A comprehensive guide for marketers, entrepreneurs, and creators looking to promote their projects on Reddit without getting banned.
Reddit's anti-marketing culture can be intimidating, but there are specific subreddits where self-promotion is not only allowed but encouraged. Based on extensive research and community feedback, here are the top 10 subreddits where you can share your projects, products, and services.
For broader social media engagement strategies, check out our guide on AI Automation for Social Listening to monitor conversations across platforms.
The Golden Rules Before You Start
1. Value First, Promotion Second
- Always provide genuine value to the community
- Engage with other posts before sharing your own
- Follow the 90/10 rule: 90% helpful content, 10% self-promotion
2. Read the Rules Carefully
- Each subreddit has specific guidelines
- Some require participation history before posting
- Many have designated promotion threads or days
3. Quality Over Quantity
- Focus on 2-3 relevant subreddits rather than spamming everywhere
- Create high-quality, detailed posts
- Include demos, screenshots, or videos when possible
Top 10 Self-Promotion Friendly Subreddits
1. r/SideProject (453K Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
The gold standard for project sharing. This community is extremely supportive and specifically designed for entrepreneurs showcasing side projects.
Best for: SaaS tools, web apps, mobile apps, coding projects Post format: "I built..." followed by technical details
Top Performing Content Analysis:
- Looking for a co-founder (3.5K upvotes, 109 comments)
- Presidential tracking website (3.2K upvotes, 189 comments)
- "Tinder for my wife" humor project (3K upvotes, 154 comments)
Key Success Factors:
- Personal story-driven titles work best
- Include demo videos or GIFs
- Share technical challenges and solutions
- Respond actively to all comments
2. r/somethingimade (3M Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
Largest creator community with massive reach potential. Physical and digital creations both perform well.
Best for: Physical products, digital art, crafts, software, creative projects Post format: Focus on the creation process and personal pride
Top Performing Content Analysis:
- Windows 95 Microsoft Paint mirror (61K upvotes, 501 comments)
- Micro museum for mini rock collection (60K upvotes, 1.5K comments)
- Custom LED lamp creation (57K upvotes, 672 comments)
- Painted white headphones (55K upvotes, 671 comments)
- Bleached clothing designs (48K upvotes, 579 comments)
Key Success Factors:
- Show before/after or progress photos
- Emphasize the handmade/personal aspect
- Include creation process details
- Nostalgia and miniature items trend well
3. r/alphaandbetausers (22K Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
Perfect for getting early feedback on products. Community specifically seeks new products to test.
Best for: SaaS products, mobile apps, web services in beta Post format: "Looking for beta testers for..."
Top Performing Content Analysis:
- AI photo-to-video tool (KissGen) (36 upvotes, 64 comments)
Key Success Factors:
- Use proper tagging [Android, Alpha] or [iOS, Beta]
- Clearly explain what feedback you're seeking
- Offer early access or free accounts
- Be responsive to bug reports and suggestions
4. r/selfpromotion (31K Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
General self-promotion hub. Less engagement than specialized communities but very welcoming.
Best for: Any type of promotional content Post format: Direct promotional posts
Top Performing Content Analysis:
- Crochet artist work showcase (51 upvotes, 11 comments)
- Romance novella promotion (44 upvotes, 8 comments)
Key Success Factors:
- Minimum 20 karma and 7-day account age required
- Avoid low-effort titles like "check this out"
- Include detailed descriptions
- Engage with others' promotional content
5. r/Entrepreneur (4.8M Members)
🟡 Self-promotion: Limited (Thursday threads only)
Massive audience but strict promotion rules. Focus on educational content and lessons learned.
Best for: Business stories, startup journeys, entrepreneurial insights Post format: "How I built..." or "Lessons from building..."
Critical Rules:
- No direct promotion outside Thursday threads
- Requires 10 comment karma within the subreddit to post
- AI-generated content banned (permanent ban risk)
- Focus on providing value, not selling
Key Success Factors:
- Share specific metrics and insights
- Focus on lessons learned and failures
- Engage in comments before posting
- Use "Thank You Thursday" threads for promotions
6. r/coolgithubprojects (60K Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
Specifically designed for sharing GitHub projects. Great for developers and open-source contributors.
Best for: Open-source projects, coding tools, libraries Post format: Project description with GitHub link
Top Performing Content Analysis:
- TEN Framework for multimodal AI agents (90 upvotes, 23 comments)
- Lumen CLI tool for Git summaries (65 upvotes, 12 comments)
- Magic-tape YouTube TUI client (57 upvotes, 13 comments)
- SQL Noir crime-solving game (48 upvotes, 4 comments)
- Ebook2audiobook converter (41 upvotes, 2 comments)
Key Success Factors:
- Include clear GitHub documentation
- Show practical use cases and demos
- Mention if seeking contributors
- Use proper title format: [Description] - [Project Name]
7. r/IMadeThis (18K Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
Focused on personal achievement and pride in creation. Similar to r/somethingimade but smaller community.
