Reddit guides for makers · October 13, 2026

How to read a subreddit’s rules before posting

Read for a decision about your exact post, not just a reassuring keyword. You need to know whether this account may share this app, in this format, in this place, with this link.

Collect the whole rule

Open the community’s rules and expand the details. Read the sidebar or community information, posting instructions, pinned posts and any wiki pages the rules refer to. Interface labels vary between the app and web; the goal is the complete text, including exceptions and linked conditions.

A title such as “Self-promotion” might introduce a ban, a ratio, or permission restricted to a weekly thread. An excerpt saying “promotion is allowed” is not enough if the next sentence limits who can post it.

Check these questions in order

1. Is the topic a fit? Match the actual app and user problem to the community’s purpose. Read existing discussions for context, without treating another visible post as permission.
2. May you promote your own work? Look for advertising, self-promotion, solicitation, feedback requests and business-account conditions.
3. Where does it belong? Distinguish a standalone post from a reply or a designated thread. Check the current thread’s own instructions.
4. What links are allowed? Check product, referral and affiliate links separately. Read requirements for direct URLs and prohibited destinations.
5. Does your account qualify? Review age, karma, participation, posting frequency and any limits on repeated promotion.
6. Does the content qualify? Check AI-generated text or media, required disclosures, post flair, title format and any proof or demo requirements.

Our October 12 keyword scan found 322 of 3,676 saved rule sets with account-age or karma-minimum wording, 417 with AI-content-ban wording and 172 with affiliation-disclosure wording. The categories overlap, and a keyword scan can miss or misread a condition. These counts explain why checking only self-promotion is incomplete. Source and limits.

A worksheet you can copy

• Community and rule-source URL:
• Date checked:
• Proposed post or reply, and why it belongs:
• Exact promotion rule, including exceptions:
• Exact link rule and destination:
• Required thread, flair, disclosure and account conditions:
• Anything still unclear:
• Decision: permitted with these conditions, prohibited, or unresolved:

If a rule points to a page you cannot read, leave the decision unresolved. Ask the moderators a narrow question about your proposed format, or choose another community. The absence of a clear ban in a saved copy does not establish permission.

Recheck before posting

Rules and pinned threads can change between planning and submission. Keep the date of your saved reading, then check the live source before using the draft. After posting, save the permalink and verify the outcome. If the page fails to confirm submission, check your history before trying again so you do not create a duplicate.

The free rules index is a research starting point. The community’s current rules and moderator decisions govern the actual post. Reddit’s rules overview explains that sitewide and local rules both apply.