How to Get on The Front Page of Reddit

With nearly three hundred and thirty million active Reddit users, getting your content to the front page may seem difficult. The front page of Reddit features the most popular posts from the entire site, but with a little research and hard work, you can help improve your chances of seeing your content on the front page of Reddit.

So, how do you get on the front page of Reddit? You can get your content on the front page of Reddit by being an active user, paying attention to what posts make it to the front page, creating engaging content, encouraging discussion in the comment section, and getting upvotes.

Reddit is full of nuance, and it’s important to read up on how the site and its users determine which content gets featured on the front page before trying it for yourself. Getting a post to the front page may take some time, so be prepared to be patient.

Table of Contents

Getting Your Content To The Front Page Of Reddit

Below you’ll find a few things to keep in mind as you decide what type of content you’d like to post and what subreddit you’d like for it to appear in. Although your goal is to get to the front page of Reddit, you’ll need to start your post in the appropriate subreddit. Posts that gain popularity within their subreddit can later be featured on the front page of Reddit.

Here are the steps to get to the front page of Reddit:

1. Research which subreddits appear on the front page

When you are creating content, make sure it is relevant to the subreddit you’ve chosen. Picking a popular subreddit and creating unrelated content won’t do you any favors. If, for instance, you make an opinion post about political issues in a subreddit dedicated to cute animal photos it is unlikely you’ll get the upvotes you need to make it to the front page because the topics are unrelated. If your post does not fit within the chosen subreddit, it’s likely to get downvoted or even removed by moderators.

2. Create engaging content to share

You may want to ask a question, create an original meme, or tell people something they may not know about a niche topic. Whatever it is, make sure you are adding value to the community as a whole.

3. Get upvotes

Anyone who sees your post will have the option to either upvote or downvote your post based on their opinion. If your content is thoughtful and unique, it will likely get noticed by the subreddit it’s posted in. A high upvote number will increase your post’s rank on Reddit.

4. Reply to any comments on your post

When you encourage conversation in your comments section, more Redditors will see that your post is active and are more likely to want to join in the conversation. Posts with a lively comment section will get more attention and will likely rank higher on Reddit.

5. Keep in mind that other Redditors can see your post history

If you’ve got a track record of insulting comments or inappropriate interactions on Reddit this history will be available to view and could affect the number of upvotes and downvotes your post gets.

6. Participate in the community

Comment, upvote, downvote, and engage in discussions with other Reddit users. Your posts will perform better if you already have an established presence on the site. If your brand new to the site, you’ll want to go ahead and join subreddits that interest you and start engaging with those communities.

What Content Performs Well On Reddit

Even though Reddit is constantly evolving, there are still a few tried and true post types and rules that can help your content rise in the ranks. As with anything on the internet, Reddit is never an exact science. When you are researching popular posts, always make sure you are using recent sources. What was popular a few years ago has likely fallen out of favor by now.

Here are a few post types that tend to perform well on Reddit no matter what year it is:

The best performing content is succinct. If you’re looking to get tons of engagement on your post keep your message brief and to the point. Anything longer than the length of a tweet (280 characters) and you may run the risk of losing your reader’s attention. Many Reddit users to choose to access the site through a phone app, which also means they will be viewing your content on a smaller screen.
Questions tend to perform better than other content. When you ask your chosen subreddit a question, it will be easier to get comments and other types of engagement on your post. Make sure that you take the time to craft a question that is interesting and complicated. This will give other users plenty to write about in the comment section.
People engage most with posts that have a visual element. If you can include a video, meme, gif, or image in your post, you’ll likely get better responses.
Use external links. You can insert a link in your post. This means you can direct other users to a youtube video, new website, or an interesting product you’ve found out on the internet.
Remember that what your fellow Redditors are looking for is content that adds value to their feed. One way to easily add value is through entertainment. Create original content that makes other users laugh, and your post will quickly climb in the ranks.
Make sure that your content is timely. If you want to create a post about current events with the hopes of making it to the front page, make sure they are actually current. If you have a recent event, show, movie, etc. that you’d like to post about, it’s a good idea to search for similar content on Reddit. If there are already many posts on the topic, it may limit the amount of attention that your post gets.

To find out more about marketing on Reddit, don’t forget to check out our Reddit Resources.

How To Get Upvotes

If you’ve got your sights set on the front page of Reddit, you’ll want to prioritize making content that is valuable and easy to share. In addition to creating valuable content for other users, you’ll also want to use unique titles to intrigue Redditors. If you can include a visual element like a gif, video, or photo then this adds another level of interest and can help you attain even more upvotes. The most vital part of getting upvotes is always to post quality content.

