Reddit tests interactive ads with select brands

Reddit has launched a new ad format called Interactive Ads, currently in alpha testing for select advertisers, aimed at transforming traditional advertisements into participatory experiences for users. The feature aims to enable brands to create custom, interactive campaigns tailored to the platform’s network, where users spend an average of 24 minutes per day.

According to the platform, these ads are built to encourage users, referred to as ‘redditors’, to play, explore, and engage directly within the ad itself. The new format supports a range of creative approaches, from bespoke campaigns and high-impact templates to interactive elements such as quizzes, countdowns, trivia, and dynamic reveals. Reddit's Developer Platform powers these ad units, enabling brands to design immersive campaigns that align with how users interact on the platform.

Early adopters of the format include Paramount Pictures, Electronic Arts (EA), the Ad Council, and Red Bull. Paramount Pictures used the feature to promote its upcoming film The Running Man, starring Glen Powell, through a themed escape game that offered players access to exclusive content, including a teaser for the movie. EA used the format to promote its new Battlefield title, with a campaign that featured a community gaming challenge tracking players’ collective progress and a countdown to the game’s launch.

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

The platform said the new ad experience is designed to turn attention into action through taps, swipes, and user choices that help brands build deeper connections with their audiences. The ads aim to deliver creative freedom beyond static formats, enable longer engagement times, and enhance upper-funnel impact by driving awareness and brand recall.

The Interactive Ads format is currently available in limited testing, with plans to expand access to more advertisers in the coming months.