How to market on r/startups

Can you promote on r/startups?

Yes, within limits. Promotion belongs in the Monthly Share Your Startup thread, not in posts of its own. What the rules say:

“You MAY share your startup in the Monthly Share Your Startup thread”

“No direct sales, advertisements, or promotional posts of any kind.”

Rule 2: No direct sales, advertisements, or promotion

The rules

As the moderators wrote them, shortened where they run long.

1. Relevant Content OnlyWe are a community of discussion based around startups, not traditional businesses. All content must be relevant to startups. You are welcome to ask how to apply startup methodologies to your traditional business if you…
2. No direct sales, advertisements, or promotionNo direct sales, advertisements, or promotional posts of any kind. We have designated places that are an exception to this rule and they will always be stickied at the top of /r/startups. You MAY share your startup in…
3. Submissions Serve a Specific PurposeSubmissions are for discussing methodologies, experiences, strategies, techniques, markets, and other such things WITHOUT tying them directly to your own project using its name or URL. Titles must be clear and…
4. Feedback Has a PlaceAll Feedback Requests (including surveys/polls) belong in our Feedback Thread or other appropriate weekly thread. You are invited to repost each week. Be sure to contribute to the others in the thread and ask them to…
5. Rules for Links in Comments/DiscussionSometimes you think the best solution is simply to link to a resource that might answer someone's question. We want you to be able to link in discussion to relevant content. We also don't want the discussion to turn…
6. Do Not Solicit PM Requests / Post DM NoticesThe purpose of making a submission or comment is to engage in a public discussion with the community. It is not to request a PM/DM from someone. Do not post a notice that you DMed someone. You are more than welcome to…
7. Sharing Your Blog is To Start a Discussion, Never For Self-PromotionSharing your blog is not a means to self promote. A link to the original blog post is allowed with prior Mod approval. If you are submitting your own blog content, the full body of the content must be included in the…
8. Always Be Kind and SupportiveThe goal of this community is to encourage people to learn and be inspired to pursue ventures related to startups. Do not troll, harass people, or be an asshole. This does not mean to lie. It means to give support and…
9. No Unscheduled AMAsWe do not allow unscheduled AMAs. We need to verify and approve all AMAs. If you wish to do an AMA you must use the "Message the Moderators" feature in the side bar and you must give us at least TWO (2) Weeks Lead Time…

Full text on Reddit: r/startups rules.

What people asked this week

70 of the last 117 posts on r/startups (the past 5 days) asked a question or for a recommendation. Here are 12, starting with people asking for a tool, a service or someone to hire.

• Starting a tech company what tools/systems are worth setting up?
  r/startups · 23 Oct
• what are your alternatives to stripe?
  r/startups · 22 Oct
• Looking For App Developers
  r/startups · 21 Oct
• Best online MBA for someone starting a CPG brand while working full-time?
  r/startups · 21 Oct
• Pre seed - any viable alternatives to SeedLegals?
  r/startups · 19 Oct
• How does one get around IP concerns when starting a business after working in industry?
  r/startups · 24 Oct
• Would you build a product for AI agents to use?
  r/startups · 23 Oct
• Which biz would you pursue if you had money for 1 only?
  r/startups · 23 Oct
• which bank actually wants a tech company's business?
  r/startups · 23 Oct
• How would you balance borrower affordability, investor returns and liquidity in a lending startup?
  r/startups · 22 Oct
• Is your contact form full of sales pitches instead of customers?
  r/startups · 22 Oct
• When did you hire your first DevOps or platform engineer, and what was the trigger?
  r/startups · 22 Oct

How to show up here without getting banned

• Help first, mention later. Answer questions on r/startups for a while before you bring up your own product, and when you do, say you made it.
• Use the Monthly Share Your Startup thread. It's where the rules quoted above send promotion.
• Be careful with links. The rules are specific: “Link only content you have no affiliation with.”
• Keep it in the thread. Don't move people to DMs to pitch them: “Do Not Solicit PM Requests / Post DM Notices.”
• Put surveys where they belong. They have a place for them: “All Feedback Requests (including surveys/polls) belong in our Feedback Thread or other appropriate weekly thread.”
• Answer questions. 60% of recent posts on r/startups ask a question or for a recommendation. A useful answer is the safest way to get noticed.

More on how this works across Reddit: Reddit's self-promotion rules, explained and the full Reddit marketing playbook.

Related communities

• How to market on r/Entrepreneur: business owners and would-be founders swapping advice on starting and growing a business.
• How to market on r/EntrepreneurRideAlong: founders sharing their progress, numbers and lessons as they build.
• How to market on r/startup: first-time founders learning how to validate, build and launch.
• How to market on r/indiehackers: bootstrapped makers building profitable products on their own.
• How to market on r/SideProject: makers sharing side projects and asking for feedback.