstrates Interactive Ads' flexibility across different campaign objectives. EA's gaming challenge emphasized community participation through collaborative goal achievement, while the countdown template focused on launch timing awareness.

The format addresses specific engagement patterns observed within Reddit's user base, which spends an average of 24 minutes per day on the platform according to company data. This extended session duration provides advertisers with opportunities to capture sustained attention through participatory experiences rather than passive exposure to static creative.

Technical implementation and format flexibility

Interactive Ads range from repeatable templates with standardized functionality to fully customized creative activations developed specifically for individual brand campaigns. The template options include countdown timers, quiz formats, dynamic reveals, and trivia experiences that require minimal development resources while maintaining interactive functionality.

Fully bespoke campaigns enable deeper customization through Reddit's Developer Platform, allowing brands to build experiences specifically designed for their marketing objectives and audience engagement goals. This two-tier approach provides flexibility based on creative investment levels and campaign complexity requirements.

The format's technical foundation differs from Reddit's existing advertising products by incorporating interactive elements within the advertisement unit itself. Reddit's advertising platform has evolved significantly from basic image and video formats to include specialized capabilities like AMA Ads for promotional event management and conversation-based advertising placements.

Interactive Ads complement Reddit's broader advertising infrastructure by focusing specifically on upper-funnel objectives. The format prioritizes awareness generation and brand connection development rather than direct response metrics like immediate conversions or purchases.

Engagement mechanics and attention models

The format transforms passive advertising exposure into active participation through specific interaction requirements including taps, swipes, decision-making moments, and discovery sequences. These engagement mechanics create memory formation opportunities that differ from traditional advertising recall patterns.

According to Reddit, these interactions build memory and meaning through active participation rather than passive viewing. The company positions Interactive Ads as complementary to existing advertising formats, providing an alternative approach for campaigns prioritizing engagement depth over immediate conversion actions.

The upper-funnel focus distinguishes Interactive Ads from Reddit's commerce-oriented products. Dynamic Product Ads target purchase-intent audiences through automated catalog integration and product matching, while Interactive Ads emphasize brand storytelling and experiential marketing objectives.

Creative freedom represents a central positioning element for the new format. Advertisers can develop experiences extending beyond static image or video constraints, building narratives and interactions specifically designed for their brand moments. The in-feed placement maintains users within their browsing context rather than requiring external navigation.

Platform context and advertising ecosystem evolution

Reddit's advertising business has demonstrated substantial growth throughout 2025. The platform reported advertising revenue of $358.6 million in Q1 2025, representing 61% year-over-year growth from $222.7 million in Q1 2024. Q2 2025 advertising revenue reached $465 million, marking 84% year-over-year expansion.

The company's user base growth provides expanding inventory for advertising placements. Daily Active Uniques reached 108.1 million in Q1 2025, growing 31% year-over-year with international expansion outpacing domestic user acquisition. The platform's 100,000+ active communities create targeting opportunities through specialized interest groups.

Reddit has systematically expanded its advertising capabilities throughout 2025 with format introductions including AMA Ads for promotional event management in January, Dynamic Product Ads reaching general availability in May, and optimization scoring tools launching in July. Interactive Ads represent the platform's most creative-focused advertising product, prioritizing experiential marketing over performance metrics.

The format's alpha testing status indicates limited availability during the initial deployment phase. Advertisers interested in accessing Interactive Ads must contact Reddit representatives directly, as the format has not reached general availability across the advertising platform.

Reddit's positioning emphasizes the format's community integration rather than interruptive advertising characteristics. The company frames Interactive Ads as content designed for engagement within existing conversation contexts, aligning with the platform's broader emphasis on authentic participation over promotional messaging.

Limited testing phase and advertiser access

Interactive Ads currently operate under limited alpha testing with select brand partners. The restricted access approach enables Reddit to gather performance data and refine implementation processes before broader platform deployment.

The company has not announced specific timelines for general availability or provided details regarding minimum spend requirements for accessing the format during alpha testing. Advertisers seeking early access must engage directly with Reddit sales representatives to discuss campaign objectives and format suitability.

This staged rollout pattern follows Reddit's approach with other advertising products including Dynamic Product Ads, which spent approximately one year in beta testing between April 2024 and May 2025 before reaching general availability. The extended testing period enabled performance validation and technical refinement before platform-wide deployment.

Reddit's announcement emphasizes the format's differentiation from static advertising options available across social media platforms. The company positions Interactive Ads as uniquely designed for its community-driven environment rather than adopting generic interactive formats deployed across multiple platforms.

The format's development reflects broader industry trends toward participatory advertising experiences that prioritize engagement depth over passive exposure metrics. As social advertising platforms compete for advertiser investment, differentiated formats like Interactive Ads provide positioning advantages through platform-specific capabilities unavailable elsewhere.

Timeline

• December 2, 2023: Reddit launches Carousel Ads and Product Ads in Conversation Placement globally
• January 7, 2025: Reddit introduces AMA Ads format for brand-community engagement
• May 22, 2025: Reddit launches Dynamic Product Ads with 2x higher ROAS performance
• July 1, 2025: Reddit introduces optimization scoring and AI-powered recommendations
• July 8, 2025: Reddit updates advertising platform contract with mandatory arbitration requirements
• July 31, 2025: Reddit reports Q2 2025 earnings with $500 million revenue and 78% growth
• September 10, 2025: Reddit expands publisher tools within Pro platform for content tracking
• November 10, 2025: Reddit announces Interactive Ads in alpha testing with Paramount Pictures, Electronic Arts, Ad Council, and Red Bull
• November 12, 2025: Reddit launches WooCommerce integration for small business advertisers

Summary

Who: Reddit, led by Jyoti Vaidee (VP of Ads Product), launched Interactive Ads with early testing partners including Paramount Pictures, Electronic Arts, the Ad Council, and Red Bull targeting brand marketers focused on awareness and engagement campaigns.

What: Interactive Ads represent a new Reddit advertising format enabling custom, participatory experiences within the feed through templates (countdowns, quizzes, trivia, dynamic reveals) and fully bespoke creative activations powered by Reddit's Developer Platform, focusing on upper-funnel objectives rather than direct response.

When: Reddit announced Interactive Ads on November 10, 2025, during alpha testing phase with limited advertiser access, following the company's Q2 2025 earnings that reported $500 million revenue and 78% year-over-year growth.

Where: Interactive Ads appear directly within Reddit's feed across the platform's 100,000+ communities, maintaining users within their browsing context rather than requiring external navigation, reaching an audience spending an average of 24 minutes per day on the platform.

Why: The format addresses advertiser demand for differentiated creative opportunities beyond static image and video advertisements, enabling memory-building experiences through active participation (taps, swipes, choices, discovery moments) that complement Reddit's existing performance-focused advertising products while leveraging the platform's unique community-driven environment for brand storytelling.