Best for: Personal projects, creative works, accomplishments Post format: "I made this..."
Key Success Factors:
- Emphasize personal journey and challenges
- Show pride in accomplishment
- Include technical or creative process details
- Respond to community feedback
8. r/TestMyApp (6K Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
Mobile app focused community. Smaller but highly targeted for app developers.
Best for: Mobile apps, web apps seeking user testing Post format: App testing requests with clear guidelines
Key Success Factors:
- Provide clear testing instructions
- Offer incentives for detailed feedback
- State specific feedback needs
- Follow proper feedback format requirements
9. r/betatests (7K Members)
🟢 Self-promotion: Encouraged
Daily beta testing opportunities. Focused on products in development phase.
Best for: Products in beta phase, new features, MVPs Post format: Use category tags like [opportunity], [strategy], [question]
Key Success Factors:
- Use proper category tags in titles
- Define clear testing period expectations
- Explain what testers get in return
- Set clear feedback expectations
10. BONUS: Industry-Specific Communities
For AI/ML Projects:
- r/MachineLearning (3M members) - Weekend non-arxiv links allowed
- r/AI_Agents (Small but engaged) - AI agent projects encouraged
- r/ChatGPTCoding (94K members) - Frequent successful project sharing
For Content Creators:
- r/Python (1.2M members) - Python projects welcome
- r/webdev (2M members) - 10% self-promotion rule
- r/programming (5.8M members) - Strict but allows quality technical content
What Actually Works: Content Analysis Insights
High-Performing Content Types:
- Nostalgic tech recreations (Windows 95 themes, retro interfaces)
- AI/productivity tools with clear value propositions
- Miniature/detailed crafts and personal projects
- Educational tools that teach while entertaining
- Personal story-driven project launches
Engagement Patterns:
- Visual content gets 10x more engagement than text-only
- Personal struggles/journey posts generate authentic connections
- Immediate usability drives higher click-through rates
- Community participation before posting increases success rates
Timing Insights:
- Tuesday-Thursday posts perform better than weekend posts
- Morning EST (8-11 AM) captures peak engagement
- Follow-up engagement within first 2 hours is critical
Red Flags That Get You Banned
1. Spam Behavior
- ❌ Cross-posting identical content simultaneously
- ❌ Only posting promotional content without community engagement
- ❌ Generic promotional messages across multiple subreddits
2. Rule Violations
- ❌ Not reading subreddit-specific guidelines
- ❌ Posting in wrong community types
- ❌ Ignoring karma/participation requirements
3. Poor Community Engagement
- ❌ Not responding to comments on your posts
- ❌ Being defensive about criticism
- ❌ Failing to provide value beyond promotion
Advanced Success Strategies
1. Community-First Approach
- Spend 1 week lurking before posting
- Comment meaningfully on 10+ posts
- Understand community culture and successful post patterns
- Build recognizable presence through helpful contributions
2. Content Optimization
- Create Reddit-specific content versions
- Include comprehensive demo materials
- Write detailed technical explanations
- Use community-appropriate language and tone
3. Engagement Maximization
- Respond to every comment within 2 hours
- Ask follow-up questions to maintain dialogue
- Offer additional resources and help
- Cross-link related community discussions
Measuring Reddit Success
Key Metrics:
- Engagement Rate: Comments-to-upvote ratio (aim for >0.05)
- Click-through Rate: Use UTM parameters to track
- Conversion Quality: Reddit traffic often has higher intent
- Community Growth: Profile followers and repeat interactions
Tools for Tracking:
- Google Analytics with Reddit-specific UTM codes
- Reddit's native analytics for promoted posts
- Social listening tools for mention tracking
- Custom landing pages for Reddit traffic attribution
Quick Action Framework
Week 1: Research and engage
- Join 3-5 relevant subreddits
- Read rules and successful post examples
- Comment on 20+ posts providing value
Week 2: Content preparation
- Create Reddit-specific content versions
- Prepare demo videos/GIFs
- Write community-appropriate descriptions
Week 3: Strategic posting
- Post to 2-3 most relevant subreddits
- Stagger posts across different days
- Engage actively with all responses
Week 4: Analyze and optimize
- Review performance metrics
- Identify successful content patterns
- Plan follow-up content strategy
Reddit self-promotion success requires genuine community participation, high-quality content, and strategic patience. Focus on providing value first, and the promotional benefits will follow naturally.
Ready to start promoting on Reddit? Choose 2-3 subreddits that align with your project, spend time understanding their communities, and create content that genuinely helps solve problems for their members.
Looking to expand your social media strategy beyond Reddit? Learn how to set up automated social listening with AI tools to monitor conversations across all platforms and identify engagement opportunities.