Can I post about my product here?
You can describe your project and ask for feedback, but you cannot use the post to sell it, monetize it, or slip in referral links, because the community treats that as stealth advertising.
Subreddit guides
r/thesidehustle rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/thesidehustle: 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
- Members
- 242,039
- Verified
- September 29, 2026
- Category
- Side hustle builders and solo income experiments
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- No advertising: Any content that is deemed to be being posted for the sole purpose of stealth advertising/monetization, referral link spam, mentorship, or trying to sell a course will be met with a removal. The poster will also be banned from the community for between 7 days and permanently depending on the severity of the rule violation.
- Stay on topic: Discuss platforms, topics, and ideas relevant to hustle culture, and don't try to detract or steer away from the conversation. Whether it be instigation, disagreements that turn into something more, or bringing off-sub drama into the community, these will all result in temporary or permanent bans.
- No soliciting: If you are reported for contacting users outside of the subreddit (DMs/other social platforms) without asking, you will be banned and your content will be added to our filtering systems to prevent future posts discussing your ideas.
- Offers for work must be cleared: In order to promote or offer users to work (think r/beermoney or other similar online hustle subreddits that allow task based work), you MUST have these posts cleared through modmail to prevent malicious advertisements being made for the sole purpose of data collection or manipulation. Any posts without approved flair/status are presumed malicious and should be reported.
- No discussing explicit topics unless it's flaired/on topic: While this subreddit is primarily SFW (safe-for-work), we do allow content or discussions surrounding sidehustle ideas that are adult content-related as long as they're not linking any platforms, NSFW content, not being used to stealth advertise on the subreddit, or are generic things like Fans-like platforms for adult content sales.
- Comply with site-wide TOS: Any violations of Reddit's terms of service will result in a temporary or (more likely) permanent ban. We strictly adhere to those as we're not interested in having the community banned due to people acting up.
Works well
- A write up of a side project you are building, with what stage it is at and one specific question you want the community to answer.
- A lesson post about what you learned running a small income experiment, written as a story and a discussion rather than a promotion.
- A question post asking which platforms or side hustle ideas people are seeing work right now, staying fully on topic.
- A generic discussion about a side hustle category, including adult content topics only if flaired and free of any platform links.
- A feedback request for a new service idea that describes the problem and asks whether people would use it, with no links and no signup.
Avoid
- Posting your product with a signup link, discount code, or referral link, because that reads as “No advertising” and can get you banned from 7 days to permanently.
- Sending direct messages to members who replied to your post unless they clearly invited you to, since unsolicited outreach breaks “No soliciting” and lands you in their filtering systems.
- Offering paid tasks or gigs to members without clearing it through modmail first, because “Offers for work must be cleared” treats unflaired offers as malicious.
- Dropping drama, arguments, or unrelated topics into the thread, which trips “Stay on topic” and can end in a temporary or permanent ban.
- Linking out to adult platforms when discussing adult content side hustles, since “No discussing explicit topics unless it's flaired/on topic” only allows generic discussion without links.
- Anything that bends Reddit's terms of service, because “Comply with site-wide TOS” here most likely ends in a permanent ban.
What r/thesidehustle Is For
This community is for people who talk about side hustles and want feedback on projects or services they are building. The description says it plainly, it is a place to discuss side hustles and to get relevant feedback on newly developed projects and services. The rules tell me the room is built around hustle culture, so the people posting here are trying new ways to make money on the side, sharing what they are working on, and asking the community what they think. It is a feedback and discussion space, not a marketplace.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The big one for anyone marketing is “No advertising”, which bans stealth advertising, monetization pushes, referral link spam, mentorship pitches, and course selling, and it comes with a ban of 7 days up to permanent. “No soliciting” matters just as much, because contacting members in DMs or on other platforms without asking gets you banned and your content filtered. If you want to offer people work, “Offers for work must be cleared” means you need modmail approval first, and posts without that approved status are treated as malicious. “Stay on topic” keeps the room focused on hustle culture and bans drama or steering conversations off course. “No discussing explicit topics unless it's flaired/on topic” allows adult content side hustle talk only in generic terms, with no platforms linked and no stealth advertising. Finally, “Comply with site-wide TOS” means anything breaking Reddit's rules most likely ends in a permanent ban.
What To Post
The description literally invites feedback on newly developed projects and services, so that is your lane. Write a post that shares what you are building, what problem it solves, and what you are unsure about, then ask the community for honest feedback. Keep it a discussion, not a pitch, and leave out links, signups, and anything that looks like monetization. Talk about platforms, topics, and ideas relevant to hustle culture, because that is what “Stay on topic” asks for. If your project touches adult content, keep the discussion generic and flaired with no platform links. If you ever want to offer actual work to members, clear it through modmail first and get the approved status before posting.
What To Avoid
Do not post anything that exists to sell, because “No advertising” covers stealth ads, monetization, referral links, mentorship, and courses, and the ban ranges from 7 days to permanent. Do not slide into anyone's DMs or move conversations to other platforms without being asked, because “No soliciting” gets you banned and your content filtered. Do not offer work or gigs to members without clearing it through modmail first, since “Offers for work must be cleared” treats unapproved offers as malicious. Do not start drama or drag the thread off topic, because “Stay on topic” bans that with temporary or permanent bans. If you discuss adult content side hustles, keep it flaired, generic, and free of platform links under “No discussing explicit topics unless it's flaired/on topic”. And never post anything that breaks Reddit's terms of service, because “Comply with site-wide TOS” most likely means a permanent ban here.
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Common questions about r/thesidehustle
Can I offer paid work or gigs to members?
No. “Offers for work must be cleared” requires you to get approval through modmail first, and posts without approved flair are presumed malicious.
Can I message people who reply to my post?
Only if the person asked you to first. Unsolicited contact outside the subreddit gets you banned and your content filtered.
Can I discuss adult content side hustles?
Yes, in generic terms and with the right flair, as long as you link no platforms and are not using the topic to advertise.
Can I share a story about what worked for me?
Yes, as long as it stays on topic for hustle culture and does not turn into drama or a steer away from the conversation.
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