Reddit just launched ads that look exactly like Reddit posts and brands are paying attention

Reddit's most recognisable ad format just became, well, Reddit.

The platform debuted Free Form Ads at Cannes Lions this week, a format that replicates the look of the megathread posts Reddit's communities are built around. Text, images, video and links all in one unfurling package, designed to fit the feed rather than interrupt it. The sponsored label is still visible, but the format feels native in a way Reddit ads rarely have.

The early numbers back it up. In testing, Free Form Ads outperformed every other Reddit ad type in average click-through rate by 28 per cent. Comments-enabled placements drove higher community engagement too, which means brands aren't just getting clicks, they're getting into the conversation.

Reddit also announced Shopping List Ads at Cannes, its first multi-advertiser format. Products surface alongside threads where users are already comparing options and asking for recommendations. Someone asks "which running shoe should I buy" and relevant products appear in context. The logic isn't new, but the execution suits the platform.

The bigger story is what this solves. Reddit's relationship with advertisers has always been complicated. Its users have a finely tuned radar for anything that doesn't belong and a long-standing tradition of publicly roasting brands that get it wrong. A format that speaks Reddit's own language is a real answer to that problem.

For brands that have been watching from the sidelines, this is the clearest signal yet that there's a way in that doesn't require a thick skin.

The standard caveat for native advertising applies here. The moment users feel tricked, the trust disappears, and Reddit communities in particular have long memories. Lower cost-per-click is great while the goodwill lasts.

For now, the data is making converts. Brands that couldn't crack Reddit before now have a format worth testing. Whether the community stays generous about it is the next question, and on Reddit, the community always gets the final word.