r/houston rules, stats, and what to post
Know the rules before you post. So easy grandma can do it.
- To post
- No minimum in the rules
- To comment
- No minimum in the rules
- Self-promotion
- Allowed with conditions
- Allowed only for accounts with established histories of contributing to the subreddit. Otherwise, use Reddit advertising.
- Links
- Allowed with conditions
- Affiliate and GoFundMe links are prohibited. Journalists may post links to their own stories, but paywall avoiding links are preferred.
- Promo risk
- High
- From the rules, not from removal counts
- Community age
- 18 years
- Since Jun 2008
About r/houston
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/houston: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.Checked from the r/houston rules on Reddit.
r/houston rules
10 rules, in the community's own words.
- 1
Please search first
/r/Houston is not your personal google. When asking questions please check if it's already been covered. This includes questions about which power company to use, or which telecommunications provider to use, or where to live. Good information can also be found in /r/HoustonFood and /r/AskHouston.
- 2
No classifieds
Anything that would be found in a "classifieds" section of a newspaper should be posted to /r/houstonclassifieds. This includes posts about lost, found, or surplus pets. Do not ask about where to sell things either. Job postings or job seekers should be be in /r/houstonjobs. Event posters/flyers belong in /r/houstonevents
- 3
No memes / image macros / AI generated content
While discouraged, memes are allowed in comments. Posting a meme-like "viral" image is grounds for an immediate ban with no warning. Do not use AI to generate your posts either.
- 4
No affiliate or gofundme links
Anything that is asking for fundraising, even for charity, is prohibited.
- 5
No repetitive or low-quality posts
e.g. cell phone skyline shots, swangas/"elbows"/84s, license plates (vanity/paper), public shaming (bad parking jobs, bad driving, etc), vehicle sightings, reddit stickers, billboards/signs, stock photos, screenshots, things like "Only in Houston", asking where to live or what to do when visiting. With current events, we usually retain just one post on the topic; if you want to add to it, write a comment under the main post rather than creating a new post.
- 6
Posts must be specific to the Houston area
All posts should have a specific connection to the Houston metropolitan area; if not, a different subreddit would be more appropriate. If something is a statewide topic, it belongs in /r/Texas.
- 7
Direct info on criminals/missing persons to police
Direct people with information to verifiable law enforcement phone numbers or contact information only. Any missing person posts that show contact information other than law enforcement will be removed. Do not ask for witnesses/videos of car accidents or post requests about lost or stolen items or videos of criminal activity.
- 8
Limited self promotion
Accounts with established histories of contributing to /r/houston are allowed limited self promotion. Otherwise, you should use Reddit's advertising system. It is acceptable for journalists to post links to their own stories, but paywall-avoiding links are preferred. You must also not post pictures of things you have made/designed that might lead to people asking how to buy it in the comments.
- 9
Please follow reddiquette and the user agreement
These rules are in addition to reddiquette and the user agreement. Accordingly, posting personal information, harassment, and other breaches are strictly forbidden. This includes personal attacks and hate speech; spirited debates are great, but if you have to resort to personal attacks you've already lost. Name-calling can result in bans from the subreddit.
- 10
Poor headlines prohibited
While post titles don't have to match the linked page, they should not be misleading. They must also not be too vague to immediately know what the topic is about, such as "Hey Houston", "So true", or "I have a question". Headlines in all capital letters are also prohibited. Do not use clickbait terms like "this" or "these" -- spell out what you are talking about.
What to post in r/houston
What fits the room, and what gets removed.
Works well
- Sharing specific, timely local news about the 9-county region that is not already covered by a main post.
- Writing comments that add substantial value or context to an existing current events post, rather than starting a new thread.
- Posting articles or stories that are specific to the Houston area, especially if you are a journalist and the link avoids a paywall.
- Sharing local insights that are genuinely useful to other residents, provided the post is not low quality.
Avoid
- Posting unsearched questions because /r/Houston is not your personal google, which violates “Please search first”.
- Posting anything that would be found in a classifieds section, such as asking where to sell things, which violates “No classifieds”.
- Submitting low-quality or repetitive posts like cell phone skyline shots or public shaming, which violates “No repetitive or low-quality posts”.
- Including any affiliate or gofundme links, as this is prohibited by “No affiliate or gofundme links”.
