Can I post about an ad without a video link?
No. The rules require a video link to the subject ad, and only mobile ads without a video link may use a screenshot instead.
Subreddit guidesCheck a post for r/CommercialsIHate
r/CommercialsIHate rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/CommercialsIHate: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
- Members
- 137.1K
- Community age
- Created Apr 2013, 13 years
- To post
- No minimum in the rules
- To comment
- No minimum in the rules
- Self-promotion
- Not mentioned in the rules
- Links
- Allowed with conditionsPosts require a video link to the subject ad or commercial, except for mobile ads where a screenshot is acceptable.
- Promo risk
- MediumFrom the rules, not from removal counts
Checked October 27, 2026 from the community's public Reddit pages:
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Rule summary
- Hate Commercials, Not People: Keep your disdain for the commercial directed at the commercial, not the people within it. Actors are paid to do jobs, sometimes embarrassing acts or uncanny performances. Do not post or comment about a specific person or group of people. Keep the focus on the commercial itself and/or the product being advertised. We are here to share our annoyance with commercials, not hate on people inside those commercials.
- Follow Reddit's Sitewide Rules: The rules can be found here: https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy. If Reddit won't allow it, we won't allow it.
- Refrain From Violent or Otherwise Threatening Language: The "hate" in the subreddit name is hyperbolic. We are not a hate group. The use of threatening language against a person or group of people, directly or indirectly, is not allowed. Violent language will not be tolerated. We do not accept or allow any forms of hatred. If you have nothing but racist, sexist, homophobic, etc opinions to share with the community, please do not post.
- Keep Things Civil: Vulgarity and profanity in the titles will not be tolerated, posts need to be fairly clean in the title and should not be all caps. Discussion needs to remain civil in order for a post to remain up. Act like you would in the real world. Bigotry of any kind is not tolerated. Discourse is allowed, but overly harsh critique, vitriol against diversity, and clearly charged posts or comments are not allowed. This is not a place to air your "critique" on media representation.
- Post Requirements: The title must have the name of the product and company. A body description of why you dislike the commercial. Be specific! Short posts saying "title" and so on are not healthy for discussion. We require clear and concise language. Posts require a video link to the subject ad or commercial. MOBILE ADS ONLY: many mobile ads do not have video links, a screenshot is acceptable in these cases. Meta discussions must contain Meta flair. Posts that refuse to follow these rules will be removed.
- Keep Posts on Topic: This subreddit is for discussion of commercials, so please keep this in mind and avoid ranting about tangentially related matters.
- Please Use the Search Bar Before Posting: Repeat posts will be removed. Ads often have variant versions, but we consider a product or event as the same subject. The subject must not have a post within the last several months. The same ad with a different title is not a "new" post with something new to say. Go find the ad and talk about it in there. For instance: Two posts about an ad promoting two separate products is allowed. Two posts about two separate ads promoting the same product is not allowed. The second post will be removed.
- No political commercials or comments: Post or comment is politically focused instead of the commercial
Works well
- A rant about a specific TV commercial that keeps playing, with the product and company in the title, a clear explanation of what annoys you, and a video link to the ad
- A complaint about an earworm jingle from a well known brand, focused entirely on the ad itself and why it sticks in your head
- A post about a mobile ad with no video link, using a screenshot as the rules allow, plus a specific description of why it grates on you
- A meta discussion about the subreddit, properly tagged with the Meta flair
- A comment joining an existing thread about an ad that already has a post, adding your own take instead of starting a duplicate
Avoid
- Posting about an ad that someone already posted in the last several months, because “Please Use the Search Bar Before Posting” says repeat posts get removed
- Leaving out the video link, or forgetting a screenshot for a mobile ad, since “Post Requirements” says posts without one get removed
- Writing a title without the product name and company name, which “Post Requirements” calls out as a removal reason
- Submitting a short body that just says title, because “Post Requirements” requires a specific description of why you dislike the commercial
- Attacking the actors or people in an ad instead of the ad itself, which breaks “Hate Commercials, Not People”
- Using violent or threatening language, even as a joke, since “Refrain From Violent or Otherwise Threatening Language” says the hate in the name is hyperbolic and will not be tolerated
What r/CommercialsIHate Is For
This community is a place to vent about commercials that annoy you. The description is written for people who hear the same ad jingle on repeat, see the same three ads over and over on TV or while browsing, and just want to rant and rave about it in the comments. The people posting here are regular viewers and internet users who are tired of specific ads, not marketers. The rules make it clear the target of every post is the commercial itself, or the product being advertised, and never the people who appear in it. There is also room for meta discussions about the subreddit, as long as those posts carry the Meta flair.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule that decides everything here is “Hate Commercials, Not People”. Your criticism has to land on the ad and the product, never on the actors, because they are just doing a job. “Refrain From Violent or Otherwise Threatening Language” reminds you the hate in the name is hyperbolic, so no threats and no hatred of any kind. “Keep Things Civil” bans vulgarity and profanity in titles, bans all caps titles, and rejects overly harsh critique or charged posts. “Post Requirements” is the one that kills most marketing adjacent posts on arrival, because it demands the product and company name in the title, a body explaining why you dislike the ad, and a video link to the commercial. “Keep Posts on Topic” keeps you from drifting into rants about anything tangentially related. “Please Use the Search Bar Before Posting” removes repeat posts, and it treats a product or event as the same subject even when the ad version is different. Finally, “No political commercials or comments” takes political ads completely off the table.
What To Post
A good post here looks like an honest complaint about one specific ad. Put the product name and the company name in the title, keep it clean, and skip the all caps. In the body, explain in clear and specific language why the commercial annoys you, whether it is the jingle, the repetition, or the way it is made. Attach a video link to the exact ad you are talking about. If you are complaining about a mobile ad that has no video link anywhere, a screenshot is the accepted substitute. Before you post anything, search the subreddit to make sure nobody has posted about that product or event in the last several months. If you want to talk about the subreddit itself, use the Meta flair. For a founder, the honest play is to talk about ads the way a viewer would, with real annoyance and real detail, and never to steer the thread toward your own product.
What To Avoid
The fastest removals come from breaking “Post Requirements”, so never post without the product and company in the title, a real explanation in the body, and a video link. Never skip the search bar, because a repeat post about the same product or event gets removed even if your title is different. Never aim your frustration at actors or groups of people, and never use violent or threatening language, even jokingly. Keep titles clean, with no profanity and no all caps. Stay on topic and do not turn a commercial complaint into a rant about something else. And leave political commercials alone entirely, in posts and in comments.
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Common questions about r/CommercialsIHate
Can I post about a competitor's annoying ad to make my product look better?
Yes, but only if the product or event is a different subject than a recent post, and you still have to search first and use the Meta flair.
Can I complain about a political ad?
No. “No political commercials or comments” removes posts and comments that are politically focused instead of focused on the commercial.
What if I only have a screenshot of the ad?
The rules say a screenshot is acceptable for mobile ads that do not have video links, but not for regular TV or web commercials.
Can I promote my own product here?
The rules do not state any promotion policy, so treat this as a rant community, not a place to pitch, and be careful about anything that looks like self promotion.