How Reddit’s Ranking Algorithm Works (And How to Beat It)

Reddit can be a high-leverage channel for marketers if you know how to work with its algorithm.

This guide breaks down exactly how Reddit ranks content and how you can use that knowledge to get better reach, engagement, and results from your posts.

Boost the Engagement Signals Early

Reddit doesn’t rank posts purely by upvote count. It uses a “hot score” formula that factors in:

• How many upvotes (minus downvotes) your post has.
• How fast those votes come in.
• How old your post is.

This is known as time decay. Reddit wants to surface new and engaging content, not just the most popular post from 12 hours ago.

Focus on early velocity, not just total votes

A post that gets 100 upvotes in the first hour can easily outrank one that has 500 upvotes after 12 hours.

In fact, most front-page posts spike fast, then fade within 6–12 hours.

Reddit’s algorithm loves early activity.

If your post gets upvotes and comments quickly, it’s more likely to hit the top of the subreddit or even Reddit’s front page.

What to focus on:

• Make your post interactive: Ask a clear question or offer a take that invites replies.
• Use short, curiosity-driven headlines that hint at a story or insight.
• Respond to early comments right away to drive more engagement.

Posts that sit untouched in the first 10–15 minutes usually go down to the lower page quietly. But if your post builds momentum quickly, Reddit will boost its visibility across more users’ feeds.

Customize Posts to Fit Subreddits

Reddit isn’t one big community, it’s thousands of niche ones.

Each subreddit has its own rules, tone, preferred content format, and sense of humor. If your post doesn’t match the vibe, even good content will flop.

Before sharing anything, spend 10–15 minutes scanning the top posts in that subreddit from the past week.

Ask yourself:

• Are posts casual or formal?
• Are images and memes common, or is it mostly text?
• Do people expect sources or personal stories?

Example: In r/personalfinance, a post like Here’s a budgeting spreadsheet I made that helped me save $4K last year. AMA. will do better than Check out this new app that helps with budgeting. Free trial inside.

Why? Self-promotion is frowned upon, but useful tools shared through personal experience are embraced.

Tip: Use native formatting

Use Reddit’s markdown or editor for clarity. Example:

• Bullet points to break down features or ideas
• Bold text to highlight value
• Short paragraphs (2–3 lines max)

Posts that come off as “markety” or promotional get buried. Reframe your angle:

• Instead of pushing a product, tell a story about how it helped you or someone else
• Share results, not links
• End with a natural question or invitation to discuss

Post Timing

Reddit’s ranking system tends to prioritize recent posts and the speed at which they gain interaction.

If your post is made during a quiet period, it might not receive the early upvotes necessary to rise. Conversely, if it is posted during a traffic spike, it could easily get overlooked.

You need to find the sweet spot.

Every subreddit has different peak hours based on time zone and audience.

For example:

• r/fatFIRE tends to be active during US mornings (7–10 AM ET)
• r/Anime sees spikes around evenings and weekends (Pacific time)
• r/marketing and r/startups often peak on weekdays between 9–11 AM ET

Use tools like REDAccs Subreddit Analyzer or subredditstats to find the best time slots.

Real example:

We were testing two identical posts on r/entrepreneur, one at 9 AM EST on a Tuesday, and another on a Saturday afternoon:

• 200+ upvotes on the Tuesday post
• Less than 10 upvotes on Saturday

Same content. Different timing. Big difference.

If you’re targeting a global audience, think in UTC offsets. Posting at 1 AM your time might hit prime time elsewhere.

• Use Reddit’s native “Scheduled Post” feature via third-party tools.
• Avoid posting right before a daily megathread or sticky post

A post buried under “Daily Discussion” threads will lose visibility fast.

Build Karma Correctly

On Reddit, karma is not merely a vanity metric, it serves as a signal of trust. Users and moderators are more inclined to engage with and approve content from accounts that have a strong history.

Additionally, the algorithm often highlights posts from users who have established goodwill within the community.

Hunting for karma the wrong way, such as spamming jokes or meme comments across multiple subreddits, won’t benefit you in the long term.

Earn Karma where you plan to post.

If you’re planning to promote in r/gaming, start by commenting and upvoting within that subreddit. Focus on:

• Answering questions helpfully
• Upvoting other quality posts and comments
• Sharing small wins or advice without linking anything

This tells both the community and the algorithm: you belong here.

For example, a user shared a breakdown of their calorie-tracking method in r/loseit without promoting anything. That post got over 300+ upvotes and 70+ comments. Weeks later, they posted a link to their blog in the comments, and it was welcomed, not flagged.

Why? Because they had built trust first.

But remember to mix post and comment karma.

Accounts with balanced karma (good post karma and comment karma) look more natural. Reddit’s filters flag accounts with high post karma but little to no comment history.

Try this rule of thumb:

• 70% of your activity should be commenting or upvoting
• 30% should be posting (and not all promotional)

This balance makes your account resilient, especially if you’re managing multiple campaigns.

Adjust According to Feedback and Performance

Reddit is a moving target. What works one week might fall flat the next. Algorithms shift, subreddit mods change rules, and user sentiment evolves.

To keep your posts performing, you need to stay agile.

Use a simple spreadsheet to log:

• The subreddit name
• Time/day posted
• Type of post (text, link, image)
• Engagement (upvotes, comments, click-throughs)

After a few weeks, patterns will emerge. You’ll see which formats and timings consistently work, and which don’t.

After working with a client promoting an AI writing tool, we noticed that:

• Text posts in r/Freelance flopped
• Screenshots + brief context in r/SideProject gained solid traction
• Sharing a case study in r/Entrepreneur worked only when framed as a lesson, not a pitch

We adjusted formats and saw 3x better engagement within a month.

Tip: Read the comments (even the negative ones)

Sometimes, the feedback is gold:

• This would’ve worked better if you showed the results first.
• Too vague. Got any numbers?
• Mods are deleting stuff like this lately.

Use that to refine your next post.

Reddit users tend to be straightforward, but they are often correct.

Use Google Alerts or tools like BrandMentions to track if your brand or keyword shows up on Reddit. This helps you spot where people are already talking about you, and join naturally, rather than forcing visibility.

Use Aged or Niche-Trusted Accounts

Reddit values trust, and a brand-new account with no post history trying to promote something is often perceived as an outsider.

Although Reddit does not publicly show account age, moderators and its internal spam filters can flag or remove posts from users with low karma or brand-new accounts.

That’s why people are buying accounts from trusted sources, such as redaccs.com.

Accounts with post/comment history are more likely to:

• Pass automoderator filters
• Earn upvotes and real discussion
• Avoid suspicion from both mods and users

If you’re building a long-term Reddit strategy, invest time in aging your accounts:

• Comment genuinely on 5–10 posts per week
• Avoid any obvious pattern of self-promotion
• Participate in subreddits you’ll eventually post in

In a real-life example, our client used a 3-month-old account that had consistent activity in r/marketing to post a case study link. This post received over 600 upvotes and genuine engagement. In contrast, a second test with a brand-new account using the same post was removed within minutes.

Throwaway accounts can be useful as well, just not for links.

Use them when:

• You want to ask sensitive or controversial questions
• You’re starting a discussion, not dropping a product
• You’re probing feedback in early product validation

Never use throwaways to post URLs or commercial offers. Reddit filters will kill the post before it’s seen.