How to Promote Your Business in Reddit Comments

Reddit comments can be an incredible way to promote your business, but it's easy to get banned if you're not careful. Most business owners try to jump in, drop their links, and wonder why their account gets banned within hours.

We have all been there don't worry.

Here's the thing: promoting your business in Reddit comments is an art form. It requires patience, strategy, and a bit of understanding of the Reddit community dynamics. But when done right, it can drive you a lot of traffic (even sales!), boost your SEO, and position you as a trusted authority in your niche.

If you haven't read our foundational guide yet, check out Part 1:Why You Should Market Your Business on Reddit to understand the golden opportunity waiting for you on Reddit. Let's not digress and let's get to the good stuff.

Why Reddit Comments Are Marketing Gold

Reddit comments are where the real conversations happens. While posts get attention, comments drive engagement and trust. Here's why smart marketers focus on commenting:

• Higher engagement rates: Comments often get more genuine interaction than standalone posts. People are already engaged in the discussion, making them more receptive to helpful advice.
• Lower detection by spam filters: Reddit's algorithms are harsher on posts with links than on thoughtful comments. A well-crafted comment can fly under the radar while a direct post gets auto-removed.
• Better context for promotion: When you answer someone's specific question, mentioning your solution feels natural rather than spammy.
• SEO benefits: Those Reddit threads often rank on Google's first page. Your helpful comment becomes part of that ranking content, giving you SEO juice you couldn't get otherwise.

The Most Important Rule: Never Drop Direct Links

Before we dive into strategies, let's get this straight: direct links in Reddit comments are the fastest way to get banned.

Here's what happens when you drop a direct link:

• Fresh account + external link = 99% removal rate
• Reddit's spam filters flag your account across the platform
• Moderators remember repeat offenders
• Your domain might get site-wide banned

Instead, follow this approach:

1. Provide helpful advice first
2. Mention your tool/service by name (no link)
3. Let interested users Google your product name (we talk about attribution later)
4. Trust the process (it just works™️)

You might think without a link people won't find your product. We'd like to disagree.

If your comment is interesting enough, people will find your product themselves by searching for your brand name on Google.

There's also an added bonus: when people discover your product themselves, they feel like they found a hidden gem rather than being sold to (even if they just Google it).

An example of how not to and how to comment right. Swipe to see the difference.

Account Warm-Up Protocol

Every legit Reddit marketer knows this: you need karma and account history before promoting anything. Here's the minimum viable warm-up strategy for a new Reddit account:

Quick Warm-Up (48 Hours)

• Day 1-2: Post 5-10 genuine comments in your target subreddits
• Focus on: Upvoting replies to your comments, engaging authentically
• One throwaway post: Share a meme, ask a question, or create a poll (unrelated to your product)
• Target: Hit 10-20 karma before any soft mentions

Proper Warm-Up (Recommended)

• Account age: At least 30 days old
• Combined karma: 300+ across comment and post karma
• 80/20 ratio: For every soft product mention, make 8 helpful comments with no self-serving purpose
• Subreddit history: Comment on unrelated topics in your target subreddits first

Understanding Reddit Karma

Most people think karma is just internet points, but it's actually Reddit's way of measuring your contribution to the platform.

The Two Types of Karma ♥

• 📝 Post Karma: Points from content you submit (links, images, text posts)
• 💬 Comment Karma: Points from your replies and discussions

For marketers, comment karma is usually more valuable because it shows you engage with the community rather than just posting your own content. That being said you should always aim to improve both to get the most out of Reddit.

Most subreddit auto-moderators check both karma and account age. The magic numbers are usually 30 days + 10-50 karma as the minimum threshold.

Pro tip: If you're serious about Reddit marketing, consider having multiple accounts for different strategies. For a detailed account warm-up strategy, make sure to check out Part 2: How to Warm Up Your Reddit Account →

Reading the Room: Post Intent Analysis

The single best way to promote your product in a Reddit comment is to find posts where people are already asking for suggestions, recommendations, or advice. When someone is actively looking for solutions, your comment is not only welcome, it's genuinely helpful. This is where your product mention feels natural, not forced and will not get easily flagged as spam.

High-Intent Product Recommendation Posts

These are the goldmines we talk about in Part 1: Why You Should Market Your Business on Reddit →. You should ideally look for posts like:

Problem-Solving Posts

Someone describes a problem you can solve:

When Is It Actually Safe to Drop a Link?

We almost always recommend not dropping direct product links in your Reddit comments. Most subreddits and auto-moderators treat links as instant spam, especially from new or low-karma accounts. Even if your comment is helpful, a link can get it auto-removed or flagged by users.

