A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/obs: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
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.
Current public stats
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
This community is for people who use OBS Studio, the free and open source live streaming and recording software for Windows, macOS, and Linux. People come here to get help and advice with the software, to give constructive feedback, and to share how-tos or instructions when it fits the conversation. The rules make clear that this is a support-focused space, not a place for memes, low-effort questions, or general self-promotion. It is also specifically scoped to OBS Studio, not to Streamlabs Desktop, which is treated as a separate product with its own support channels.
The rule that shapes most marketing-adjacent activity is "No self-promotion except when required for help," which says self-promotion to gain viewership or subscribers is not allowed unless someone directly asks for it during a discussion. The rule "No URL shortener services" matters for anyone sharing links, because it bans shortened links outright. The rule "No low-effort requests or severe lack of details" matters because it sets a quality floor for any post, including ones from founders. The rule "No discussion/help for Streamlabs Desktop" matters because it draws a hard line around what product this sub covers. The rule "No harmful advice" matters because it sets a clear boundary on what kind of technical suggestions are acceptable. The rule "Be Excellent To Each Other" matters because it sets the tone for how you talk to support volunteers and other users. The rule "No shitposting and meming" matters because it keeps the focus on help, advice, and constructive feedback.
A good post here is a detailed, specific question or answer about OBS Studio itself. If you are a founder doing respectful Reddit marketing, the best move is to participate as someone who genuinely understands the software and helps others troubleshoot. You can share a link to a how-to or instruction when it directly helps the discussion and is not spam, but you should never use it as a pretext to promote your own product or channel. If someone asks to see your VoDs to diagnose a problem, that is the one narrow case where self-promotion is allowed, so you can share a link then. Every post should include enough background information, error messages, logs, and context that someone can actually help you, because the rules require detail and patience.
Avoid any post that promotes your own product, channel, or content to gain viewers or subscribers, because the rule "No self-promotion except when required for help" forbids it unless someone directly asks you for a link during a discussion. Avoid posting about Streamlabs Desktop, since the rule "No discussion/help for Streamlabs Desktop" sends that traffic elsewhere. Avoid URL shorteners in any link you share, because the rule "No URL shortener services" bans them. Avoid low-effort posts that lack details, because the rule "No low-effort requests or severe lack of details" will get them removed. Avoid memes and shitposts, because the rule "No shitposting and meming" keeps the sub focused on help and feedback. Avoid giving harmful advice, such as telling someone to disable security features or use unsafe software, because the rule "No harmful advice" prohibits it. Avoid being rude or impatient with support volunteers, because the rule "Be Excellent To Each Other" asks for respectful, patient participation.
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The rule "No self-promotion except when required for help" allows self-promotion only when directly asked for during discussion, such as when someone needs to check your VoDs to diagnose a problem.
The rule "No self-promotion except when required for help" says links to how-tos and instructions are allowed when not spammed, but moderators may remove links that are incorrect or misleading.
No, the rule "No discussion/help for Streamlabs Desktop" says to contact Streamlabs directly via their Discord or Help portal instead.
The rule "No low-effort requests or severe lack of details" requires enough information and background for others to form an opinion and help you quickly.
The rule "No URL shortener services" bans them because they hide the actual link and are prone to abuse.
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