Subreddit rules check
r/startups
Can you promote here?
Promotion is allowed only with moderator permission (or inside designated threads). A short, honest modmail before posting costs two minutes and functions as a safe-conduct pass; skipping it is the most common avoidable removal.
From the rules · Self-promotion or links to your project are only allowed in the designated 'Share Your Startup' / weekly feedback threads or with prior mod approval; regular posts must be non‑promotional.
Links
Only specific link types are allowed (docs, papers, non-commercial). Commercial links are removal bait.
What this community rewards
Dominant post formats: discussion, question, story
Use a clear, descriptive headline and write in first person about a real problem, lesson, or question; posts are long (>=250 chars) and candid. Tone should be constructive and supportive. Upvoted posts share founder experiences, concrete metrics, failures, or tactical questions — blatant product plugs or links get removed.
Arriving in the local format matters: cross-posting the same text everywhere reads as tourist instantly. The wider method is in the Reddit playbook.
Classified mechanically from the community's published rules and recent top posts, last checked July 2026. Rules change and moderators have the final say: verify at r/startups's rules page before posting anything that matters.
Thread Otter checks this before every send
These profiles power the product: promo-banned communities never receive a promotional draft, drafts arrive in the local format, and a fact-check gate plus human pacing protect the account doing the talking.