But there is one exception:

If you notice that the entire comment section is already full of product links (for example, everyone is sharing their own tools or websites), it's usually safe to add your own link as well. In these rare cases, the community expects and accepts links, so you won't stand out as a spammer.

A Reddit comment section with a lot of product links. This is a rare case where it's actually safe to drop a link.

How to Find Reddit Posts to Comment On

Finding those goldmine, high-intent Reddit posts where you can subtly promote your business is the hardest part of Reddit marketing. Manually searching for "recommendation" or "problem" threads across dozens of subreddits is time-consuming and you'll miss a lot.

This is where Redreach comes in.

Redreach.ai is an AI-powered Reddit marketing tool that automatically surfaces the most relevant, high-intent conversations for your business. It analyzes your website and competitors, then delivers a curated feed of posts where your product or expertise is a natural fit.

What makes Redreach perfect for this?

• AI-Guided Post Discovery: Redreach scans Reddit for posts with high purchase or recommendation intent, so you never miss an opportunity to join the right conversation.
• Brand & Competitor Monitoring: Instantly spot when your brand or competitors are mentioned, letting you respond before anyone else.
• SEO Boost: Redreach highlights Reddit posts that also rank on Google, so your comments can drive both Reddit and organic search traffic.
• Reply Suggestions: Get AI-generated comment templates tailored to each post, making it easy to add value and mention your tool authentically. You can even add AI comment templates to fully customize your comments replies.

How it works:

It's super easy to get started with Redreach.

1. Input your website and (optionally) your top competitors.
2. Redreach finds the best Reddit posts for you to engage with.
3. You get a daily feed of high-impact threads - no more manual searching.

If you want to consistently find the right posts to comment on (and skip the hours of scrolling), Redreach is the tool built for Reddit marketers.

Redreach starts at just $19/month. Try it to see how much easier it makes your Reddit marketing. Focus on creating valuable content and let Redreach do the rest.

The Value-First Commenting Strategy

The secret to successful Reddit comment marketing is flipping the value-to-promotion ratio. Here's the framework:

Step 1: Lead with a Micro-Solution

Give the fix in 2-3 lines before mentioning anything promotional:

Example:

"For email automation, I'd recommend setting up a welcome sequence first - that's where you'll see the biggest impact. Start with 3 emails: welcome, value delivery, then soft CTA. I've been using Mailchimp for this exact workflow and it's increased our trial conversions by 40%."

Step 2: Add Context, Not Pitch

Mention your tool as part of your experience, not as a sales pitch:

❌ Wrong: "Check out our amazing tool that solves everything!"

✅ Right: "I've been using tool name for this exact problem. Here's how I solved it: detailed explanation. Happy to share more details if helpful."

For more examples, check out our templates below.

Step 3: Let Them Ask for More

End with an open invitation rather than a direct pitch:

• "Happy to share more details if this helps"
• "DM me if you want to see the exact setup"
• "Let me know if you need the specific steps"

This approach works because:

• You provide immediate value
• You establish credibility through results
• You make them ask you for more (reversing the sales dynamic)

The Soft Mention Technique

The soft mention is your secret weapon. Here's how to do it right:

Template 1: The Experience Share

"I had the same problem last year. Tried a bunch of solutions but found (OUR TOOL NAME) worked best for our use case. The key was (specific feature/approach). Went from (before state) to (after state) in about (timeframe)."

Template 2: The Recommendation Mix

"Few options I'd consider: (COMPETITOR 1) for (use case), (COMPETITOR 2) if you need (feature), and (OUR TOOL NAME) has been solid for (OUR STRENGTH). Depends on your specific needs though."

Template 3: The Balanced Review

"Been using (OUR TOOL NAME) for (timeframe). Love the (specific feature) but honestly the (minor limitation) can be sometimes quite limiting. That said, it solved our (main problem) which was the priority."

Why this works: The balanced approach makes you sound like a real user, not a shill. Reddit users trust authentic experiences over perfect reviews.

Don't want to manually use these templates? Redreach can generate reply suggestions for you. It has context about your business and your product and will generate a comment that is tailored to the post and the community.

Advanced Comment Marketing Strategies

Once you're comfortable with the basics, these strategies can help you get even more out of your Reddit marketing. Here are a few practical ways to boost your results and keep your approach feeling authentic.

The CEO Strategy

While the most effective approach is often to have regular users organically recommend your product, there's another path: be fully transparent and engage as the founder or CEO.

Use your real name or a handle that makes it clear who you are, and lean into authenticity.

For example, introduce yourself openly ("I'm the founder, so obviously I'm biased, but...") and offer genuine help.

Invite people to ask you anything about your product or the industry: "If you have any questions, feel free to reach out." This approach can build trust when done honestly and without hard selling.

