Reddit self-promotion rules for founders, plus the FTC part

What Reddit itself says

Reddit's content policy bans spam, vote manipulation and ban evasion. It doesn't ban talking about your own product. For years Reddit's guidance suggested keeping self-promotion to a small share of your activity, often summed up as "9 parts participation to 1 part promotion". That exact rule is no longer formal policy, but the idea still decides how moderators and users read your account: if all you do is promote, you're a spammer.

Subreddit rules matter more

Each subreddit sets its own rules, shown in the sidebar or "About" tab. Common patterns:

• No self-promotion at all. Common in large general subreddits. Don't mention your product there, even with disclosure.
• Weekly promotion threads. Promote only in the pinned thread.
• Allowed if relevant and disclosed. Common in niche and professional subreddits. Answer the question and say you work on the product.
• Flair or approval required. Some subreddits want you to message the moderators first.

The FTC part (US)

The FTC's Endorsement Guides say that when there's a material connection between you and a product, like working on it, you need to disclose it clearly. The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, in force since October 2024, bans fake reviews and bans reviews from company insiders that don't disclose the connection. A founder posting "I tried this and loved it" without saying they built it fits that description.

A clear disclosure sits close to the claim, uses plain words, and can't be missed. A note in your profile doesn't count.

Disclosure templates that read naturally

• "Disclosure: I work on Acme, which does X."
• "Full disclosure, I'm the founder of Acme, so I'm biased, but..."
• "(I work on Acme, for context.)"
• "Acme, which is ours, handles this by..."

Put it in the same sentence as your product name. Upfront writes every draft this way.