The Client
The client is a cybersecurity SaaS company providing a cloud security platform for enterprise-level organizations. Their product helps businesses identify vulnerabilities, monitor for threats and automate incident responses ensuring data integrity and compliance. They target IT decision-makers such as CISOs, cloud architect and security managers at mid-to-large enterprises.
The Challenge
While the client had successfully used LinkedIn Ads to target decision-makers they were looking for additional channels to expand their reach, particularly to untapped audience segments in a highly competitive sector. They faced the following limitations with LinkedIn Ads:
- High Costs on LinkedIn Ads: LinkedIn Ads cost per click $20 making it challenging to scale brand awareness campaigns on this platform.
- Audience Saturation: Their campaigns on LinkedIn were struggling to avoid banner fatigue and generate fresh engagement as their target audience had been repeatedly exposed to similar ads during months.
- Reaching a Highly Niche Audience: Many decision-makers don’t actively engage on platforms like LinkedIn.
- Generating Awareness in Key Communities: They wanted to position their brand as a thought leader in discussions around cloud security.
- Budget limitations: High Cost per clicks limited the client’s ability to maximize visibility within their budget.
Services Provided
- Reddit Ads Strategy and Campaign Management.
- Communities Audience Research.
- Copywriting and Creatives design.
- Short-Form Video Promotion.
The Solution
Reddit with its engaged and topic-focused communities (called subreddits) offered a cost-effective channel for increasing visibility and generating demand among targeted decision-makers. By focusing on cybersecurity-specific subreddits we created campaigns complementary to LinkedIn Ads achieving synergy between platforms and reaching untapped audience segments.
Step 1: Audience Research & Subreddit Targeting
Targeting by subreddits allowed us to be more precise and niche compared to broader options like interests or keywords. We identified relevant subreddits where our target personas were active, such as:
- r/cybersecurity
- r/netsec
- r/cloudcomputing
- r/ITManagers
We use a mix of manual research and specific tools to identify the most relevant subreddits for this specific ICP.
We also discarded targeting subreddits with less professional discussions to increase ad relevance. This allowed us to precisely target users interested in cloud security solutions and discussions including those who were not reachable on LinkedIn.
Step 2: Campaign Structure and ad Formats
To optimize performance we segmented and grouped the different subreddits by campaign allowing us to measure which audiences worked best and performed most effectively.
We used two main Reddit ad formats:
- Promoted Posts:
- Blended seamlessly with organic posts, making them more likely to capture attention.
- Focused on sharing engaging content such as whitepapers, industry reports, and thought leadership pieces.
- Display Ads:
- Focused on sharing engaging content such as whitepapers, industry reports, and thought leadership pieces.
- Short-Form Video Ads:
- Promoted brand awareness videos from the client’s CEO establishing thought leadership and personal connection with the audience.
- Videos were concise, focusing on industry insights, cybersecurity challenges and how the client’s solution addresses them.
We were using a 4:3 aspect ratio for mobile ads, as the majority of Reddit users browse on their phones. This ensures our creatives takes up as much screen space as possible maximizing visibility.
These ads were designed to drive traffic to a dedicated landing page, optimized for awareness and engagement metrics rather than direct lead generation.
Step 3: Creative & Messaging
We developed creatives that aligned with Reddit’s informal tone while maintaining professionalism:
- Problem-Focused Copy: Highlighted key industry challenges starting by starting with a question to agitate the problem.
- Value Proposition: Positioned the client’s platform as a proactive, automated solution for reducing risks.
- Memes and funny ads: Memes proved to be highly engaging. We’ve found that “us vs. them” type of ads drive the most engagement and raise big questions, making them a great option to boost Brand awareness.
Step 4: Cross-Platform Synergy
Instead of replacing their LinkedIn Ads strategy we ran Reddit campaigns to complement it, creating a synergistic effect across platforms. Reddit Ads provided cost-effective top-of-funnel exposure while LinkedIn Ads nurtured the audience with targeted middle-of-funnel and Bottom-of-funnel campaigns. This dual-platform approach ensured we reached the ICP at multiple touchpoints with different format and content including users who were highly active on Reddit but less reachable on LinkedIn.
Step 5: Utilize Cost-Effective Bidding Strategy
Reddit’s lower CPC compared to LinkedIn enabled us to maximize the client’s ad spend. The average CPC on Reddit falls between $0.50 and $2.00, making it the best paid channel option compared to LinkedIn. After testing different campaign objectives, we always use the CPC optimization toward clicks combined with the bidding strategy “lowest cost” to achieve the most cost-effective results.
Results
Reddit Ads proved to be a highly effective channel for demand generation and brand awareness, complementing LinkedIn Ads to amplify visibility and engagement.
- 64% Increase in Visibility: Boosted impressions and engagement among the target audience.
- Lower CPC: Reddit Ads achieved an average CPC of $1.08.
- Founder Visibility: Short-form videos from the founder achieved a 15% engagement rate, reinforcing brand identity and thought leadership within the industry.
Display Ads generated 2,583 clicks and 864,006 impressions at a total cost of $2,781.88
Video ads generated 38,247 views at a total cost of $1,213.95
If you’d like to learn more about how our Reddit ads agency helps B2B SaaS and Tech companies grow their MRR through Reddit advertising, contact us online or send us an email today at info@getuplead.com to speak with someone on our team.