You can use an account name like "alex-from-mailtools" or "sarah-designstudio" to further make it clear who you are.

The Native Embed Technique

Instead of linking to your site, upload helpful images or GIFs directly to Reddit, then mention your tool in the image caption. Many subreddits allow this even when they filter regular links.

The Follow-Up Sequence

1. Initial comment: Provide value, soft mention
2. Reply to questions: Give more specific help
3. DM interested users: Share links privately when they ask

The Boost and Shield Method

• Ask team members to upvote your comment in the first 15 minutes (when it matters most)
• Stick around to reply to follow-ups quickly
• Dormant OPs often remove "drive-by" promotional comments

Timing and Frequency Best Practices

Optimal Timing

• Comment on new posts: First 2 hours are critical for visibility
• Peak Reddit hours: 6-8 PM EST on weekdays, 12-2 PM on weekends
• Subreddit-specific patterns: Observe when your target communities are most active

Frequency Guidelines

• Space out activity: Don't comment in the same subreddit too many times per day
• Vary your timing: Don't always comment at the same time
• Different subreddits: Spread your activity across multiple communities
• 80/20 rule: 8 helpful comments for every 2 self-serving mentions

Language and Tone Guidelines

✅ What Works

• "I've found..." instead of "This is the best..."
• Conversational tone: Write like you're talking to a friend
• Acknowledge limitations: "It's not perfect, but it solved our main issue"
• Be specific: Include numbers, timeframes, and concrete results

❌ What Doesn't Work

• Multiple exclamation marks: Screams marketing copy
• Rocket emojis: Auto-mod red flag
• Superlatives: "Amazing," "incredible," "revolutionary"
• All caps: Even for emphasis
• Generic responses: Customize every comment

Absolute No-Gos That Will Get You Banned

There are some absolute no-gos that will get you banned or flagged on Reddit. Avoid these pitfalls to keep your account safe and your reputation strong.

Account-Level Mistakes

• Fresh account + external link: 99% removal rate
• Copy-paste across subreddits: Site-wide spam flag
• Karma farming: Asking for upvotes or using upvote bots
• Ignoring subreddit rules: Mods remember repeat offenders

Comment-Level Mistakes

• Direct competitor bashing: Reddit hates obvious competition
• Same response template: Variety is crucial
• Immediate link dropping: Even in recommendation threads, provide value first
• Fake conversations: Using alt accounts to set up promotional opportunities

Engagement Mistakes

• Hit and run: Commenting then disappearing
• Not upvoting replies: Basic Reddit etiquette
• Arguing with critics: Stay professional always
• Deleting downvoted comments: Looks suspicious

Measuring Your Comment Marketing Success

Because we recommend not dropping direct links in your Reddit comments, tracking attribution can be a bit trickier but it's definitely not impossible.

You'll need to get creative and use a mix of direct and indirect signals to measure your impact. For example, you can ask new users during onboarding (useful for SaaS products or Mobile Apps) or on sales calls how they first heard about your product (especially useful for agencies).

You can also check Google Search Console for increases in brand name searches, and keep an eye on website referrers like ChatGPT or Perplexity. These can indicate your AI search optimization via Reddit comments is working.

Track these metrics to understand what's working:

Direct & Indirect Metrics

• 🕵️‍♂️ Brand name searches: Monitor Google Trends and Google Search Console for spikes in your brand or product name.
• 🗣️ "How did you hear about us?": Ask new users in your onboarding flow or on intro calls if Reddit or a specific thread brought them in.
• 📬 Direct messages: Count inquiries from Reddit users who reach out after seeing your comments.
• 🔔 Mention tracking: Monitor when others mention your brand organically on Reddit.
• 🌐 Website traffic from Reddit: Use UTM parameters where possible (in rare cases where direct links are allowed), but also look for Reddit, ChatGPT, or Perplexity as referrers in your analytics.

Engagement Metrics

• 👍 Comment upvotes: Higher upvotes = better visibility
• 💬 Reply rate: How often people respond to your comments
• ❓ Follow-up questions: Users asking for more details
• 👀 Profile visits: Reddit shows who viewed your profile

Getting Started: Your First Week

Remember: Reddit comment marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. The businesses that succeed are those that genuinely contribute to communities while subtly promoting their product where it's natural to do so.

Still struggling with your posts getting removed or your account getting banned? Check out Part 4: Reddit Marketing Issues: Fix Removed Content & Account Bans →

Ready to systematize your Reddit marketing? Tools like Redreach can help you find high-intent conversations, craft natural-sounding responses, and track your results while avoiding the common mistakes that get accounts banned.