Strategy
Reddit marketing vs Google Ads: which one should you start with?
· 4 min read
If you have a small budget and one person’s worth of time, you probably can’t do everything. So which should come first, Google Ads or Reddit?
The honest answer is that they do different jobs. Once you see the difference, the choice gets easier.
What each one actually is
Google Ads is paid. You bid on search terms, and when someone types one in, your ad can show above the normal results. You pay when people click.
Reddit marketing is mostly unpaid. You take part in conversations, answer questions and let people find you. There’s also a paid side, Reddit Ads, which shows promoted posts. But when people say “Reddit marketing” they usually mean the unpaid, take-part-in-threads kind, and that’s what we mean here.
The big difference: who’s asking
On Google, someone types what they want right now. “Invoice software for freelancers.” They have a need and they’re looking for a product. An ad meets them at exactly that moment.
On Reddit, people are talking to each other. Someone asks “what do you use for invoicing?” and a handful of strangers answer. The reader isn’t looking at an ad. They’re reading advice from people who seem to have no reason to lie.
That’s why people trust Reddit answers more than ads. It’s also why you can’t treat it like an ad.
Side by side
| Google Ads | Reddit (organic) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | You pay per click | Mostly your time |
| Speed | Traffic starts the day you launch | Slow to build, often months |
| Stops when you stop paying | Yes | No, good threads keep working |
| Trust | Lower, people know it’s an ad | Higher, if you’re honest and helpful |
| Control | A lot: you choose words, budget and page | Little: the community decides |
| Risk | Wasting budget | Getting removed or banned |
| Best for | People ready to buy now | People still deciding |
When Google Ads makes sense
Start here if you need leads this month. If people already search for what you sell, an ad can put you in front of them quickly, and you can switch it off if it doesn’t pay.
It works best when:
- Your product has clear search words, like “emergency plumber” or “payroll software”.
- You can afford to test for a few weeks without clear results.
- Your page is ready to turn a click into an enquiry.
The downside is that costs depend on competition. In crowded categories, a single click can be expensive. And once you stop paying, the traffic stops.
When Reddit makes sense
Start here if your buyers do research before they buy, and if they like asking other people. That’s most software, most hobby products and a lot of services.
It works best when:
- People in your category ask for recommendations online.
- You can wait a few months for results.
- You’re willing to follow each community’s rules, which means no hard selling.
The downside is that it’s slow and it can’t be forced. You can’t buy your way up a thread.
The part people miss: they help each other
Say someone reads a Reddit thread where your product gets a fair mention. A week later they search your name on Google. If you run a small ad on your own brand name, or your site ranks well, you catch them. That visit shows up as “Google”, but Reddit started it.
On the other side, a Google ad can send a visitor to a page, and that visitor may still search “is [your brand] any good reddit” before deciding. If the threads they find are good, they buy. If there are none, or the only ones are bad, they leave.
So the two feed each other more than most people think.
How to choose, in plain terms
- You need customers in the next 30 days: start with Google Ads, with a small, capped budget.
- You have time but not money: start with Reddit. Give it three months before you judge it.
- You have a bit of both: run a small ad on your highest-intent search terms and put your time into Reddit.
- Your buyers rarely search for what you sell: lean towards Reddit, because there’s nothing to bid on.
A simple way to test
Pick one search term and one community. Give each four to six weeks. Count enquiries, and ask every new lead how they found you. Don’t trust the dashboard alone, because Reddit’s effect often shows up as “direct” or “Google”.
After that, spend more where it worked. That’s all the strategy you need at the start.
If you’d like help working out where your buyers are, get in touch. And if you want the Reddit side explained from scratch, start with how to market your product on Reddit.
Keep reading
- Brand account or founder account: which should post on Reddit?Should your company have its own Reddit account, or should a real person speak for it? The trade-offs, and a simple way to choose.
- How to find the right subreddits for your productA repeatable method for mapping, scoring and shortlisting the subreddits where your buyers actually are, with a scoring sheet and real search patterns.
- Reddit comments vs posts: which one brings more customers?Posts get the attention, but comments often do the work. Here's how each one helps a business, with simple guidance on when to use which.