Reddit is opening some of the most visited real estate on the internet to advertising. The platform now offers a new ad type called "Trending Takeover," which allows companies to place branded content on the Popular feed and search bar for 24 hours. 

This gives advertisers a chance to place their content next to the biggest trending topics on the website, whether that's a cat video or a coronavirus update. 

"One of the most popular parts of Reddit is our popular tab and the search bar," Shariq Rizvi, vice president of ads product and engineering at Reddit. "These are parts of the Reddit app that are visited by more than a third of our users on a daily basis." 

The new offering marks Reddit's push to diversify beyond simple banner ads and promoted content. The site chose the Popular feed and search bar because they are core to Reddit's model of curation and discovery. 

"These are the parts of the app where users go to discover the new trends, the conversations, the fads, which are born every day on Reddit," he said. 

Reddit attracts upwards of 430 million users per month, according to the company. 

Despite this expansive readership, the company has historically focused less on revenue than fellow social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook. But over the last year, it seems to have taken a renewed interest in boosting ad sales. 

In April 2019, Reddit hired Jen Wong, formerly a senior executive at Time Inc., as chief operating officer. It also started pitching agencies more aggressively, according to a CNBC report. 

"We've been growing our ad business in an aggressive way," Rizvi said. "We have seen tremendous growth year-over-year."

Share:
More In Business
Stretching Your Dollar: What to Know About Changes to FAFSA
Applying for financial aid for college is a long process but there's a new streamlined application for federal student aid. Mark Kantrowitz, student loan expert, joined Cheddar News to explain the FAFSA form and what kind of changes are expected.
Stretching Your Dollar: Caring for Your Pets This Holiday Season
With all of the stress surrounding the holiday season with gift-buying and planning family gatherings, it could be a chaotic time for all members of your family, including pets. Cesar Milan and Michael Ehrman, co-founders of Halo Collar, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on how to keep your pets stress-free for the upcoming holiday season.
United Airlines Introduces Self-Serve Snack Bar
United Airlines has introduced a new self-serve snack bar on its flights allowing economy passengers to help themselves to free snacks instead of relying on a flight attendant to get them.
Load More