How to Market on r/startups
A community for founders building high-growth startups to share knowledge and support each other.
r/startups Rules & Self-Promotion Policy
Understanding the rules is critical for successful marketing. Here's what you need to know about r/startups.
Strict Self-Promotion Policy
This subreddit has strict rules against self-promotion. Product mentions should be rare and only when genuinely helpful.
Community Rules
- 1No direct self-promotion
- 2No URL shorteners
- 3Follow Reddiquette
- 4No low-effort posts
- 5Use Share Your Startup thread for promotion
How to Write for r/startups
Professional but authentic. Technical depth appreciated. Fundraising numbers and growth rates expected. Less tolerance for lifestyle business discussions.
Best Practices for r/startups
Maximize your impact by understanding when, what, and how to post.
Best Times to Post
- Weekday Morning Pst
- Tuesday Wednesday Afternoon
Posts stay relevant for about 12-24 hours
Content That Works
- Detailed startup journeys
- Fundraising experiences
- Technical architecture decisions
- Hiring and team building
Who's Here
Tech startup founders, typically venture-track. Higher technical sophistication. Many YC/accelerator alumni. Values growth metrics and fundraising insights.
Common Mistakes on r/startups
Avoid these pitfalls that get marketers banned or ignored.
Posting outside the Share Your Startup thread
r/startups has strict rules. Product promotions outside designated threads get removed and may result in bans.
Instead
Use the weekly Share Your Startup thread for product mentions. Regular posts should be educational or discussion-based.
Conflating lifestyle businesses with startups
r/startups specifically focuses on high-growth, typically venture-scale businesses.
Instead
If you're building a lifestyle business or bootstrapped indie project, r/Entrepreneur or r/indiehackers may be better fits.
Asking basic questions already covered in the FAQ
Questions like "how do I find a cofounder" are asked weekly and get downvoted.
Instead
Check the subreddit wiki and search before posting. Add unique context to common questions.
Post Formats That Work on r/startups
These content formats consistently perform well in this community.
Fundraising Journey
Example Format
""Raised $XM Seed: Here's exactly what worked" with pitch deck insights, investor outreach strategy, and term sheet learnings."
Why It Works
Fundraising insights are highly valued. Specific numbers and tactics are bookmarked.
Technical Decision Post
Example Format
""Why we rebuilt our entire backend at $Y ARR" with architecture decisions, migration challenges, and results."
Why It Works
Technical founders appreciate engineering insights with business context.
Failure Analysis
Example Format
""We shut down after raising $XM. Here's what I'd do differently" with honest post-mortem."
Why It Works
Failure stories are rare and valuable. The community respects vulnerability.
Related Communities & Use Cases
Expand your reach with similar subreddits and see who uses r/startups for marketing.
Similar Subreddits
Who Should Target r/startups
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about marketing on r/startups
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