Reddit has no single self-promotion percentage in its official rules, but the community standard is the 90/10 rule: at least 90 percent of your activity should be genuine participation and no more than 10 percent self-promotion. On top of that, Reddit's Content Policy (Rule 2) bans spam, vote manipulation, and sockpuppets, and every subreddit sets its own promo rules in the sidebar. The safe summary: it is fine to be a redditor with a website; it is not fine to be a website with a Reddit account.
What are Reddit's self-promotion rules?
Reddit's self-promotion rules work on two layers. Sitewide, Reddit's Content Policy (Rule 2) requires you to post authentic content and not engage in manipulation, which includes spam, vote manipulation, ban evasion, and subscriber fraud. Per-subreddit, each community sets its own promotion rules in the sidebar, and those are stricter and always win.
There is no official percentage in Reddit's rules, but the 90/10 rule is the widely accepted community convention, and many subreddits enforce it directly. Reddiquette puts the spirit more memorably: it is fine to be a redditor with a website, it is not fine to be a website with a Reddit account.
The 90/10 rule explained
The 90/10 rule says roughly 90 percent of your activity should be genuine participation (comments, upvotes, answering questions, joining discussions) and no more than 10 percent should involve mentioning your own product, site, or content. In practice, for every promotional post, aim for around nine genuinely helpful contributions.
What counts as promotion is broader than you think: linking your own site, naming your product, or repeatedly steering conversations toward your solution all count. Genuine help that happens to come from someone who has a product does not.
Sitewide rules vs subreddit rules
The Content Policy applies everywhere on Reddit and is non-negotiable: no spam, no vote manipulation (including using connected accounts to upvote each other), no ban evasion, no sockpuppets. Breaking these can get you site-banned, not just removed from one community.
On top of that, every subreddit has its own rules in the sidebar or wiki. Some forbid all self-promotion, some allow it only in designated weekly threads, and some are promo-friendly if you contribute. When the two conflict, the subreddit's rule is the one that gets you removed, so read it first.
Self-promotion policies by subreddit type
Most subreddits fall into one of four promotion policies. Match your behavior to the one you are posting in:
| Policy | What it means | How to engage |
|---|---|---|
| Promo OK | Self-promotion is allowed if you also contribute | Share when genuinely relevant, still lead with value |
| Designated threads | Promo only in a weekly or pinned thread | Post links there; comment normally everywhere else |
| Stories only | Share experience, not links | Explain what worked for you, skip the direct plug |
| No promo | Zero self-promotion of any kind | Help only; never mention your product |
What gets you banned or shadowbanned
The fastest ways to lose an account:
- Shameless plugs: dropping a link with no genuine contribution.
- Vote manipulation: using connected or alt accounts to upvote your posts.
- Sockpuppets: pretending to be a happy customer with a second account.
- Cross-posting: pasting the same promotional link across multiple subreddits.
- Ignoring subreddit rules: posting promo where the sidebar forbids it.
Shadowbans are especially dangerous because Reddit does not tell you. Your posts look normal to you but are invisible to everyone else, so you can spend weeks promoting into a void.
How to self-promote the right way
- 1Build karma first: comment helpfully for a while so your account reads like a real member.
- 2Read the subreddit's rules and promotion policy before you post anything.
- 3Provide value before you ask for anything; answer the question first.
- 4Disclose your affiliation when you mention your product ("full disclosure, I built X").
- 5Use one real account; never sockpuppet or vote with alts.
- 6Mention your product only when it genuinely answers the question.
- 7Never cross-post the same promotional link across multiple communities.
How to check a subreddit's rules before posting
- 1Read the sidebar (About) and the pinned rules list.
- 2Check the subreddit wiki for a self-promotion or posting-guidelines page.
- 3Search the subreddit for "promotion" to see how mods handle it.
- 4Look at whether similar promotional posts survived or were removed.
- 5When in doubt, message the moderators and ask before posting.
Doing it safely at scale
Following these rules by hand across many subreddits is where founders slip up, one wrong link and an account is gone. This is exactly what Redditoro handles: it reads each subreddit's self-promotion policy (promo OK, stories only, or no promo), paces posting under conservative daily caps, and drafts value-first replies so you stay inside the 90/10 ratio automatically. You review and post from your own account.
Frequently asked questions
It is the community convention that at least 90 percent of your Reddit activity should be genuine participation and no more than 10 percent self-promotion. It is not written into Reddit's official rules, but many subreddits enforce it directly.