Reddit's new paid ads look exactly like user posts
Reddit's new paid ads look exactly like user posts
The next attention-grabbing post you see in your Reddit feed might just be a paid 'free-form ad'.
Calling them "free-form ads," Reddit said the new advertisements are its most native format ever, designed to look and feel like community content shared by real people.
The ads, meant to mimic the site's megathreads, will enable advertisers to utilize a variety of formats in one post, including images, videos, and text.
According to numbers from Reddit, free-form ads got 28% more clicks than all other types of ads on the site and saw a jump in community engagement.
The next time you see an interesting post in your Reddit feed, take a closer look - because it might just be a paid advertisement.
I was curious about the "Philly cream cheese" campaign example they mentioned. I assume it's this post.
The top reply is trolling them, which is awesome. So much for increased engagement.
But even funnier is the next top reply, which seems sincere. But when you look at the user profile, almost all of u/sunshinedogger's comments in the last year are on sponsored posts. So even the positive engagement is manufactured?
"Just like the megathread," an announcement reads, "free-form ads encourage multiple users to come together, get the information they need, and deep dive into the topic at hand." Reddit explained that the open-ended nature of these ads will give advertisers more freedom to explore creativity and, hopefully, to start conversations with users.
Enshittification to the extreme....
You plant shit seeds, you get shit weeds.
If it's one thing I learned from the last BS they pulled during the protests last year, it's that their actions will have little impact on reddit user behavior. People will complain and express outrage, but the vast majority of users will just sit back and take it like good little AI trainers.
I for one will not be one of them. When they removed mods from communities that were in protest, that's enough for me to stay clear going forward. As much as I miss the content, it warms my soul every time I think about the ad revenue they're missing out on by my own personal decisions to not consume it.
One of the smarter ad analysts I knew likened ad spaces to ecosystems, where a bunch of companies come in with crap ads that aren't related to what people are actually in market for or are misleading, and act as polluters which turn people off from green pastures.
As an example, when mobile browsing was first getting off the ground CTR for mobile banner ads was 15%.
Reddit's metrics are about to go to shit.
If the article is about how ads look, could they provide a useful picture?
Not sure the FTC is going to be a big fan of this...
That's weird; I've never seen any of those....
Oh yeah, that's because I haven't visited reddit in ~9 months.
I took ads out on Reddit years ago just to see if I could promote my music. It did less than zero and actively dragged me into a load of shit on various subs of interests I had. People there refused to talk to me, and told others not to.
Reddit is toxic. I avoid the site. Or better still maybe people should just spam it with irelevant shit
For anyone who is curious, Coca-Cola! Real cocaine in the lower 13 states and real cane sugar! Nothing blasts thirst like the delicious taste of a coca-cola fizzy drink!
Jesus reddit is run by such massive shitheads.
Ads are not the only reason, but if you're still on reddit, you clearly missed the point why reddit became popular.
How is this news? Reddit has been doing this for literally years.
If I hadn't already left, this would probably have been the thing that did it for me.
This isn’t new, a few years ago I was looking at their ad program and they had inline post ads that you were taught to post like a user
The reddit mobile browser is literally broken and keeps getting worse. They are updating it a lot, but I swear to god it gets worse and increasingly broken with each iteration. I actually liked the browser when they initially killed 3rd party apps, but shortly after that it got a huge redesign that was infinitely worse than before. I am thoroughly convinced they want that experience to be miserable so I go download and use their ad-infested shitty app instead. Fuck reddit.
They had tons of covert "ads" before this, too. Set up like 100 fake accounts (commonly bought from people who create and fluff them up by posting and commenting for a while so they look legit) and then post your add and use like 20 or so of your Bot accounts to upvote and comment to get the ball rolling.
Then you have your add there, got it climbing a bit in "new" and didn't pay a dime for it.
Gross.
Palpatine voice: Good. Goooood. Let the stupid flow through you.
Sounds terrible, glad I'm on Lemmy!
all the big brains on wallstreetbets out there saying reddit didnt have any additional value to offer shareholders well THINK AGAIN
^Promoted
This is a great move! Facilitating a direct conversation between corporation and customer is great for all!
More desperation in big tech I see.
Too bad that "Greed" is not just the name of the minor antagonist from Full Metal Alchemist...
I remember when reddit ads were off to the side and unobtrusive, and often had games or jokes in that space to encourage you to allow reddit past your ad blocker.
Times have changed...
Isnt that how they always looked?
Hmm, article seems to be broken? The picture of the ad format is missing.
Thus even more annoying. I mean at this point I dont even feel like they care.
Not surprised, after they declared hunting season open, in one of the latest business blogs.
/me giggles
Any ad that starts with TIL or DAE gets an immediate down vote, a cringe, and no further reading
Reddit has ads?
