I created a Reddit account to promote my SaaS product.

Got immediately blocked. "You need 50 karma to post here."

Okay, fine. I'll go get 50 karma first.

Tried posting in r/entrepreneur. Removed instantly. "Minimum 100 karma required."

Tried r/startups. Shadowbanned. My posts were invisible to everyone except me.

Tried r/SaaS. "Your account is too new. Come back in 30 days."

Yeah. That was my first week on Reddit.

The Brutal Reality of Reddit Karma in 2026

Here's what nobody tells you about Reddit karma: it's a chicken-and-egg problem.

You need karma to post. But you need to post to get karma.

Most subreddits have hidden karma requirements. They don't tell you the exact number. You just keep getting your posts removed until you magically have enough.

Common thresholds I discovered:

Small niche subreddits: 10-50 karma
Medium communities: 100-200 karma
Large popular subreddits: 500+ karma
Some exclusive communities: 1,000+ karma

But here's the thing: karma isn't just about numbers. Reddit uses a hidden algorithm that weighs your early upvotes more heavily than later ones.

Your first 10 upvotes might give you 8 karma points. But upvote number 1,000 might only add 0.5 points.

This means the strategy for getting your first 50 karma is completely different from getting to 500.

My First Attempt: Everything That Failed

Week one was a disaster. Here's what didn't work:

Posting in r/FreeKarma4U: Got 20 upvotes. Got zero actual karma. These subreddits are shadowbanned by Reddit's algorithm. The upvotes don't count.

Asking for upvotes: "Please upvote, I need karma to post in X subreddit." Instant downvotes. Reddit culture hates this.

Posting my product immediately: Removed within minutes. Labeled as spam. Got banned from 2 subreddits.

Copying popular comments: Tried reposting top comments from old threads. Got called out. Downvoted to hell.

Posting at random times: My posts got buried instantly. Nobody saw them.

After 7 days I had 3 karma. Three.

That's when I realized I was doing everything wrong.

The Shift: What Actually Works

I spent two days just lurking. Reading. Watching how people with high karma operated.

Pattern I noticed: they weren't trying to get karma. They were just being helpful.

The karma came as a side effect.

Here's the framework I built:

Step 1: Start With Comments, Not Posts

New accounts face fewer barriers when commenting. You can comment in hundreds of subreddits before you're allowed to post.

Why comments work better:

Lower karma requirements (often 0-10 vs 50-100 for posts)
Faster to write (30 seconds vs 5 minutes)
More opportunities (every post has dozens of comment spots)
Less scrutiny from moderators

I switched to 100% commenting for the first week. No posts at all.

Step 2: Find Beginner-Friendly Subreddits

Not all subreddits are equal. Some welcome new users. Others are hostile.

Subreddits that worked for me:

r/CasualConversation (very welcoming, low requirements)
r/NoStupidQuestions (literally designed for questions)
r/AskReddit (huge traffic, easy to get visibility)
r/aww (positive community, upvotes everything cute)
My local city subreddit (small, friendly, relevant)

How to find more: Search for "new user friendly" or "no karma requirement" in Reddit search.

Avoid these until you have 100+ karma:

r/entrepreneur (strict moderation)
r/startups (high karma requirements)
Political subreddits (downvote magnets)
r/cryptocurrency (extremely hostile to new accounts)

Step 3: Sort by "New" and "Rising"

This single change 10x'd my karma growth.

When you enter a subreddit, change the sort from "Hot" to "New" or "Rising."

Why this matters:

Hot posts: Already have 500+ comments. Your comment gets buried instantly. Nobody sees it.

New posts: Only 0-5 comments. Your comment is visible. If the post takes off, your early comment rides to the top.

Rising posts: Starting to gain traction (10-50 upvotes). High chance of going viral. Your comment gets seen by thousands.

I started commenting on Rising posts in r/AskReddit. Within 3 days I had 50 karma.

The problem with manual karma farming is it's time-consuming. After week one I was spending 2 hours daily just finding good threads to comment on.

That's when I built a monitoring system to track Rising posts across multiple subreddits. Set up keyword alerts for topics I could answer. Got notifications when relevant threads appeared.

Reduced my search time from 2 hours to 15 minutes per day.

I packaged this as a Reddit monitoring tool - searches multiple subreddits, filters by engagement, sends alerts when opportunities appear. Nothing fancy but it saves about 10 hours a week. Has a 3-day trial, then $9.99/month.

Step 4: Answer Questions You Actually Know About

Don't fake expertise. Don't give generic advice.

Find questions where you have real experience. Then write detailed, helpful answers.

Bad comment: "You should probably try WD-40."

Good comment: "I dealt with this exact issue last month. Spray WD-40 specifically on the hinge pin, not the door itself. Work it in by opening and closing the door slowly 5-6 times. The squeak disappeared completely. If it's a really old door, you might need to repeat this every few months."

