Reddit Best Practices Guide
How to engage on Reddit authentically without getting banned.
Build authority, share your expertise, and grow your audience the right way.
⚠️ Critical: Reddit Values Authenticity
Reddit is NOT a place for aggressive self-promotion. The platform has strong anti-spam systems and active moderators. Follow these guidelines or risk permanent bans from subreddits or sitewide suspension.
The 9:1 Rule (Reddit's Golden Standard)
Reddit officially recommends that only 10% of your activity should be self-promotional. This means:
For every 1 promotional post/comment, make 9 helpful contributions:
- Answer questions in your niche (no link)
- Share useful tips and insights (no link)
- Comment on others' posts thoughtfully (no link)
- Upvote quality content
- Participate in discussions genuinely
- Help fellow community members
- Share industry news
- Ask thoughtful questions
- Provide feedback when requested
THEN, as your 10th contribution, you can share something promotional.
💡 Pro Tip: Many successful Redditors go beyond 9:1. A 19:1 or 49:1 ratio is even better. The more value you provide, the more leeway you have when occasionally sharing your own content.
Always Provide Value First
When you do share your content, make sure the comment itself is valuable - not just a vehicle for your link.
❌ Bad Example
Why it's bad: Pure spam. No value provided. Just a link drop. You'll likely be banned immediately.
✅ Good Example
Why it's good: Solves the person's problem first. Link is a bonus, not the main point. Shows genuine experience and willingness to help.
Build Karma & Reputation First
New accounts or accounts with low karma are heavily scrutinized. Before sharing any promotional content:
Minimum Recommendations:
- 500+ karma - Shows you're an active, valued member
- 3+ months old account - Demonstrates you're not a spam account
- Active in your target subreddits - Build recognition before promoting
- Varied participation - Comment across multiple communities
- Positive engagement - Avoid controversial or inflammatory posts
How to build karma: Participate genuinely in discussions, share helpful insights, answer questions, and contribute to communities you actually care about. Karma will come naturally as you add value.
Read & Follow Subreddit Rules
Every subreddit has unique rules. Some ban self-promotion entirely, others have specific days or threads for it.
Before posting or commenting:
- Read the subreddit sidebar rules
- Check the pinned posts for guidelines
- Look for "Self-Promotion Sunday" or similar threads
- Search if similar content has been posted before
- Observe how active members participate
- When in doubt, message the moderators first
⚠️ Breaking subreddit rules = instant ban. Even if your content is good, violating community guidelines will get you permanently banned with no appeal. It's not worth the risk.
Be Transparent About Your Affiliation
Redditors value honesty. If you created the content you're sharing, say so. Don't pretend to be an unbiased third party.
❌ Deceptive
Why it's deceptive: Pretending you're a random user who discovered something, when you actually built it. Redditors will check your history and call you out publicly.
✅ Transparent
Why it's transparent: Honest about being the creator. Shows you're seeking genuine feedback. Redditors respect authenticity and are more likely to engage positively.
❌ What NOT to Do (Guaranteed Bans)
❌ Posting the same link across multiple subreddits (crossposting spam)
❌ Using multiple accounts to upvote your own content (vote manipulation)
❌ Asking friends/coworkers to upvote your posts (brigade)
❌ Deleting and reposting the same content repeatedly
❌ Only commenting to drop links (link spam)
❌ Buying upvotes or engagement (instant ban)
❌ Creating accounts just to promote (obvious spam)
❌ Copying your website content into Reddit posts without adding value
❌ Ignoring moderator warnings
❌ Arguing with moderators about their rules
✅ What TO Do (Build Lasting Authority)
✅ Answer questions thoroughly and helpfully
✅ Share personal experiences and lessons learned
✅ Provide actionable advice that people can implement immediately
✅ Engage in discussions beyond just your niche
✅ Upvote quality content from others
✅ Thank people who give you feedback (even negative)
✅ Update your posts with additional info when people ask questions
✅ Credit sources when sharing information
✅ Be patient - building reputation takes time
✅ Focus on being helpful, not on promoting
The Bottom Line
Reddit is not a marketing channel. It's a community platform where genuine participation is rewarded and self-promotion is heavily penalized.
SubredditScout helps you FIND opportunities. But authentic, valuable participation is up to you.
Use the tool to save time searching. Use your expertise to provide genuine value. That's how you win on Reddit.
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