Look, I will be honest with you.

I wasted two months on Reddit before I figured out what actually works. Two months of writing comments that vanished into the void. Two months of posts getting removed by AutoMod. Two months of exactly zero traffic.

And yeah, I read all those "Reddit Marketing Ultimate Guide" posts. You know the ones - they tell you to "be authentic" and "provide value" without ever explaining what that actually means in practice.

So here is the thing. After three months of trial and error, I finally cracked it. Not perfectly - I still mess up sometimes - but I went from zero Reddit traffic to it being my second-biggest source of signups.

This is everything I learned. The stuff that actually works, not the theoretical BS.

Why Reddit Marketing Is Different in 2025

Reddit changed their algorithm in late 2024, and most guides have not caught up yet.

The new system cares about engagement quality, not just upvotes. That means:

Threads that spark real discussion get pushed higher
Low-effort promotional comments get buried faster
Cross-posting to related communities can actually help now
Reddit content now shows up way more in Google searches

That last point is huge. Google started prioritizing Reddit threads for informational queries. I have seen my Reddit comments rank on page one for keywords that would take months to rank for with traditional SEO.

But here is the catch - you cannot just spam anymore. Moderators got smarter, and the community is even more allergic to obvious marketing.

The Strategy That Finally Worked

I am going to break down exactly what I do now. Not theory - the actual process I follow.

Step 1: Find the Right Threads (This Is Where Everyone Screws Up)

Most people scroll through subreddits looking for posts to comment on. That is insanely slow and you will miss the best opportunities.

The trick I figured out? Filter by comment count.

Posts with 0-5 comments are gold. Why? Less competition, and the algorithm shows your comment to more people when the thread is young.

Posts with 500+ comments? Your reply is buried instantly. Nobody sees it. Waste of time.

I used to spend 30-40 minutes just finding good threads. Now I batch it. I use a desktop tool I found to scrape posts across multiple subreddits, filter by comment count, and export a list.

Takes maybe 5 minutes to get 20-30 viable threads. Was honestly a game changer for my workflow.

Step 2: Actually Read the Post (I Know, Revolutionary)

Here is where being lazy costs you.

I see people copy-paste the same comment across threads. Redditors notice. They check your history. They call you out. And then you get banned.

For each thread I want to comment on, I actually read the full thing. Takes 2-3 minutes. I look for:

What is the person really asking?
What have other commenters suggested?
Is there a gap I can fill?

If I cannot add something genuinely useful, I skip that thread. Not every post is an opportunity.

Step 3: Write Like a Human (Harder Than It Sounds)

This is going to sound weird, but I actually type worse on purpose now.

Perfect grammar and formatting screams "marketing person." Real Redditors write casually. They make typos. They use sentence fragments. Like this.

Some things I do:

Instead of this:

"I would recommend utilizing a comprehensive tool that enables bulk data collection from Reddit, which can significantly optimize your workflow efficiency."

I write this:

"honestly I just use a scraper tool now. saves like 30 min per day. not perfect but works for me"

See the difference? Second one reads like an actual person typed it out.

Step 4: The 70/30 Rule for Mentioning Your Product

Here is where it gets tricky. You want to mention your product, but you do not want to come off as promotional.

My rule: 70% of value, 30% mention.

Most of your comment should be answering the question or adding to the discussion. The product mention should feel like an afterthought.

And honestly? I do not mention my product in every comment. Maybe 1 in 3. For the others, I just leave a helpful reply. No link, no plug.

This does two things:

Builds karma so my account looks legit
Means moderators are less likely to flag me as a spammer

The comments where I DO mention my product perform better because my account looks like a real user, not a marketing bot.

Step 5: Timing Matters More Than You Think

Reddit activity peaks around 9-10 AM Eastern time (that is 6-7 AM Pacific). Posts made during this window get more initial engagement, which compounds over the day.

I am not in that timezone, so I batch my comments and schedule when to post them. Not automated - I just set reminders.

Also worth noting: weekday mornings beat weekends for B2B stuff. If you are marketing a SaaS or tool, Sunday afternoon comments will get like 20% of the visibility.

What NOT to Do (Learned These the Hard Way)

Let me save you some pain.

Posting your own threads constantly

Some subreddits have karma requirements before you can post. But even when you can post - do not spam your product. One Show HN style post when you launch is fine. Weekly "check out my tool" posts will get you banned.

Using the same account for multiple products

Redditors check post history. If they see you promoting five different things, you look like a shill. Use one account per product, and actually engage beyond just marketing.

Ignoring subreddit rules

Each subreddit has sidebar rules. Some ban self-promotion entirely. Some allow it on specific days (like "Self-Promo Saturdays"). Read them first or get permabanned.

Being defensive when criticized

Someone called my product "ugly but functional" once. I almost replied defensively. Instead I agreed - "yeah the UI needs work, but the core features are solid."

That comment got more upvotes than any marketing line I could have written. Humility works on Reddit.

Tools That Actually Help

I have tried a bunch of stuff. Here is what stuck:

For finding threads:

Manually scrolling is painful. I built myself a little tool that scrapes posts and filters by comment count. Saves hours per week. Eventually turned it into Reddit Toolbox because other people kept asking for it. Not gonna lie, the UI is rough, but the filtering feature alone is worth it for me.

For tracking what works:

I keep a simple spreadsheet. Which subreddits send traffic. Which comment styles get engagement. After a few weeks, patterns emerge.

For timing:

Later.com has a Reddit feature, but honestly I just use calendar reminders. Do not need to overcomplicate it.

My Current Weekly Routine

This is what I actually do now, not some idealized version:

Monday-Friday (30 min/day)

Scrape posts from 5 target subreddits (5 min)
Filter for 0-5 comments, last 24 hours (already done by the tool)
Pick 5-10 threads that actually fit
Write comments (2-3 minutes each)
Post during morning EST window

Saturday (1 hour)

Review analytics: which comments drove traffic?
Adjust subreddit list if needed
Sometimes write one longer post if I have something worth sharing

Sunday

Off. Seriously, take a break.

Total time: maybe 3-4 hours per week. Not bad for what has become my second-highest traffic source.

The Results (Being Real Here)

After three months of this system:

Reddit is 23% of my total signups
Average time-to-signup from Reddit visitors is lower than other channels
My account has never been banned or flagged
I actually enjoy it more than I expected

Is it perfect? No. Some weeks are slow. Some comments flop completely. And I still get the occasional "nice ad" sarcastic reply.

But compared to the first two months where I got literally nothing? I will take it.

One More Thing

If you take anything from this post, let it be this:

Reddit marketing is not about gaming the system. The platform rewards genuinely helpful participation. If you treat it like another channel to blast promotions, you will fail.

But if you actually engage, answer questions, and occasionally mention your product in context - it works.

Not overnight. Not without effort. But it works.

Good luck out there.

Related posts you might find useful:

How to Scrape Reddit Data in 2025 - technical breakdown of data collection methods
Finding Low-Competition Reddit Threads - more on the filtering strategy I mentioned
How to Get Karma Fast on Reddit - building account credibility before you start marketing

Reddit Marketing in 2025: What Actually Works (After 3 Months of Testing)