How to Setup Server Side Tracking for Reddit Ads (CAPI)

Most marketers are leaving serious money on the table with Reddit ads. 

Not because their ads suck or their targeting is off, but because they’re treating their tracking setup like a one-night stand when it should be a committed relationship.

Running basic tracking is fine if you’re just testing the waters. 

But if you’re serious about scaling (or just not allergic to money, as my friend Cody Butler would say), you need the full setup:

1. Client-side tracking (yes, the pixel)
2. Server-side tracking (the part everyone skips)
3. Deduplication (so you don’t mess up your data)

Why This Matters

When you give Reddit complete tracking data, they can actually find your ideal customers. 

We’re talking about the difference between Reddit saying “Yeah, I kinda know who your customers are” versus “I know exactly who to show your ads to.”

The result? I’ve seen 20-30% drops in acquisition costs when marketers finally set this up properly. 

And the best part? You can test all of this before spending a single dollar on ads.

Ready to stop throwing money away? Let’s dive into how this actually works…

The Three-Part Tracking Setup Reddit Actually Wants

Reddit needs three things to effectively find your customers: client-side tracking (your basic pixel), server-side tracking (direct API calls), and deduplication (making sure you’re not double-counting). 

Miss any of these and you’re basically asking Reddit to find your ideal customers with one hand tied behind its back. 

It’s like giving someone a treasure map with a third of it missing and wondering why they can’t find the gold. 

Once you set this up right, Reddit’s platform can actually do what it’s supposed to do – find you more customers like your best ones

Client-Side Tracking: The Foundation

Let’s talk about client-side tracking – it’s your first step into getting Reddit to work its magic. 

While the pixel is straightforward to install, there’s some cool stuff you can do to make it work harder for you.

Client-side tracking breaks down into two parts:

1. The base pixel (Reddit’s code snippet you drop on your site)

2. The events you fire (telling Reddit “hey, something important just happened”)

Here’s how to make it actually work for you:

• Use Reddit’s standard events: page_view, view_content, lead, purchase. They’re standard for a reason – they work
• Fire them at key moments in your funnel – think sign-ups, purchases, or when someone hits an important page
• Keep it simple at first – you can always get fancy later

Why Standard Events Rock: Standard events are like Reddit’s native language. 

When you use them, you get access to all the good stuff – better audience targeting, proper conversion tracking, the works. 

Custom events might seem cool, but they can limit what you can do with Reddit’s platform later on.

Want to make sure it’s all working? 

Jump into Reddit’s Events Manager – it’ll show you exactly what’s firing and when. Simple as that.

Server-Side Tracking: The Power Move

While most people stop at the pixel, server-side tracking is like your secret weapon. Instead of hoping browser pixels fire correctly, you’re sending data directly to Reddit’s servers.

Think of it like having a backup plan for every lead. 

Your pixel might get blocked, browsers might fail, but your server-side tracking just keeps on delivering the goods to Reddit.

Usually, you make an API call that looks a little bit like this, and you pass a whole bunch of information back to the platform.

Understanding Server-Side Tracking Implementation

Before we dive into the setup, let’s talk about the different ways to handle server-side tracking:

1. DIY Custom Code
   • Build your own API integration
   • Write data transformation logic
   • Manage server infrastructure
   • Handle all the hashing and formatting
   • Maintain and update as platforms change
2. Third-Party Tools
   • GTM Server-Side
   • Segment
   • RudderStack
   • Still requires technical setup and management
3. Zero-Tech Approach (LeadsHook)
   • Pre-built webhooks
   • Built-in data transformations
   • Automatic field mapping
   • No coding required

Here’s why we built it this way at LeadsHook: Every time a platform like Reddit or Facebook releases server-side tracking, marketers face a choice – hire a developer or skip it entirely. 

Most skip it because the technical barrier is too high. So we made it drag-and-drop simple. 

We’ll cover the process below.

Setting Up Reddit Server-Side Tracking: Step-by-Step Guide

Whether it’s Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, or Facebook – they all work basically the same way. 

You’re just sending data to a URL with some information (they call it a payload) about what happened on your site.

Step 1: Create Your Payload

This is where the magic happens. Here’s a basic payload that works:

Don’t build this from scratch. Reddit’s docs have sample payloads – copy those and modify them. Way easier than trying to remember every field.

 Just expand it and there it is – your blueprint for what Reddit wants to receive.

Let’s break down what they’re showing us:

• They’ve got a purchase event example
• Shows an item count
• Dollar value ($1,000 USD)
• Product details (great for e-commerce)
• User details like their IP address
• External ID field (this is where you’d put your lead ID or order number)
• Even screen size parameters (optional but useful)
• Data processing flags (like CCPA compliance for California users)

Step 2: Build Your First Test Call

First, let’s get Insomnia set up.

