How to Check Subreddit Rules Before You Post
Every subreddit is independently moderated, which means the rules can vary wildly from one community to the next. What's perfectly acceptable in r/SaaS might get you instantly banned in r/programming. Checking the rules first is the single fastest way to avoid wasting your time — or your karma.
The most common rule that gets founders banned
Self-promotion restrictions are the #1 reason SaaS founders get banned from subreddits. Most communities enforce some version of the "9:1 rule" — for every 1 promotional post, you should have made at least 9 genuine, non-promotional contributions. Look specifically for:
- Self-promotion frequency limits: Some subreddits only allow one promotional post per user per month.
- Flair requirements: Many require you to tag posts with a specific flair (e.g. "Self Promotion") so they can be filtered.
- Link restrictions: Some subreddits only allow links in the comments, never in the post body.
Reading between the lines of moderator rules
Official rules only tell part of the story. Even if a subreddit has no explicit anti-spam rule, moderators still remove posts that feel low-effort or purely promotional. Before posting, spend 10 minutes sorting by "Top" this month to see what kind of content the community actually rewards.
