The Platypus Effect of Reddit Ads

Dhea will examine how Reddit Ads occupy a category of their own - sitting between social and search, and increasingly shaped by the platform’s influence on AI models.

She will explain how Reddit users behaviours differs from traditional social browsers and search users, and what this means for targeting and intent.

The session will give marketers practical insight into leveraging Reddit’s unique position to reach audiences actively seeking authentic, community-driven recommendations.

Delivered at BrightonSEO / Hero Conf on April 30th, 2026.

Links to sources:
https://backlinko.com/reddit-users
https://searchengineland.com/reddit-search-80-million-people-468598
https://www.semrush.com/blog/most-cited-domains-ai/
https://www.business.reddit.com/advertise/how-reddit-ads-work
https://www.business.reddit.com/advertise/why-reddit-ads
https://www.business.reddit.com/success-stories/advertisers/uk-government

Transcript

2. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Put your hands up if... can cats eat cheese???? reddit
3. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Year Is 2005
4. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Year Is 2005
5. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Year Is 2005
6. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Year Is 2026
7. r/ThePlatypusEffect Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026
8. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Meet the platypus a.k.a u/thethirdthing
9. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Ask The Right Questions Instead of asking “What is it?” Ask “How does the platypus use its weirdness & uniqueness as a strategic advantage?
10. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment
11. Story Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment - A Place for Stories
12. Social Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment - A Place To Be Social
13. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment - A Place To Be Social Source: Backlinko
14. Search Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment - A Search Tool
15. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment - A Search Tool Source: Search Engine Land
16. UpVotes DownVotes System of Democracy Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment - Get Familiar With The House Rules
17. Cited as a source for AI Overview Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment: Citations = Credibility Source 2022. 2024. 2024
18. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment: Citations = Credibility Source: SEMRush
19. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Reddit is having its Platypus Moment: The Next Level Up Sidekick
20. Sidekick Source System of Democracy Search Social Story Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Why Should Marketers Care?
21. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Good News: You’re not reinventing the wheel
22. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Good News: You’re not reinventing the wheel
23. Features Standard Advertising Unique to Reddit Audience Targeting Interests & behaviours Keyword targeting Demographic & device targeting Ad Formats & Placements Video Image Carousel (up to 6) Product Ads GIFs Source: Reddit Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 What makes Reddit Ads unique - The Platypus Effect Community subreddits (niche, very targeted) AMA (Ask me anything) Free form ads (video, image, text, and gifs in one) Conversation ads Takeovers (Frontpage, Category, Trending, First view)
24. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 What makes Redditors unique Source: Reddit
25. Source: Reddit Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Opportunities on Reddit Ads: Awareness
26. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 What can Paid Marketers do differently on Reddit? DO DON’T Show up, broadcast your brand, then leave. Participate in relevant subreddits helpfully and regularly Fall into the trap that everyone on Reddit needs to stay anonymous Use brand association organically Forget about Reddit’s own language & subculture Use Reddit’s lingo (e.g: AMA, ELI5, AITA) Argue with customers experience Use Reddit as a tool to monitor customer sentiment and reputation management Think that there’s no research involved Set up RedditPro to track your audience, keywords & competitors.
27. Authentic Reddit Presence Posts and community engagement builds trust Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Compounding Effect Paid Ads on Reddit Warmed audience --> higher CTR & CVR More real estate on search results Your brand gets mentioned in AI Search, alongside organic results Cited as a source by LLMs Brand seen as a trusted information source by AI
28. Start using what makes it weird & unique. Embrace its weirdness. Capitalise its uniqueness it as a strength. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 The Platypus Stop trying to classify Reddit.
29. Dhea Mohammed | Forrest Digital | Hero Conference 2026 Thank you. Let’s connect on LinkedIn! DM me ‘platypus’ for the slides.