Earshot

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Replying on Reddit

Contribute-don't-sell — how to engage authentically and avoid bans.

The golden rule: contribute, don't sell

Reddit rewards people who genuinely help. It punishes people who show up to promote. This isn't a Earshot thing — it's how Reddit works, and it's why your judgment matters more than any tool.

Earshot drafts are starting points (on Solo). You read every one before it goes live. If a reply wouldn't pass the "would I post this as a human?" test, don't post it.

What good Reddit engagement looks like

  • Answer the question first. If someone asks for tool recommendations, give them useful options — not just yours.
  • Share genuine experiences, not features. "We ran into this too when scaling our API" beats "Our tool has built-in rate limiting."
  • Be honest about tradeoffs. "It works well for X but struggles with Y" builds more trust than perfection.
  • Keep it short. Reddit isn't a blog post. Most good replies are a few sentences.
  • Disclose when it matters. If you're the founder and you mention your product, say so. Reddit respects transparency. (be careful re: subreddit rules)

What gets you banned or downvoted

These patterns are red flags — moderators and experienced users spot them quickly:

  • Posting the same reply (or near-identical wording) across multiple threads (reddit will flag you as spam)
  • Sharing URLs to your product across multiple threads (reddit will flag you as spam)
  • Leading with a product pitch in a thread that isn't asking for one
  • Using multiple accounts to promote the same thing, or brigade for votes
  • Ignoring subreddit rules about self-promotion (mods will not hesitate to ban you from the subreddit)
  • Only promoting your product; and not have anything valuable to add in any other subreddit
  • sudden spike in activity (mainly comments and posts) across different subreddits
  • increase in DMs sent to users on your own accord; adding links to DMs makes it worse (reddit thinks you might be scamming users)

All of these compound when you have a young account with very low karma.

This is a great resource to understand how you can avoid being shadowbanned on Reddit.

Subreddit rules matter

Every subreddit has its own culture and rules. Before you post in a new community:

  1. Expand Community rules — r/{subreddit} on the draft card (or on the Listener form when selecting subreddits).
  2. Read what moderators expect — some require disclosure, some ban product mentions entirely.
  3. Lurk a bit. See how people talk, what's welcomed, what's removed.

When to mention your product

It's OK to mention what you've built — in the right context:

  • Someone explicitly asks for recommendations in your category
  • Your product directly solves the problem they described
  • You disclose your affiliation ("Full disclosure: I built this")
  • You'd still be adding value even if they don't use your product

Skip the product mention (or skip the reply entirely) when:

  • The thread is unrelated to your space
  • Someone is venting and doesn't want solutions
  • The subreddit prohibits promotion
  • You'd be the fifth person suggesting the same thing
  • The draft feels forced — trust your gut

About direct messages

Solo AI draft cards include a DM tab with a Direct message field.

Using the DM is optional — but the tab is always there on Solo drafts. Unsolicited DMs are one of the fastest ways to get flagged on Reddit. Use DMs only when you have a genuine, non-spammy reason to reach out.

A gentle reminder

If you're new to Reddit, it's normal to feel nervous about posting. Start with threads where you can genuinely help without mentioning your product at all. Build karma and reputation through useful comments. Product mentions come later, naturally, when someone actually asks.

Reddit is a long game. One thoughtful reply in the right thread is worth more than ten promotional ones in the wrong threads.

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