How Do You Set Up the Reddit Conversions API for Reddit Ads?

Setting up the Reddit Conversions API (CAPI) requires generating a Pixel ID and a separate, non-expiring access token from Reddit Ads Manager's Events Manager, then sending server-side conversion events formatted to Reddit's spec — best run alongside the browser-based Reddit Pixel, with the two deduplicated so no conversion goes missing and none gets double-counted.

Getting your credentials

In Reddit Ads Manager, open Events Manager from the left panel, then go to Conversions API and click Generate Token. The token is shown only once at creation and does not expire on its own, so it needs to be copied and stored immediately — losing it means regenerating a new one, which invalidates the old.

Why Reddit recommends running Pixel and CAPI together

The Reddit Pixel is a browser-based JavaScript snippet: easy to implement, but it can be blocked by ad blockers, cookie restrictions, or browser privacy settings, silently losing conversion data. The Conversions API sends the same conversion events directly from your server to Reddit, bypassing the browser entirely — harder to implement, but far more reliable since nothing on the visitor's device can block it. Reddit's own guidance treats this as a best-practice duo: the Pixel for quick visibility and real-time signals inside Ads Manager, the CAPI for accuracy that doesn't depend on what's running in the visitor's browser.

Capturing the click ID

Server-side events sent through CAPI need a click identifier to attribute correctly back to the ad that drove the visit. Reddit passes this as the rdt_cid parameter appended to the destination URL when someone clicks an ad — that parameter has to be captured and stored (in a cookie, session, or first-party data layer) so it can be included in the corresponding server-side event sent to Reddit later.

Avoiding double-counted conversions

Running the Pixel and CAPI simultaneously without deduplication reports the same real-world conversion twice: once from the browser-side Pixel, once from the server-side API call. Reddit requires event deduplication whenever both are active for the same event — matching events by a shared identifier so Reddit's system recognizes them as one conversion rather than two, which would otherwise inflate reported volume and distort cost-per-conversion numbers.

Why this setup matters more than it used to

Browser-based pixels across every ad platform have become progressively less reliable as ad blockers, cookie restrictions, and privacy-focused browser settings have spread, and Reddit's audience in particular skews toward users more likely to run ad-blocking extensions than the average web visitor. A Pixel-only setup on Reddit Ads is therefore more likely to undercount real conversions than the same setup would be on a platform with a less privacy-conscious user base, which is part of why Reddit frames CAPI as a companion to the Pixel rather than an optional add-on for advanced advertisers only.

What breaks if only one system is installed

A Pixel-only setup will systematically undercount conversions from any visitor whose browser blocks the tracking script, with no way to know how much volume is being missed. A CAPI-only setup, on the other hand, loses the real-time, low-latency signal Reddit's ad delivery system uses to optimize bidding during a campaign's early hours, since server-side events are typically batched and sent with more delay than a Pixel firing the moment a page loads. Neither gap shows up as an error in Ads Manager — both simply look like a campaign converting worse than it actually is.

Bottom Line

Generate a Pixel ID and a CAPI access token from Events Manager, install the Reddit Pixel's base and event code as the browser-side layer, then add server-side CAPI events carrying the same rdt_cid-derived identifier for deduplication — that combination, not the Pixel alone, is Reddit's current standard for reliable conversion measurement.