Reddit doesn't get taken seriously as a video platform. Most paid media plans either skip it entirely or park a token budget in awareness placements, then move on. The new 15-second Engaged Video Views optimization goal, now in public beta for all advertisers globally, gives you a real reason to look again.
Alpha testers, according to Reddit via Social Media Today, averaged a 51% improvement in 15-second view-through rate (VTR15) and a 71% lift in video completion rate (VCR) compared to campaigns not using the goal. Those are not incremental numbers — a 71% completion rate lift (Reddit's own figure) is the kind of result you'd expect from a complete creative overhaul, not a bidding change.
What the new optimization goal actually does
Reddit already had a 6-second Engaged Video Views goal in its auction. The 15-second version works differently: for videos 15 seconds or shorter, a completed watch counts as an engaged view. For longer videos, the platform counts a view once a user watches for at least 15 seconds. You only pay when the threshold is reached.
The shift matters because it moves Reddit's video optimization away from passive exposure toward something that implies actual interest. Six seconds is scroll-stopping. Fifteen seconds is a decision. The platform is now able to optimize toward people who chose to finish the ad — or get close to it.
This also sits alongside the 6-second goal, not instead of it. Depending on your creative format, both remain available.
Why Reddit's completion numbers can run high
Reddit users arrive with intent. They navigated to a specific thread, feed, or community because they wanted that type of content. When a video shows up in that context and they don't skip it, the prior probability of genuine interest is higher than on a passive scroll-feed.
That's the structural reason alpha results look as strong as they do. The completion rate improvement isn't the platform gaming its own metrics — it's what happens when an optimization signal finds a more qualified viewer pool. Whether your category translates into Reddit's core demographics (tech, gaming, finance, fitness, DIY) is a separate question. But if it does, the platform's ability to surface engaged viewers appears real.
Advertisers who've tested Reddit for prospecting have historically found it efficient at specific funnel stages, then left it alone. The video goal gives a reason to revisit that assessment.
Formats that actually work at 15 seconds
Reddit says the 15-second goal performs best with content that needs time to land: product demonstrations, feature explainers, testimonials, and brand storytelling. Per Social Samosa's coverage of the launch, the goal is specifically aimed at video types where a 6-second view would be meaningless — trailers, how-to content, longer brand narratives.
If you've produced 15-second cuts from Meta or TikTok campaigns, you have test-ready assets. The same 15-second creative you ran on Instagram Reels is worth dropping into a Reddit campaign with the new goal — the production cost is already sunk, and Reddit CPMs for video are generally lower than Meta's.
How to approach the test
Two steps worth taking now.
The 15-second EVV goal is available in public beta to all advertisers globally — no waitlist, no account manager request. If you have a Reddit Ads account and video assets at 15 seconds or shorter, you can set this up as a campaign optimization target today.
Run your top-performing video asset from another platform, set a modest daily budget, and track VCR alongside your existing platform benchmarks on equivalent content. The question isn't whether Reddit's alpha numbers reproduce at your scale — they probably won't hit 71% for every advertiser. The question is whether completion rates hold up relative to the CPM difference. If they do, you have an efficiency argument for gradually shifting some video budget.
Reddit skews toward specific audiences. A 15-second creative about project management software has a better fit than one for luxury skincare. Know which side of that line your brand sits on before reading too much into aggregate platform data.
If your tracking setup isn't giving you reliable completion rate comparisons across platforms, the free Gromerce audit can surface where the signal gaps are before you start cross-platform creative testing.
Reddit video didn't earn serious budget allocation before. The 15-second EVV numbers are the first data point that makes it worth finding out why.
Sources: Social Media Today, Reddit, September 2026
