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134 Comments

Hacking reddit - how to self-promote without getting banned 💡

Hey guys,

As indiehackers, we don't want to post on reddit because we've seen how much downvotes & backlash self-promotional posts receive.

I know it very well, because,

I've got multiple posts of mine get downvoted, took down and flagged for violating community guidelines on reddit.

And I was about to give up on reddit too.

But then one day this happened

I spent a couple of hours researching through all the subreddits, filtered the top posts by month, day, and year, to find some hack to crack reddit,

And I found a surprising pattern 😮

I found that more than 50% of top posts on reddit were self-promotional posts!

But unlike my posts, these posts got so much love, support and upvotes from the reddit community.

That's when I came to know that there is a specific way to self promote on reddit which I have been doing completely wrong.

And it was the reason my posts didn't work.

So I studied those top performing posts, saw how they wrote their post content and tried using their exact post ideas for my posts.

And after that, my posts went from being downvoted and taken down to getting upvoted and loved by the reddit community ♥️

Just changing my post idea & how I post on reddit changed everything.

Today my posts have 20,000+ views and 100's of link clicks from reddit

And I can say that, reddit is one of best platforms to get traffic to your site if you know how to post on reddit 🔥

I've put together a free ebook that contains "30+ viral post ideas to self promote on reddit" including the exact ideas I used to post (curated for 14 subreddits)

I thought since it helped me, it might help other indiehackers too.

Get the Reddit ebook for Free

Let me know your suggestions & feedbacks in the comment.

    1. 2

      I came across your post some time back Richard 🤗 Got some great tips on how to engage on reddit. Thanks for sharing that.

    2. 1

      I read what you shared, and I think you made some good points. The idea of a long comment with a win-win situation (you provide the good answer to the question) for both parties is excellent. 😍

  1. 5

    At the time everyone reading this @sathesh95 account is suspended on Reddit.

    1. 1

      Ha ha, not really though😅. What I've shared on the ebook are all genuine post ideas not any way to spam on reddit. So I'm safe, and you should be too as long as you follow them and stay mindful of subreddit guidelines.

      1. 2

        I've read your book and it is full of great examples on how to position your project when posting on reddit. Catchy headlines and atractive to click content in relative category. Yes, this may help for some people to self promote.
        Still, Reddit may restrict you from posting to certain subreddits and you will be able only to read them as well as post on others. (same happened to me)

        1. 1

          I'm glad it helped peakminute. You're right , Different subreddits have different levels of moderation. So It's best to be mindful of each subreddit and it's guidelines before posting on them to be on the safer side. But I'm sure the guide will be a good starting point in your reddit journey.

  2. 3

    Thanks for sharing! Would definitely help.

    1. 1

      I'm glad to hear that it helps morgankung. Would love to hear your feedback after you try it 🤗

  3. 3

    Thanks for putting this together, downloaded!

    1. 1

      I'm glad you liked it. Would love to hear your feedback after you checkout the ebook 🤗

    1. 1

      I'm glad you liked it swapnilbelkar 🤗

  4. 3

    This is great, Nithin!

    The method that worked for me was creating a post that was mostly about my experience and how what I learned could help the r/ community. Then I added my website in the comments.

    I wrote about the method in this Indie Hackers thread:

    https://www.indiehackers.com/post/the-lessons-i-learned-from-getting-my-first-paying-customers-before-i-built-a-saas-product-a142681747

    1. 1

      You are right. This type of post works on all platforms, and I have seen a lot of examples on Reddit. People relate story/experience/result to their own experiences to see how they can improve and what has worked for others. They can also see what they can do to make those things work for them.

    2. 1

      yeah, sharing your own story or experience is one type of post that work amazingly well on reddit. I'm glad it worked for you 🤗

  5. 2

    Love the eBook Nithin!

    1. 1

      Thank you nandu. I'm glad you loved it 🤗

  6. 2

    Hi Nithin, I've been following you for 3 months. I found you on Product Hunt & I must say, you've done a fantastic job with LaunchPedia! I've got the ebook & I can't wait to read it now :)

    1. 2

      Thanks for your support Varun. Would love to hear your feedback on the ebook 👍

  7. 2

    Reddit can be a powerful platform for promotion if done correctly.
    Studying top-performing posts and using their strategies can transform downvoted posts into upvoted and loved content.