Think of it like a playground where you can mess around with the tracking setup without breaking anything.

It’s a killer tool for testing API calls before you build them into your system. 

1. Download Insomnia (just Google “Insomnia REST client”)
2. Grab your Reddit Conversion API credentials from your Reddit Ads account
3. Make sure you’ve got your pixel ID handy – you’ll need it

Fire up Insomnia and let’s build this thing:

1. Create a new HTTP Request
2. Set it to POST
3. Use this endpoint: https://ads-api.reddit.com/api/v2.0/conversions

I just ran a test with this setup and got back: “conversion event was validated but not processed” – exactly what we want to see because I’ve got test_mode set to true.

This prevents us from accidentally messing up our actual conversion counts while we’re getting things set up.

Step 3. Create the Payload

Once you’ve got your payload template, you need to fill it with actual data. 

Here’s something most people don’t realize when they start with server-side tracking: These platforms want your data in very specific formats. 

Take email for example – Reddit doesn’t want the raw email address. They want it hashed with SHA-256 and in lowercase.

In a regular setup, you’d need to:

1. Capture the email
2. Convert it to lowercase
3. Run it through a SHA-256 hash function
4. Package that into your payload
5. Do similar transformations for phone numbers, location data, etc.

That’s a lot of custom coding and potential headaches.

Step 4. Making Server-Side Tracking Work in Your System

Let’s say you want to implement this in LeadsHook (or really, any system that can handle webhooks). 

Here’s the straightforward part:

The Webhook Setup:

1. Take that URL we tested in Insomnia
2. Drop it into your webhook node
3. Add your JSON payload template
4. Map your custom fields to the right data points

Here’s how we solved it in LeadsHook:

• Need an email hashed? Just add |sha256 to your field
• Want it in lowercase first? email|lowercase|sha256
• Need phone numbers without spaces or brackets? phone|no_brackets|no_spaces

It’s just field filters. Pick your field, add the transformations you need, and you’re done. 

The system handles all the complex stuff behind the scenes.

We spent months building these data transformations so you don’t have to write a single line of code. 

The same payload that would take days to set up manually just becomes a matter of picking the right fields and filters.

So now we’ve got both pieces running:

• Client-side: Your pixel firing lead events from the browser
• Server-side: Your webhook sending lead events directly to Reddit

Think of it like calling someone and texting them about the same thing – you’re sending the same message through two different channels. 

You’re telling Reddit “Hey, we got a lead!” both through the browser and directly from your server.

That’s where deduplication comes in, and it’s absolutely crucial to get right.

Deduplication: Avoiding the Double-Count Problem

In this case, Reddit has made it quite simple. All they want to look for is conversion ID. 

Here’s how to set it up:

1. In your client-side event you add this:

rdt(‘track’, ‘Lead’, {

conversion_id: ‘your_unique_id_here’

2. In your server-side payload you add this:

  “event_type”: “lead”,

  “conversion_id”: “your_unique_id_here”,

  “event_time”: “2024-07-08T10:00:00Z”,

Use something unique and meaningful for your conversion_id – like your lead ID or order number. 

What matters is consistency between client and server events. 

When Reddit sees matching IDs, they can focus on all that rich data you’re sending instead of trying to figure out if they’re counting the same conversion twice.

Throwing Money at a Wall is Not an Ad Strategy

Setting up proper server-side tracking isn’t just about ticking boxes – it’s about giving Reddit the data it needs to find you more customers like your best ones.

The difference between basic pixel tracking and a full client-side + server-side setup with deduplication is often the difference between campaigns that die early and campaigns that scale profitably.

Get the tracking right first. Then worry about your ads. Your wallet will thank you.

Want Someone to Guide You Through This?

Look, if all this tracking talk has your head spinning, you’re not alone. We’ve seen thousands of businesses struggle with this stuff. 

That’s why we created Tracking SOS – our no-BS course that takes you from “what the hell is a pixel?” to “hell yeah, my tracking is dialed in.”

What’s it costing you not to have proper tracking? 

High CPAs, wasted ad spend, lost revenue – and that’s just the start. 

When you’re not sending the right signals to these AI-powered platforms, you’re basically throwing money at a wall and hoping it sticks.

Tracking SOS gives you the skills without the fluff. 

No technical jargon, no useless theory – just practical steps to get your tracking working at expert level, even if analytics currently makes you want to headbutt your keyboard.