How to Promote on Reddit: A Comprehensive Guide
Reddit can be a goldmine for finding customers, but blatant self-promotion will get you banned. This guide shows you how to engage authentically and build trust while promoting your product.
Understanding Reddit's Culture and Rules
Reddit is not your typical social platform – blatant marketing or self-promotion is often met with backlash. Each subreddit (community) has its own strict rules and norms, especially against advertising.
Critical: Always Read the Rules First
Many subreddits ban self-promotion entirely or only allow it in specific ways (certain days or weekly threads). For example:
- • r/startups: Prohibits direct ads – only monthly “Share Your Startup” threads
- • r/smallbusiness: No business promotion posts or blog links allowed
- • r/Entrepreneur: Forbids pure self-advertising in regular posts
Ignoring rules will get your post removed and your account banned.
The Golden Rule: Value First, Promotion Second (or Never)
Treat each subreddit as a community you're a guest in, not an audience waiting for your ad. Focus on posting content that provides genuine value – information, stories, insights. If you offer real value before promotion, Redditors are much more receptive to you mentioning your product later.
Finding Relevant Subreddits and Blending In
Step 1: Find Your Communities
Start by finding subreddits where your target audience hangs out. These might include:
- • Broad entrepreneurial communities: r/startups, r/Entrepreneur, r/SmallBusiness
- • Niche ones for your domain: r/SaaS, r/marketing, r/SEO, etc.
- • Industry-specific subreddits related to your product's use case
Make a shortlist and observe each one quietly at first (“lurk”). Pay attention to the content and tone: Is this community formal or casual? Do they prefer personal stories, Q&A discussions, or data-driven case studies?
Step 2: Warm Up Your Account
Many subs restrict new users or low-karma accounts from posting to prevent drive-by spammers. Spend a few weeks building credibility:
Comment on others' posts with helpful insights
Answer questions in your area of expertise
Upvote quality content to build karma
Don't mention your product during this phase
Pro Tip: Use a Personal Account
Consider using a personal account with your name rather than a brand-new account named after your company. Many successful founders use their personal Reddit account, transparently saying “co-founder of [Product] here” when relevant. Fill out your Reddit profile with a link to your product and a line about what you do – curious users will click your username.
Crafting Posts That Don't Feel Promotional
The best posts about a SaaS on Reddit don't lead with the product at all – they lead with a story, insight, or problem/solution that the community cares about.
1. Choose a Valuable Topic or Story
Share something that stands on its own merit. Examples:
- • Personal journey: “I quit my job to solve this problem...”
- • Milestone or lesson: “We hit $5K MRR in 8 weeks – here's what worked and what didn't”
- • How-to or case study: “How we solved X problem” or “What I learned spending $5k on ads”
- • Discussion question: Ask something relevant to your space
2. Write in a Personal, Peer-to-Peer Tone
Reddit hates corporate marketing speak. Write as a human, not a brand. Be honest about challenges or failures, and use first-person (“I” or “we” as a founder). Imagine you're sharing your story with fellow founders at a meetup – authentic and jargon-free.
3. Provide Value First, Product Second
Deliver as much useful content as you can before you mention your product or business. Give away insights, share data, explain your tactics – educate, entertain, or solve a problem for the community.
The Playbook: Share valuable info, then at the very end add:
“By the way, I built [Product] to tackle this problem – happy to answer any questions about it.”
4. Don't Drop Links (Unless Allowed)
In many subs, posting an external link (especially to your own site) in the post body is either against the rules or will get you downvoted. Often it's better to write a text post with all the important content instead of linking out. You can wait for someone in the comments to ask for a link – at that point it's community-driven and usually acceptable to share.
5. Format for Readability
- • Break up long text into paragraphs or bullet points
- • Use an intriguing title that highlights the benefit or story
- • Use lists, bold headings, or formatting to convey information clearly
- • Provide a quick summary at the top to hook readers
Good title:
“We interviewed 200 customers and doubled our trial conversions – here's what we learned”
Bad title:
“My SaaS Product XYZ Launch”
“Sneaky” Self-Promotion: Mentioning Your Product the Right Way
Even in very strict subreddits, it's possible to let people know about your SaaS – but you have to do it subtly and with value-driven context.
Work Your Product Into a Story
Instead of making the post about your product, make it about an experience or lesson that naturally involves your product.
Example: Rather than “My software does X,” share:
“I faced X problem and built a tool to solve it – here's what happened and what I learned.”
Real example: One founder posted “It finally happened — got my first paying user today!” in r/SaaS. The focus was on the journey, not selling. It got 390+ upvotes and led to genuine interest.
Provide Value, Then Name-Drop (Moderate Subs)
Share a detailed how-to guide or analysis, and mention your product briefly as the tool or source of the insight.
“We built [ProductName] to automate this process, and it helped us achieve Y result.”
Tip: Don't include a direct link. Just naming the product is enough – interested readers will Google it or check your profile.
Hint at Your Product (Very Strict Subs)
In the most strict communities, talk about the project without naming it at all.
“We grew our AI recruiting tool to 5k users in 6 months by doing __. AMA.”