    1. 1

      Yes. I'm glad you liked it 🤗

  8. 2

    Pretty genius honestly

    1. 1

      I'm really glad to hear that it helped lingqingm 🤗

  9. 2

    First ever ebook I entered my email for! Thanks for giving it away for free :)

    1. 1

      I'm super excited to hear that. I'm sure you will like it 🤗

  10. 2

    I've been using Reddit to ask questions and get feedback but I've hesitated linking to anything I'm doing for this reason. Thanks for this - great to understand a bit more than i can on my own.

    1. 1

      I'm glad this helps 🤗 would love to hear your feedback after trying the ideas in the ebook.

      1. 1

        I'll definitely let you know!

  11. 2

    Very useful information

    1. 1

      That's great. I'm glad it helped 🤗

  12. 2

    Thanks for sharing this! Super helpful for those who don't want to experience the whole ban situation 😊

    1. 1

      I'm glad that you find it helpful shuhiyo 🤗

  13. 2

    Wow it's really helpful. I'm also searching and struglling to grow my community on Reddit. I recently start my site and I want to create my coummity. Now I'll try your strategy to grow on Reddit and will share results with all of you.

    1. 1

      That's great Jannie. Would love to hear your feedback and results 🤞

  14. 2

    Thanks for sharing this detail post.

    1. 1

      I'm glad you liked it Shahbaz_digital 🤗

  15. 2

    Thanks for Sharing this Nithin 🙌

    1. 1

      I'm glad you liked it selincakir 🤗

  16. 2

    Thanks for Sharing this Nithin, very useful!

    1. 1

      I'm glad you found it helpful Beknight 🤗

  17. 2

    Very Helpful & insightful, Thanks for sharing.

    1. 1

      Great to hear that. I'm glad it helped shankknight11 🤗

  18. 2

    FIRST - Provide Upfront Value

    THEN, subtly plug your site.

    1. 1

      Yeah, always value first and plug next 💯

    1. 1

      Thanks. I'm glad it is helpful 🤗

  19. 2

    Thanks a lot! This couldn't have come at a better time as I'm in the midst of figuring out my strategy for promoting my freshly launched product on Reddit. I do not have an audience on Twitter so Reddit is a natural choice.

  20. 2

    Downloaded. This actually seems like a reasonable list. I will try to apply some of the strategies to promote "SaaSHub Experts", our new community with focus of product promotion.

    1. 1

      That's Cool. Would love to hear your feedback once you try it 🤗

  21. 2

    Thanks for sharing.
    I didn't have a Reddit account yet, but as soon as I downloaded your material I created my account.
    Let's grow!

    1. 1

      Awesome. It's time to grow 🤞

  22. 2

    Thank you for sharing! I tried posting on Reddit before, but unsuccessfully. Looking forward to try your strategies!

    1. 1

      Sure. Check it out and let me know your feedback 🤗

  23. 2

    Thanks for sharing, Nithin! Are you applying the hack to this post here too? 😁

    1. 1

      No, I made these ones just for reddit.But I think the post ideas in the ebook apply for all forums and platforms. Be personal and share your own journey, wins and losses. Works on reddit, twitter,IH and all other places too.

  24. 2

    This is great, Nithin!
    It is a pleasure to hear about your experiences and insights in the indiehacker community. There are a lot of us who could benefit from your tips and ideas about self-promotion on Reddit. Keep up the great work!

    1. 1

      I'm excited to hear that you find it helpful Benga 🤗 thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  25. 2

    Thanks for the book. a lot of interesting ideas.

    1. 1

      It's great to hear that it helped pracas 🤗 thanks for your feedback on the ebook.

  26. 2

    well thats all the valid and indeed very important matters to be involved , thanks for your help.

    1. 1

      Awesome. I'm glad it helped 🤗

  27. 2

    This is great, insightful explanation on what makes a successful promotional post on Reddit. I'm curious what other platforms you've been successful promoting on? I heard a guest on MFM the other day mentioning they answered a ton of questions on Quora, and I though that was a great idea as well!

    1. 1

      Twitter is a really good platform to promote your startup. Buildinpublic on twitter is getting a lot of traction nowadays. I've seen hackernews do really good too if you're building something in tech. I had one guest on my interview who got 2000+ new subscribers from one hacker news comment for his newsletter. So that might be worth exploring.

  28. 2

    @sathesh95 Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

    You are doing an excellent job. I agree with you that most posts are self-promotional, but people on reddit use it in an organic way to grab attention and share their points.

