Reddit Starts Testing Ads in Its Own Search Results

Reddit confirmed on Tuesday that it is testing ads inside its own search results pages, opening a high-intent ad surface the company has left unmonetized until now. The test runs with a select group of eligible advertisers, and Reddit's newsroom post doesn't say how they were chosen or whether others can apply.

The company said it will evaluate how users respond to the placements and refine the experience over time. That's a confirmed platform statement, not tool-signal speculation — but nearly everything else about the test's mechanics remains undisclosed.

How does Reddit say the search ads are chosen?

Reddit's post is specific on one point: intent. "These placements leverage existing ad targeting in search results pages on Reddit, which have high purchase and search intent," the company wrote. It added: "Ads in search may appear based on a range of factors, including contextual relevance to a user's search query."

The post stops short of naming the other factors. Reddit's own examples show the logic: a search for "espresso station" could surface ads for coffee beans, mugs, or espresso machines, while "home office setup" might trigger ads for desks, office chairs, or monitors.

The example screens in the announcement show Reddit's mobile app after a "home office setup" search. Each screen displays a card labeled "Ad" with a product image, a website address, and a "Shop Now" button. One card sits beneath a blurb citing subreddits as its sources; another sits between two organic posts.

Why is this happening now?

The test caps a run of signals stretching back to late 2024. Brooke Osmundson reported that in October 2024, Reddit extended the keyword targeting used in its conversation placements to the platform's Feed.

In its Q1 shareholder letter, Reddit said product placements let users searching on the site browse listings and shop directly within search results. On the April 30 investor call after Q1 earnings, Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Wong admitted Reddit didn't "even have ads in certain high growing surfaces like search, for example." On that same call, CEO Steve Huffman reported that "Search WAUqs are up 30% year-over-year" — WAUqs being Reddit's shorthand for weekly active uniques who search.

On the Q2 investor call, per Roger Montti's reporting, Wong called search "a space that we're eyeing" for advertising and said Reddit already had the infrastructure "queued up." She also pointed to Shopping Listing Ads — a format grouping several retailers' products into one module — as the kind of ad she believes could work on a search page. Tuesday's test makes that roadmap concrete.

What hasn't Reddit said?

The announcement leaves large gaps beyond advertiser eligibility:

• which markets the test covers
• which ad formats and types are included
• what pricing models apply
• whether the test extends beyond the mobile app shown in the examples

Reddit gave no end date for the test and no timeline for adding advertisers.

What does this mean for advertisers?

Reddit is pitching its search pages on the strength of what users type there — queries with purchase intent that brands currently reach only indirectly through feed and conversation placements. For now, search ads remain closed to all but the advertisers Reddit selected. If you're running Reddit campaigns, the practical move is to ask your Reddit rep two questions: whether your account is part of the test, and how search impressions would appear in reporting.

The vertical impact skews toward product-led categories — home office, kitchen, and similar e-commerce niches dominate Reddit's own examples, and the "Shop Now" button format targets retailers rather than lead-gen advertisers.

For advertisers outside the test, the signal to monitor is whether search appears as an option among Reddit's ad placements in the Ads Manager — the clearest early indicator that the test is widening into a general rollout.