Notice you didn't name it – you just described it generally. This piques curiosity without violating rules. Use your Reddit profile to do the selling – ensure your profile bio includes the product name and a link.
Use the Comments Section Wisely
Sometimes the best place to mention your product is not the post, but the comments. If someone asks a question that your product directly solves, you can answer and casually mention that you built a solution for this. This feels natural and often doesn't trigger moderation if done in good faith.
Engage with the Community (Before and After Posting)
Stay Active and Responsive
When you make a post, stick around to reply to comments. This boosts your post's visibility (Reddit's algorithm favors posts with engagement) and shows the community you're there to have a conversation, not just advertise. Thank people for feedback, answer questions in detail, and be friendly.
Handle Criticism Calmly and Professionally
Reddit communities can be blunt. You might get skeptics or negative comments. Don't panic or get defensive.
Do:
Respond with calm, professionalism, and empathy. Acknowledge criticism politely: “I understand why you'd be skeptical...”
Don't:
Argue aggressively or insult commenters. This destroys goodwill and reflects poorly on you and your startup.
The 80/20 Rule
At least 80% of the time, you should be contributing non-promotional content, and 20% or less directly promoting yourself. Keep a healthy ratio so you're viewed as a helpful contributor, not a self-promoter.
Subreddit-Specific Strategies
r/startups
Rules: Self-promotion heavily restricted. No direct ads outside of monthly “Share Your Startup” thread.
Strategy: Frame posts as questions or lessons. Share post-mortems or milestone stories. Don't mention your startup's name in the post – only in comments if someone asks. Focus on honesty about wins AND failures.
r/SaaS
Rules: More tolerant of discussing your product (everyone is building something), but no spam.
Strategy: “Building in public” updates work well. Posts like “Just hit $5K MRR in 6 months – AMA” with detailed numbers and lessons get lots of traction. Contribute to others' threads – give feedback on landing pages, answer growth questions.
r/Entrepreneur
Rules: Moderators remove pure self-promotional posts. Weekly stickies for direct asks.
Strategy: Frame as helpful stories or advice. “What I learned from failing my first startup” or “How I got my first 100 customers (without ad spend)” work well. Engage by commenting on others' questions about marketing, sales, tech.
r/SmallBusiness
Rules: Explicitly ban self-promotion and advertising.
Strategy: Participate as an expert, not a seller. Answer questions generally and share useful insights without pitching. Use for relationship building and understanding your customers.
r/marketing, r/SEO (Professional Communities)
Rules: Marketers are extremely sensitive to marketing tactics.
Strategy: Share case studies, industry insights, or useful resources. Post like “We A/B tested 3 marketing tools – here's what we learned” works. Be factual and modest. When recommending tools, mention yours WITH other options and disclose you're the founder.
Timing Your Posts and Choosing Formats
Post at Peak Times
Best Times (U.S. Eastern Time):
- • 6–9 AM (before work)
- • 12–2 PM (lunch break)
- • 7–9 PM (after dinner)
Tuesday–Thursday mid-morning is a safe bet. Avoid Friday evenings or late nights.
Use Text Posts (Self Posts)
For promoting a SaaS, a well-crafted text post is better than a link post. Text posts allow you to format content, tell a story, and they appear directly in the feed. Users can read and upvote immediately without requiring a click-through.
Timing Your Engagement
Once you post, be available for the next few hours to respond to comments. Early engagement can boost your post's ranking. Plan to post at a time when you can monitor Reddit for a bit – within an hour or two for early questions is great.
Templates for Effective Reddit Posts
Template 1: “Personal Journey” Post
Title:
“Quit my job to build a SaaS – 6 months later, here's what I wish I knew”
Structure:
- • Intro: Set the stage with personal context
- • Challenge & Process: Describe pivotal moments and failures
- • Lessons: Bullet out key takeaways others can use
- • Current Status: Share the milestone modestly
- • Subtle Mention: At the very end, mention your product name
- • Wrap-up: Thank community, invite questions
Template 2: “How-To / Guide” Post
Title:
“How we improved our SaaS signup rate by 30% in 2 weeks”
Structure:
- • Introduction: Introduce the problem
- • Steps: Break down each step with practical advice
- • Results: Share data and outcomes
- • Conclusion: Summarize takeaway + subtle product mention
Template 3: “Offer/AMA” Post
Title:
“I just reached $50k ARR in 1 year, AMA about growing a SaaS with zero funding”
Structure:
- • Intro: State your credentials and milestone
- • Background: Provide context and interesting facts
- • Invite: “Ask me anything” – be sincere about sharing
- • Engagement: Reply thoughtfully to every comment
Need Help with Your Reddit Strategy?
Reddit engagement can be tricky. If you're not sure how to approach your target communities or want personalized advice, we're here to help!
Get Strategy Help →Key Takeaways
Always read subreddit rules first – each community is different
Value first, promotion second – or don't promote at all
Build karma and credibility before self-promoting
Engage authentically – respond to comments and handle criticism well
Use personal accounts and be transparent about your connection
Post at peak times and stay around to engage with comments
Remember: Reddit can yield massive results (millions of impressions, streams of customers) with zero ad spend – but only if you approach it with a community-first mindset. Build reputation and trust first, and Reddit will embrace your product.