Reddit ad specs: image, video and carousel

This guide is built from Reddit Ads Help: Ad Unit Specifications, Image Ad Specifications, Video Ad Specifications, Carousel Ad Specifications and Free-form Ad Specifications. Setting up an account and campaigns is in our Reddit ads for small businesses guide, and choosing who sees the ads in our Reddit ads targeting guide.

Placements and ad types

Reddit has two placements, and every ad type can use both:

• Feed: Home, Popular and community feeds. Ads can look different in card view and compact view.
• Conversation: the conversation page, inside a thread, reaching people who came from their feed or from a web search.

Reddit recommends using both placements "for optimal reach and performance". The ad types:

• Image: 1 image.
• Video: 1 video.
• Carousel: 2 to 6 images.
• Free-form: "Up to 20 images, 5 videos, and 40,000 characters in the rich body text".

Reddit says any aspect ratio can be used, but ratios outside its recommendations "may cause formatting discrepancies, like letterboxing". Use the highest resolution that fits the ratio; the Crop image tool in ad setup helps change ratios.

Headline and URL limits

• Headline: required, up to 300 characters. Text can be cut off depending on browser, device and font size, so Reddit recommends 100 characters or fewer, and 80 if truncation is a concern.
• Destination URL: up to 268 characters. It must use HTTPS and can't end with a semicolon.
• Display URL: up to 100 characters, and it must match your destination URL's domain.
• Caption: up to 50 characters per image in carousel ads, and per image or video in free-form ads.

Comments can be turned on for image, video, carousel and free-form ads.

Image ads

An image ad has a headline, an image and a destination URL; a tap takes people to your landing page.

• File type: JPG, PNG or GIF, up to 3 MB.
• Cross-device: Reddit recommends 4:3 at 1440 x 1080 px, so one image works on every device, placement and view mode.
• Mobile: 1:1 at 1080 x 1080, 3:4 at 1080 x 1440, 4:5 at 1080 x 1350, 4:3 at 1440 x 1080 or 16:9 at 1920 x 1080 px.
• Desktop: 1440 x 1080 or 16:9 at 1920 x 1080 px.

Video ads

A video ad has a headline and a video. In the feed it autoplays (people can turn that off); on desktop and mobile web conversation pages it plays on click; in compact view a click goes to the landing page; and in the app, people see the video alongside the landing page.

• File type: MP4 or MOV, ProRes not supported, up to 1 GB.
• Frame rate: up to 30 FPS.
• Length: "2 seconds to 15 minutes", with 5 to 30 seconds recommended.
• Cross-device and desktop: 4:3 at 1440 x 1080 or 16:9 at 1920 x 1080 px.
• Mobile: also 1:1 at 1200 x 1200, 3:4 at 900 x 1200 and 4:5 at 1200 x 1500 px.

Reddit's tip is to use a single video for all devices, placements and view modes. Vertical 9:16 isn't among the recommended ratios, so a video cut for TikTok or Snapchat may be letterboxed; a 4:5 or 1:1 version is safer for mobile.

Carousel ads

A carousel ad has one headline and 2 to 6 images, each with its own destination URL and an optional caption of up to 50 characters.

• File type: JPG, PNG or GIF. GIFs up to 3 MB, other files up to 20 MB. The recommended GIF length is 3 to 10 seconds.
• Cross-device: 4:5 at 1200 x 1500, 4:3 at 1440 x 1080 or 16:9 at 1920 x 1080 px.
• Mobile: also 1:1 at 1200 x 1200 and 3:4 at 900 x 1200 px.

Reddit says: "We strongly recommend using the same aspect ratio for all images."

Free-form ads

A free-form ad is a rich text post: a headline plus a body of up to 40,000 characters, with headings, lists, links, block quotes and media. A click opens the post. Reddit's free-form ads page says they run in Standard campaigns with the traffic or awareness and consideration objective.

• Images (optional): up to 20, JPG, PNG or GIF, up to 10 MB each, at least 1000 px wide recommended. Recommended: 1:1 at 1200 x 1200, 4:3 at 1440 x 1080 or 16:9 at 1920 x 1080 px.
• Videos (optional): up to 5, MP4 or MOV, up to 1 GB each (50 to 100 MB recommended), up to 30 FPS, 5 to 30 seconds recommended. Recommended: 1:1, 4:5 at 1200 x 1500, 4:3 or 16:9.
• Feed preview: Reddit recommends 3 to 6 lines of body copy in plain text for the feed ad.

Reddit highly recommends creating free-form ads in Ads Manager rather than promoting an existing post, so thumbnails appear as expected. Its best practices: a TL;DR at the start, media to break up text, and headings.

Thumbnails

Reddit generates a thumbnail from your media for every type except free-form; you can replace it with your own upload.

• Image and carousel ads: the thumbnail is shown only in compact view (and, for image ads, conversation placement). JPG, PNG or GIF up to 3 MB; 400 x 300 px recommended, 300 x 300 px also accepted.
• Video ads: the image shown before the video plays. JPG, PNG or GIF up to 3 MB, in a ratio that matches the video.
• Free-form ads: JPG or PNG up to 3 MB, 400 x 300 or 300 x 300 px recommended. There is no automatic thumbnail, and Reddit warns that "Free-form ads without a thumbnail won't display any media in feeds."

Call-to-action buttons

Image, video and carousel ads can carry a call-to-action button chosen from Reddit's list: Apply Now, Book Now, Buy Tickets, Contact Us, Donate Now, Download, Get Directions, Get Quote, Get Showtimes, Install, Learn More, Listen Now, Order Now, Play Now, Pre-order Now, Read More, See Menu, Shop Now, Sign Up, Subscribe, Visit Store, View More and Watch Now.

Other rules

• Reddit's overview says "Animated GIF and ProRes aren't currently supported." The image page says uploaded GIF thumbnails are converted to a still image, while the carousel page lists GIFs with a recommended length; test animation before relying on it.
• Premium takeovers are sold on a CPM basis to managed advertisers through Reddit's sales team, and most follow the image and video specs.
• All ads go through Reddit's review and must follow its advertising policies; review is covered in our Reddit ads guide.

How we prepare Reddit creative

This is our own practice, not Reddit's guidance:

• We make a 4:5 and a 16:9 version of each visual, so mobile feeds and desktop both get a good fit without letterboxing.
• We keep headlines under 80 characters and write them like a post title, not a slogan.
• We upload our own thumbnails, and always for free-form ads.
• We keep the same aspect ratio across every card in a carousel.

If you want help with Reddit or other paid social campaigns, see our services.

Frequently asked questions

What size should a Reddit image ad be?

Reddit recommends 1440 x 1080 px (4:3) for one image that works across devices. For mobile, 1080 x 1080 (1:1), 1080 x 1350 (4:5) and 1920 x 1080 (16:9) are also recommended.

How long can a Reddit video ad be?

From 2 seconds to 15 minutes, with 5 to 30 seconds recommended. Files can be MP4 or MOV up to 1 GB, at up to 30 FPS.

How long can a Reddit ad headline be?

Up to 300 characters, but Reddit recommends 100 or fewer, or 80 if you are worried about truncation.

How many images can a Reddit carousel ad have?

From 2 to 6, each with its own destination URL and an optional 50-character caption.

Does Reddit support vertical 9:16 video ads?

Any aspect ratio can be uploaded, but 9:16 isn't in Reddit's recommended list and may be letterboxed. The tallest recommended video ratio is 4:5 at 1200 x 1500 px.

For specs on other platforms, see our guides to Snapchat ad specs, TikTok ad specs, Meta ad specs and Pinterest ad specs.