    There is no doubt that reddit is very strict when it comes to self-promotion, and the community is also well aware of it. That's why most people downvote promotional content.

    In the past, I ran a campaign for Churnfree.com, and initially, it worked well. However, my account got banned, and they mentioned that I was violating their rules, which led to negative karma 😅.

    I will read your book and try your strategy for our product marketing in coming marketing plan again thanks for sharing this! 🤗

    1. 1

      Yeah. I feel every subreddits have their own way of posting and engaging. If you can spend some time in the subreddits where you wish to post, engage and see what works, you'll better know how to successfully post on it. But yeah, sometimes posts get taken down for no reason, can't do much about it 😅 Please check out the ebook and let me know your feedback. I would love to hear how it worked out for you 🤗

      1. 1

        Sure started now and share what i have learned!

  29. 2

    This is great, thank you.

    1. 1

      I'm glad it helped you Louisy 🤗

  30. 2

    Might need this since I also promote on reddit for founders cafe!

    1. 1

      Cool! Would love to hear your feedback after checking out the ebook and applying the ideas 🤗 I'm sure it will help you.

  31. 2

    Very good and helpful, thanks a lot.

    1. 1

      I'm glad it helped you prannikko 🤗

  32. 2

    I think the main problem is that people think about Reddit as a place to do self-promotion. But it's not for self-promotion, because no one likes it.

    Self-promotion is basically a euphemism for spam and everyone hates spam. Even spammers.

    However, Reddit is a great place for receiving user feedback. And I don't mean trying to thinly veil one's ad into a request for feedback, but honestly talking with potential users of your product and getting valuable feedback from them.

    This way, everyone wins: You get feedback about your product and how to make it better for actual, real users and you get your product in front of real, potential users.

    If you do this right, one well thought out and well executed Reddit post can be more valuable than a paid ad of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

    For example, I have been developing a free app for Windows called System Examiner. It's a tool that generates a system information report of your computer including a test report whether the system contains any common hardware or software related problems.

    One major use case for it would be to allow people working as tech support to easily get the basic information from the client's system.

    So, what I did was that I contacted the mod team of /r/ComputerTechs - a subreddit for people who work in technical support and computer maintenance, and asked told them what I'm doing and asked whether I could post about the app there.

    They said yes, I did the post (here: https://www.reddit.com/r/computertechs/comments/ywwznz/im_building_a_tool_for_computer_technicians_and/) and I received a ton of very valuable and actionable feedback from people who are literally the core target audience for the product.

    That post also generated thousands of visits to my website (https://systemexaminer.com/) and helped to get it started.

    That Reddit post was four months ago. Now, the app already has thousands of users.

    1. 2

      Yeah. That's exactly what I've shared on the ebook too. Most successful reddit posts are always the ones asking for feedback and sharing their experience rather than outright promoting your product which people don't like.

  33. 2

    Very useful. Thank you so much!

    1. 2

      Awesome. I'm glad it helped srikanthkannan🤗

  34. 2

    Its nice, thankyou.

    1. 1

      I'm glad it helped Sheena94 🤗

  35. 2

    This is great, thanks for sharing!!

    1. 1

      I'm glad you liked it elite2023 🤗

  36. 2

    Thanks for the ebook! Looking forward to reading it . This is a real pain point for indie hackers . I have been in the boat on having my posts removed or being downvoted for self promotional content :) Now I usually stick to subreddits like r/sideprojects and other subreddits listed on launchpedia which welcome promotional content

    1. 1

      r/Side projects is a great subreddit to promote what you're working on. You can start trying other subreddits mentioned in the ebook, just make sure you follow the post ideas mentioned in the ebook on how to post on each subreddit & also check it your post is relevant to the members of the subreddit before posting. I hope the ebook helps you get better reach on reddit 🤗

      1. 2

        Thanks :) Took a quick read through the ebook . The examples posts are quite detailed and super helpful. Will share the results once I use the templates for MealCoach marketing

  37. 2

    Thank you for these tips! I am going to try them and hopefully not get banned from some subreddits :)

    1. 1

      If you follow the post ideas given in the ebook your post is most likely to do well on reddit Brandonowens. I have personally researched them. However as usual be mindful of in which subreddit you post and their moderation rules. All the best 🤗

  38. 2

    Sometimes the most challenging thing is to get past subredits moderation -- I failed to do that for some reason, although my content was meant there and nothing salesish or something

    1. 1

      HI,My name is Mike Jorden. Our Aim is to bring smile on the face of people . So, we develop a site where we write all kind of articles,quotes and messages that can bring smile on face . So please visit our site.

      https://happywishers.com/

    2. 1

      Yeah , Some subreddits are more strict in moderation than the others. And you can't do much. You can try getting my free ebook where I've listed 13 subreddits that are more tolerant toward posts mentioning your products as long as you're mindful of the subreddit's guidelines and follow the post ideas given in the ebook.

