Reddit Launches Automated ‘Max Campaigns’ to Simplify Ad Buying and Surface Deeper Audience Insights

To coincide with the start of CES 2026, Reddit has introduced ‘Max campaigns’, a new automated campaign type designed to make it easier for advertisers to plan, run and optimise campaigns on the platform.

Now available in beta for select advertisers running traffic and conversion campaigns, Max campaigns automate key parts of campaign management, including targeting, creative selection, placements and budget allocation. The aim, according to Reddit, is to improve performance while reducing the manual workload for advertisers, without removing strategic control entirely.

Reddit says Max campaigns differ from many existing automated tools by offering more visibility into how campaigns perform and who they reach, using insights drawn from what it calls Reddit Community Intelligence – signals derived from more than 23 billion posts and comments across the platform.

Alongside automation, Max campaigns includes optional creative tools intended to speed up execution. These include headline suggestions informed by trending Reddit language, automatic thumbnail generation, and upcoming AI-based video cropping to help repurpose assets from other platforms.

A key addition is Top Audience Personas, a reporting feature exclusive to Max campaigns. The tool uses AI to group audiences into personas and show which segments are viewing and engaging with ads, as well as what those groups are currently interested in. Reddit positions this as a way for advertisers to better understand performance within automated campaigns, rather than treating optimisation as a “black box”.

Reddit says that, across split tests comparing Max campaigns with advertisers’ existing setups, early testers recorded an average 17% reduction in cost per acquisition and 27% more conversions. In one example, Brooks Running reportedly saw a 37% decrease in cost per click during a 21-day campaign promoting its Ghost 17 shoe, without making manual optimisations.

Other early users have highlighted the role Max campaigns could play in scaling performance. Alexandra Mota, performance marketing manager at Cozey, said the product has become “one of our most efficient levers for acquiring new customers” on the platform, citing stronger return on ad spend and lower CPA. “It’s now a core part of how we scale performance, especially on focus categories like furniture, rugs and dining as we continue to grow our business,” she added.

From Reddit’s perspective, the launch is also about lowering barriers for newer advertisers while giving more experienced teams clearer insight into outcomes. Jyoti Vaidee, Reddit’s VP of ads product, said, “Our goal is to make their experience as simple and insightful as possible. Max campaigns empower advertisers to launch high-performing ads in the right places on Reddit, while giving them insight into the audiences they’re reaching. We’re not just making ad management faster – we’re making it smarter and tailored to our community.”

Max campaigns are rolling out gradually, with broader access planned over the coming months and Top Audience Persona reporting expected to launch in the weeks ahead. The beta can be accessed by selecting the Traffic or Conversions objective when creating an ‘Advanced Create’ campaign.

Alongside the product launch, Reddit is using CES 2026 to showcase how conversation on the platform drives discovery, consideration and cultural momentum. The company’s CES headquarters is located in ARIA Resort & Casino, Primrose 3, in Las Vegas. The space will be open on Tuesday, January 6th and Wednesday, January 7th from 9:00am to 6:00pm, and on Thursday, January 8th from 9:00am to 12:00pm (PST). Further details, including where Reddit’s senior leadership will be appearing throughout the week, are available via the company’s CES microsite.