Reddit rules that get marketers banned

Reddit's sitewide rules fit on one page. There are eight of them.

The rules that catch marketers first are usually the other kind. Each subreddit writes its own, and a bot enforces many of them without a word.

Here are both kinds, in 4 parts, with 5 things you can copy.

Save this. Read it before your next post.

Short answer

Reddit has two layers of rules. Reddit's own Content Policy bans spam, vote manipulation, ban evasion and misleading people everywhere, and breaking it can cost you the whole account. On top of that, every subreddit sets its own rules on self-promotion, links, karma, account age and flair, and AutoModerator enforces many of them on its own. In my experience, marketers trip the second layer first. Read both before you post.

Key takeaways

• Spam, fake votes, ban evasion and pretending to be someone you are not break Reddit's sitewide rules. They can cost you the account, not just a post.
• Each subreddit adds its own rules. Self-promotion limits, link rules, karma and age minimums, and required flair are the usual ones.
• AutoModerator removes many posts before a person sees them, and it often does not tell you.
• Check a draft against the subreddit's rules before you post. A fix before posting is free.

1. Which sitewide Reddit rules catch marketers?

Three of Reddit's eight rules do most of the damage. Rule 2 covers spam and content manipulation, and Reddit's help pages put faked votes and ban evasion there. Rule 5 bans misleading people or pretending to be someone else. Rule 8 bans breaking the site, which is where careless bots land.

Here is the table. Keep it next to your posting plan.

Most of these rules come down to trust, and trust takes time. Rankhog warms up accounts you own, slowly, in your own browser.

Reddit's spam page gives more detail on rule 2, if you want to know what gets an account banned for spam. The User Agreement adds a line on bots. It bans using Reddit in any automated way that could disrupt or overload it.

The fake customer post deserves its own warning. Founders do it because it feels harmless. People on Reddit are very good at spotting it, and they will check your post history to prove it.

Ban evasion catches people who did not mean to evade anything. You get banned from one subreddit, you post there from your other account, and now the second account is in trouble too.

If you do get banned, appeal instead. My guide to checking for a shadowban has the Reddit ban appeal steps and two message templates.

2. Which subreddit rules catch marketers?

The usual ones are a self-promotion limit, link rules, karma and account age minimums, and required flair. Some subreddits also push all promotion into one weekly thread. Every subreddit writes its own version, so the only safe move is to read the rules page of the exact subreddit you want to post in.

Self-promotion limits come first. Reddit used to publish a rough guide that about one post in ten could be about your own stuff. Many subreddits still write some version of that ratio into their own rules. Others ban promotion outright.

Link rules come next. Some subreddits allow text posts only. Some allow links in comments but not in posts. Many remove link shorteners on sight.

Karma and age minimums are the quiet ones. A subreddit can require an account of a certain age or with a certain amount of karma before it lets you post. Many don't say the number. You find out when your post disappears.

Post flair trips people up for a dumb reason. Some subreddits remove any post without a flair, and the post was fine.

Here is the checklist I run on a new subreddit. Copy it.

1. Read every rule in the subreddit rules list and the sidebar.
2. Find the rule on self-promotion. Note any ratio or weekly thread.
3. Find the rule on links. Note if links are allowed in posts, comments or neither.
4. Look for any karma or account age minimum.
5. Check if posts need a flair, and which one fits.
6. Read the top posts of the month. Note what kind of post does well there.

That last step tells you more than the rules do. If the top posts are long text stories, a link post will not land.

3. What does AutoModerator remove?

AutoModerator is a bot that each subreddit's moderators set up with their own rules. It often removes posts from new or low-karma accounts, posts with certain links or words, and posts missing a flair. It usually does this the moment you post, and many subreddits set it up to send you no message at all.

So a removed post often looks normal to you. You see it on your profile. Nobody else does.

The way to check is to open the post in a private window, logged out. If it is missing or shows as removed, a bot or a mod took it down.

I learned how often this happens from Rankhog's own numbers. On 10 October 2026 I audited every comment, reply and post that Rankhog's warm-up accounts had made since 13 July: 135 in all. About one in nine had been quietly removed by a filter. My own dashboard had counted none of them.

That stung.

The fix was simple. A hidden removal now counts as a removal, and the account pauses for a couple of days before it writes again.

If a post of yours vanished and you can't tell why, ask the mods. Here is a message you can copy.

Hi mods, my post "[title]" in r/subredditname seems to have been removed. I read the rules but I can't tell which one I broke. Could you tell me what to change? I'd like to post it the right way. Thanks.

Ask once, and only if you really can't find the rule.

4. How do I check a draft before I post it?

Read the subreddit's rules, then run the draft through a checker before it goes up. Make sure the post helps someone who never clicks your link. Say plainly when you work on the product you mention. Post as text when you are not sure about links, and look at the post logged out an hour later.

The Reddit post checker is Rankhog's free tool for this. You pick a subreddit and paste your title and body. It compares the draft with that subreddit's published rules and flags the common removal risks, like self-promotion and outside links.

It can't see a subreddit's private AutoModerator settings or a mod's mood. Treat its answer as a second pair of eyes, not a promise.

When you mention your own product, say so. Here is a disclosure line I use. Copy the pattern.

Full disclosure, I work on [product]. It does [one plain thing], so it might help here, but [free option] also works if you don't want another tool.

Naming a free option is the part that earns trust. It shows you answered the question first.

And here is the pre-post checklist.

1. The post answers the question even if nobody clicks a link.
2. Any link is allowed by this subreddit's rules.
3. Your product is mentioned once, at most, with a disclosure.
4. The flair is set, if the subreddit asks for one.
5. The draft passed the post checker or you fixed what it flagged.
6. You will check it logged out after an hour.

For more on what gets accounts removed, read my notes on how not to get banned on Reddit and the full Reddit marketing guide. If your account is too new for the subreddits you need, read karma farming vs warming up your account before you try to rush it.

What I don't know yet

• Reddit does not publish how its sitewide spam filter decides. I can only tell you what triggers it in practice.
• Most subreddits keep their AutoModerator settings private, so karma and age minimums stay a guess until you hit one.
• My one in nine number comes from Rankhog's own warm-up accounts in a handful of big general subreddits. Your subreddits may be stricter or looser.

Who this is not for

If you want to post once in one subreddit and leave, most of this is too much. Read that subreddit's rules and post.

If you moderate a subreddit, you know AutoModerator better than I do. Feel free to correct me.

What to do next

Today, in this order:

1. Pick the one subreddit you most want to post in.
2. Run the six-step rules checklist on it.
3. Check your account's age and karma against any minimum it lists.
4. Write the post, then run it through the post checker.
5. Post it as text with a disclosure, then check it logged out an hour later.

Pick. Read. Check. Test. Post. Look.

Thanks for reading. If your account is too new to pass the minimums, give it time first. Rankhog warms up accounts you own, slowly, in your own browser.