The All-Time Guide to Reddit Marketing Etiquette

The Reddit Ecosystem

Reddit is not one single community; it's a federation of thousands of independent city-states (subreddits), each with its own laws, culture, and rulers (moderators). What works in r/marketing will get you instantly banned in r/technology.

Understanding this fragmented landscape is the first step to staying safe.

The 9:1 Rule

The golden rule of Reddit marketing is simple: for every 1 self-promotional post, make 9 posts that genuinely add value to the community without asking for anything in return.

This builds your "karma" (both literally and figuratively). When people check your profile (and they will), they should see a helpful community member, not a spam bot.

• Good Profile: Comments on diverse topics, helpful advice, jokes, questions.
• Bad Profile: "Check out my app," "Check out my app," "Check out my app."

Profile Optimization

Don't be a faceless corporation. Use a real human name or a "Founder of..." handle (e.g., alex_from_leadiodit). Fill out your bio. Pin a post to your profile explaining who you are and what you're building. This is your passive landing page. When you write a great comment, people click your profile. That's where you sell them.

How to Read the Room (and the Sidebar)

Before you post in any subreddit, read the sidebar rules. Seriously.

• r/startups: Only allows feedback requests in the monthly thread. Main feed posts must be text-only discussions.
• r/SaaS: Generally more identifying of "building in public" updates.
• r/sideproject: Encourages "show and tell" posts.

Ignoring these rules is the fastest way to a ban. Moderators volunteer their time to keep communities clean; they have zero patience for people who can't read.

Common Reasons for Bans

• Link stuffing: Posting the same link in 10 subreddits in 10 minutes. Reddit's automated spam filters will catch this immediately.
• New accounts: Trying to sell with a 1-day old account. Warm up your account for at least 2 weeks before mentioning your product.
• Upvote manipulation: Asking friends or using bots to upvote your post. Reddit tracks IP addresses and device fingerprints. They catch this every time.

The "Soft Sell" Technique

Instead of saying "Buy my product," use the "Soft Sell." Provide immense value upfront, and only link to your product if it's relevant context.

Example of a Hard Sell (Bannable):

"I made a new AI writing tool. It helps you write blogs faster. Go sign up here: [Link]"

Example of a Soft Sell (Upvotable):

"I analyzed 1,000 blog posts to see what makes them rank. Here are the top 5 patterns I found... [Insert 500 words of valuable analysis]... By the way, I built a tool to automate this analysis called [Name], but you can do it manually using these steps too."

Using Leadiodit's "Community Builder"

Our tool isn't just for finding leads; it's for finding communities. Use the Community Builder feature to find smaller, niche subreddits (5k-50k members) relevant to your industry. These communities are often more engaged and less hostile to founders than the massive default subreddits.

Pro Tip: If you're unsure, message the mods first. "Hey, I built this free tool for the community, is it cool if I share it?" surprisingly goes a long way. It shows respect.