      1. 2

        Would love to get a link to that. I can also just search if you can’t post it here

  39. 2

    Going to be covering some stuff about Reddit Growth Hacking on my blog later this week as well if people are interested

    https://growthdojo.substack.com/

  40. 2

    Thanks for the info Nithin. Before I get the book, would you mind giving me a few free pointers on how I would promote Smartynames.com on reddit without triggering downvotes?

    I have to admit that I don't understand Reddit, at all. I find it hard to use, and kind of bloated; that's why I am here on Indiehackers instead :) But, I'd love to learn how to make a better use of such a popular platform. Thank you!

    1. 2

      The key to cracking Reddit is being personal and straight forward. You can write a post like " I made an ai tool that generates unique names for your startup" and share a story on why you built it and how it helps the users.

      Once you have written the post then you need to find the right subreddits to post. You need to check where your target audience hangs out and post there instead of posting on all subreddits. You can find 13 best subreddits to post along with the best post formats in my guide. I Hope this helps you get started kirill.

      1. 2

        Excellent. Thank you!

        1. 1

          I'm glad to help 🤗

    2. 1

      You are working on a great idea. It may be a little competitive market, but I love the idea of getting a great name for my business and for my side projects from ai. I have bookmarked this for future use.

      Wish you best of luck for your future success!

      1. 1

        Thank you, if you think of a way to let a million people know of the tool, would you please let me know :) I am slowly growing the audience, and would love to accelerate it 10 times.

  41. 2

    No, It's not working.

    1. 1

      Have you submitted your email address in the form? Once you have, please check your inbox ( including promotions/updates tab if you're using Gmail). You will find an email with sender name Launchpedia that has subject line "Important: Download your reddit post ideas ebook" with link to download the ebook. Please check and let me know tempinst5.

  42. 2

    This is so cool!

    I got banned /removed multiple times. but one of my post are top of the reddit for a couple of days.

    1. 1

      how you can do that?

    2. 1

      yeah. figuring out reddit is not easy in the beginning. And it took us a lot of trial and error too. But once you find out how to post on reddit, it is one of the best places to talk about your product, since even one good post can get 1000's of views and visits 👍

  43. 2

    There are a few subreddits I wasn't aware of in here that are relevant, thanks!

    1. 1

      That's great. I'm glad you found the guide helpful macmartine 🤗

  44. 1

    You can Leverage social networking platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to share information about your products or services. Create original content, share useful information, and engage positively with customers.

  45. 1

    It will be perfect for people who play horror games

  46. 1

    Can confirm -- I did NOT read this ebook and I was almost immediately banned about half an hour ago, lol.

  47. 1

    What's interesting is that Reddit is 100% my go-to platform for sharing what I'm doing, whether that's new content or a new app I'm building. Someone needs to build something that connects people building products and testing out new features to Reddit.

  48. 1

    Thanks for sharing your ideas on self-promotion on Reddit. However, it's important to avoid tactics that go against Reddit's guidelines. I recommend taking a more organic approach and only sharing your content when it's relevant and adds value to the community.
    I had done some good SEO efforts for my client's website (https://boardgamesuniverse.com/)

    1. 1

      Yeah. I would always recommend to be mindful of each subreddits guidelines and see what posts they encourage there before posting. Only post if your post will be relevant in that subreddit.

  49. 1

    I think it's very difficult

  50. 1

    Actually many posts are self-promotional on reddit. But the successful ones don't hide that they are the creators of the website promoted, and they avoid salesy messages, instead simply tell a story or explain how this can help the community.

  51. 1

    It's essential to follow ethical practices when self-promoting and avoid using clickbait or spammy tactics, similar to how Angela White was visiting https://aflatoon-1.blogspot.com/2023/03/webcam-model-to-award-winning-performer.html here which has built her brand through quality content and ethical practices. Hacking Reddit to self-promote without getting banned is a popular topic among content creators looking to increase their visibility. However, it's crucial to note that Reddit has strict guidelines on self-promotion, and violating these guidelines can result in a ban.