- Posting content that is not specific to the Houston metropolitan area, which violates “Posts must be specific to the Houston area”.
Best hours to post in r/houston
These hours are in UTC. The free tool converts them to your clock. Based on 58 top posts from the last 90 days.
- Wednesday 05:00 UTC3 top posts
- Saturday 15:00 UTC3 top posts
- Wednesday 04:00 UTC2 top posts
The week, hour by hour
Top posts that went up in each hour (UTC), last 90 days UTC Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 00:00 2 1 1 01:00 1 02:00 1 03:00 2 1 1 04:00 2 05:00 3 06:00 1 07:00 1 08:00 1 09:00 1 10:00 11:00 1 1 12:00 1 1 1 13:00 1 14:00 1 1 1 1 15:00 1 1 1 3 16:00 2 1 1 17:00 1 1 1 18:00 1 19:00 1 1 1 1 20:00 1 1 21:00 1 22:00 1 1 1 23:00 1 2 1 1
What actually works in r/houston
These are the highest scoring posts Rankhog observed in r/houston over the past month, with what each one did differently. Rankhog watches this community continuously, so it sees posts when they are published and again as they climb.
- Upvotes
- 9.6k
- Comments
- 861
- Posted
- Nov 4, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Upvotes
- 4.5k
- Comments
- 289
- Posted
- Oct 31, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Almost no downvotes (98% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 1.8k
- Comments
- 88
- Posted
- Nov 4, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Almost no downvotes (99% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 1.6k
- Comments
- 169
- Posted
- Oct 30, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Almost no downvotes (96% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 1.3k
- Comments
- 262
- Posted
- Nov 6, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Almost no downvotes (97% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 1.0k
- Comments
- 71
- Posted
- Nov 1, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Told in the first person
- Almost no downvotes (100% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 1.0k
- Comments
- 104
- Posted
- Nov 4, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Almost no downvotes (99% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 802
- Comments
- 191
- Posted
- Nov 7, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Almost no downvotes (96% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 789
- Comments
- 22
- Posted
- Nov 4, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Almost no downvotes (99% upvoted)
- Upvotes
- 675
- Comments
- 22
- Posted
- Nov 6, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Almost no downvotes (98% upvoted)
What r/houston Is For
This community is for everyone in the Houston metro area. It is a place to keep up with the news about the 9-county region on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rules that decide whether a marketing-adjacent post survives are “Please search first”, “No repetitive or low-quality posts”, “Posts must be specific to the Houston area”, and “Limited self promotion”.
What To Post
A good post should have a specific connection to the Houston metropolitan area. If you are sharing information, make sure it is not repetitive or low quality. If you are a founder, you should only post if your account has established histories of contributing to /r/houston. Also, your headline must not be vague or misleading, following the guidelines of “Poor headlines prohibited”.
What To Avoid
You must avoid posting low-quality content like cell phone skyline shots or public shaming. You also must avoid asking unsearched questions, which is a violation of “Please search first”. Additionally, do not post anything that falls under “No classifieds” or use affiliate or gofundme links, which is prohibited by “No affiliate or gofundme links”.
A note from Anthony
This community seems very focused on keeping things local and high quality. The rules are strict about preventing low effort content, which means you have to bring something genuinely useful or interesting to the table. The promotion rules are also very conditional, so you need to be a known contributor before you can even think about marketing.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog. Every guide is built from the community's own public rules and data, then checked by Rankhog's grounding audit before it goes live.
Common questions about r/houston
What subreddits are similar to r/houston?
Subreddits like r/houston are r/melbourne, r/bayarea, r/hyderabad, r/washingtondc, r/brisbane, r/AskNYC, r/bali and r/orangecounty.
Can I ask general questions about things like which power company to use in Houston?
You must search first because /r/Houston is not your personal google. This includes questions about which power company or telecommunications provider to use, which is part of the “Please search first” rule.
Can I promote my business or services here?
You can only post if your account has established histories of contributing to /r/houston, which allows limited self promotion. Otherwise, you should use Reddit's advertising system, according to “Limited self promotion”.
If my topic is relevant to Texas but not just Houston, where should I post it?
If your topic is statewide, you need to post it in /r/Texas, because all posts must be specific to the Houston area according to “Posts must be specific to the Houston area”.
Subreddits like r/houston
Other rooms for the same crowd.