The detailed version shows real experience. Provides actionable steps. Adds context.

That's what gets upvoted.

I focused on topics I knew: SaaS marketing, Reddit tools, customer acquisition. Every answer was based on something I'd actually done.

Converted at about 60%. Most of my comments got 5-20 upvotes.

Step 5: Time Your Comments Strategically

Reddit has rush hours. Post during peak times and your comment gets 10x more visibility.

Best times (US Eastern):

6-9 AM (people checking Reddit before work)
12-1 PM (lunch break browsing)
4-7 PM (after work, highest traffic)

Best days: Monday-Wednesday. Weekends are slower.

I started setting alarms for 7 AM and 5 PM. Spent 15 minutes browsing Rising posts and leaving thoughtful comments.

This alone doubled my karma growth rate.

The 14-Day Plan: 0 to 500 Karma

Here's the exact schedule I followed:

Days 1-2: Setup

Joined 5 beginner-friendly subreddits
Read top posts from past month to understand what works
Verified email address
Read sidebar rules carefully

Days 3-7: Comment Grind

20 minutes at 7 AM: Browse Rising posts, leave 3-5 comments
20 minutes at 5 PM: Same thing
Focused on answering questions I knew about
Responded to replies (continued conversation = more upvotes)

Result: 50 karma by day 7

Days 8-10: First Posts

Started posting in subreddits where I now had enough karma
Shared a case study about finding customers on Reddit
Posted a question in r/AskReddit that got 200 upvotes

Result: 150 karma by day 10

Days 11-14: Scale Up

Continued commenting daily
Posted 2-3 times in different subreddits
One post hit 500 upvotes (got lucky with timing)

Result: 520 karma by day 14

Total time invested: About 40 minutes per day for 14 days. Roughly 9 hours total.

What Actually Gets Upvotes (The Psychology)

After analyzing my top comments, I found patterns:

1. Early timing beats perfect content

A decent comment on a Rising post outperforms a brilliant comment on a 10-hour-old thread. Every time.

2. Specific details beat generic advice

"I tried this" beats "You should try this."

Numbers and specifics beat vague suggestions.

3. Helpful beats clever

Genuinely solving someone's problem gets more upvotes than a witty joke. Unless you're in a humor subreddit.

4. Positive beats negative

Encouraging comments get upvoted. Criticism gets downvoted. Even if the criticism is valid.

5. Formatting matters

Paragraph breaks, bullet points, and clear structure get more upvotes than walls of text.

I started using this template:

"Yeah I had the same problem.

[What I tried that didn't work]

What worked: [Specific solution with details]

[One extra tip or warning]"

This format consistently got 10-30 upvotes per comment.

What Kills Your Karma (Avoid These)

Being rude or snarky: Instant downvotes. Even if the other person started it.

Arguing about politics: One bad political comment can wipe out days of karma progress.

Low-effort comments: "This" or "Lol" or "Same" = ignored or downvoted.

Asking for karma: "Please upvote" = guaranteed downvotes.

Self-promotion too early: Mentioning your product before you have 200+ karma = spam label.

Posting in the wrong subreddit: Read the rules. Seriously. Every subreddit is different.

I learned this the hard way. Lost 30 karma in one day by arguing about marketing tactics in r/entrepreneur. Not worth it.

Advanced Tactics (Once You Hit 100 Karma)

Target high-traffic subreddits: r/AskReddit, r/explainlikeimfive, r/todayilearned. One good comment can get 500+ upvotes.

Post original content: If you have expertise, write detailed guides. These can get thousands of upvotes.

Use humor strategically: Funny comments work in casual subreddits. Don't joke in serious communities.

Build local karma: Some subreddits require karma earned within that specific community. Spend time there first.

Engage consistently: Regular participation builds recognition. Moderators start recognizing your username.

The Unsexy Truth

Getting Reddit karma isn't a hack. It's a grind.

You need to show up daily. Provide genuine value. Be patient. Track what works.

But here's why it's worth it:

Once you have 500+ karma, Reddit becomes a completely different platform. You can post anywhere. Your comments get seen. Moderators trust you.

And if you're using Reddit for business (like I am), that access is worth thousands in free marketing.

The founders who succeed on Reddit aren't the ones with the best products. They're the ones who put in the time to build karma and reputation first.

That's the game.

If I Could Start Over

One thing I'd tell myself on day one:

"Stop trying to promote your product. Start trying to help people."

The 520 karma didn't come from clever growth hacks. It came from genuinely answering questions, sharing real experiences, and being useful.

The karma was just a side effect.

Focus on adding value. The karma follows naturally.

And maybe don't argue about politics in r/entrepreneur. That was stupid.

How to Get Reddit Karma Fast in 2026: From 0 to 500 in 2 Weeks