  52. 1

    SO punctial of you. I've encountered this myself while trying to get linqmeup.com under attention. Now I'm writing content that focusses on how to do things without my tools, and try to learn about workflows and "the way" that people use linq instead of pushing my tool in their face.. Going to read your ebook with great interest.

  53. 1

    Thank you for the Ebook! 🙏

  54. 1

    Thanks for sharing. I just shared a post on T.LY's blog around Marketing on Reddit. Let me know if I can share any of the tips on the post.

    1. 1

      FYI, the post you mentioned is not worked for me !!!

  55. 1

    Self-promotion can be a delicate balance, especially if you're using platforms that have strict rules about spamming or promoting your content excessively. Here are some tips to self-promote without getting banned:

    Know the rules: Make sure you understand the rules of the platform you're using. Each platform has its own guidelines, and violating them can result in a temporary or permanent ban.

    Share valuable content: Share content that is valuable, informative, or entertaining. This will help establish your authority and credibility, and people will be more likely to follow you.

    Engage with your audience: Engage with your audience by responding to comments and answering questions. This will help build a relationship with your followers and make them more likely to support your content.

    Use hashtags: Use relevant hashtags to help people discover your content. This will increase the visibility of your posts and make it easier for people to find you.

    Collaborate with others: Collaborate with other content creators in your niche. This will help you reach a wider audience and get your content in front of new people.

    Don't be pushy: Avoid being pushy or aggressive with your self-promotion. Instead, be authentic and share your content in a way that feels natural and relevant to the conversation.

    By following these tips, you can effectively promote yourself without getting banned. Remember, it's all about building a community around your content, and that takes time and effort.

  56. 1

    Self-promotion can be a challenging task, as it requires finding a balance between promoting yourself and your work while not coming across as spammy or annoying to others. Here are some tips on how to self-promote without getting banned:

    Follow the rules: Every online platform or community has its own set of rules and guidelines about self-promotion. It is important to understand these rules and follow them to avoid getting banned. Make sure you read the rules carefully and respect the community’s guidelines on self-promotion. https://artoftesting.com/

    Offer value: When promoting your work, make sure you offer something of value to your audience. Share your knowledge, expertise, or experiences in a way that is interesting and informative. This can help you build credibility and trust with your audience.

    Be authentic: Be honest and transparent about what you are promoting. Do not make false claims or try to mislead people. Be authentic and genuine in your self-promotion efforts.

    Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and questions, and show appreciation for those who support you. Engage in conversations with your audience and build relationships with them.

    Choose the right platform: Different platforms have different audiences and different rules around self-promotion. Choose the platforms that are most relevant to your work and where your audience is likely to be. Focus on building a strong presence on those platforms.

    Timing is key: The timing of your self-promotion can be important. Make sure you are not promoting yourself too often, as this can come across as spammy. Choose the right time to promote your work when it is relevant and timely.

    Overall, self-promotion requires a delicate balance of respecting community rules and offering value to your audience. By following these tips, you can promote yourself and your work in a way that is authentic, respectful, and effective.

  57. 1

    Of course if the self-promoting strategy is continuously spamming your links, often in a multiple subreddits at the same time (I see it quite often), then you'll probably get downvoted/banned. If, instead you will interact with the community, offer some feedback, help and recommend your product/blog/whatever, which is relevant to the solution being discussed, then there's much more chances to get some positive engagement.

    Also being an active member of a subreddit where you are trying to promote your content helps.

    1. 2

      That's true. Being active on subreddit is 100% recommended. As far as I know, The best way to make use of reddit is finding the right balance between offering feedback on other posts vs talking about your product and receiving feedback. Spamming links in definitely not the right way to go.

      1. 1

        Exactly. One downside of this approach is that it requires lot of time and it quite manual.

        1. 1

          Agreed. But I feel that's what makes it worth it. If it was as easy as spamming links everyone would do it right.

  58. 1

    you are doing excellent work keep up the good work I will read your books regularly I have a similar website here is an
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  59. 1

    I've just wonder when i can post on indie hacker, now I'm even can't upvote your post

    1. 2

      Since you're new to Indiehacker, you need certain number of Points to be able to post a link post ( I think you need 20 points). You can get those points by engaging in comments with other posts like this one.

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