Another important aspect of getting upvotes is making sure that any informational post you create is fact checked. If your post contains incorrect or misleading information, someone else will find these flaws. Once you’ve lost the other users trust, your post will be heavily downvoted. Not only will this post be downvoted, but it will remain on your profile for all to see which may affect how your future posts are viewed.

Posting controversial topics may seem like a smart way to get your post to the top of Reddit. Afterall, a controversial post would probably create a ton of comments and discussion and garner significant attention from both people who agree with you and people who do not. This type of post may actually hurt you, since you’ll need many more upvotes than downvotes and you run the risk of being heavily downvoted by those who disagree with your opinion. Furthermore, your comment section could devolve into fighting, which won’t do you any favors.

Select a popular subreddit to start your post in and research it. Start by scrolling through the front page of that particular subreddit and ask yourself: What time of day is the best performing content posted? How did they structure their title? How many upvotes and downvotes did they get? What is the tone of the post? What type of post is it (text,video,meme,poll, etc.) Keep those stats in mind when you post and always make sure that you are posting your content in the most relevant subreddit.

Spend some time in your chosen subreddits, get to know the culture, and socialize with your fellow Redditors before posting. Even if your goal is to get to the front page, it’s important to lay a foundation in your subreddit before trying to get to there. It’s a good idea to build up your Reddit karma before going on your quest for the front page.

The Importance of Reddit Karma

Reddit karma is earned from commenting on other redditors post as well as posting your own content. Your karma points essentially represent your reputation on the website. The more positive and quality content (posts and comments) that you contribute to the website, the higher your karma will be. Although it does not have a cash or real-world value, these points may affect whether or not Reddit views your posts as valuable. If you are a frequent contributor and engage in civil discussion, you can easily earn karma.

Use your common sense when creating your posts and comments and you’ll likely maintain a positive karma rank. Here are some factors that can affect your Reddit karma:

Your tone can impact your karma. If you enjoy a good online debate, then you’ll find plenty of places to engage in all types of debates on Reddit. However, it is essential that you keep your calm when debating online. Tone can be tricky to nail down over the internet, so use sarcasm at your own risk and know that a calm response will earn you more favor than a combative one.
Follow the community guidelines within your subreddits. If your posts get downvoted or removed, this can negatively impact your karma. The rules for each subreddit can be found on the right-hand side of the subreddit’s home page, and you should always give them a quick read before posting anything in that subreddit.
Upvotes and downvotes on posts and comments play the biggest role in your karma standing. Even if a post or comment is deleted, the positive or negative effects are still applied to your karma even after the post or comment is gone. On social media sites if you create a post that garners a negative response, it is easy to hide the post from your followers and ensure that it doesn’t remain on your history. With Reddit, you aren’t granted this kind of do-over, so always think before you post.
Reddit is an open forum for opinions. But, if you are concerned with upvotes and positive karma, then you may want to steer away from controversial topics and unpopular opinions as this will likely result in downvotes and a loss of karma. This doesn’t mean you can’t speak your mind, but always make sure that you are sharing your opinions thoughtfully to avoid unnecessary arguments that bring the whole community down.

Advice From Other Redditors

If there’s anything that Redditors love, it’s speculating about the interworking of Reddit itself. Redditors have theories about what makes a post successful. If you’re stumped on any topic, especially Reddit-related ones, asking Reddit for advice can be a useful tool.

Some Redditors suggest that the only two factors that are important are your upvote to downvote ratio (meaning your upvotes far outweigh your downvotes) and how timely your post is (meaning you are among the first to cover a topic).

Redditors also identify the top subreddits they see on the Reddit homepage as:

r/announcements – This page shows official announcements from the Reddit admins. Although you cannot create posts in this subreddit, you can take part in the discussions to earn upvotes and karma points
r/funny – This subreddit is perfect for showing off your humorous side. They have several important rules for posts so make sure you brush up on them before posting here.
r/askreddit – A popular forum for asking and answering thought provoking questions. This subreddit is often on the front page because it encourages lively discussions and promotes engagement in the community.
r/gaming – This subreddit encompasses all things games including video games, board games, card games, and more. If you post content that is interesting and relevant on this subreddit, you are sure to see a spike in upvotes.
r/aww – A place for cute animal pictures and videos. Try your best to come up with your own unique content for this. Simply googling and reposting cute animal photos will not be enough to get your post noticed.
r/instantregret – This is another great subreddit if you enjoy posting humorous content. Posts in this subreddit showcase decisions where the expected outcome did not turn out as anticipated.
r/gifs – This subreddit focuses on funny animated gifs. It’s important to post unique gifs that you have found online or created yourself in order to get a positive reaction from this subreddit.
r/news – A place to share real news article. This is the last place you want to share incorrect links. It can be difficult to make it to the front page with this subreddit, unless you are the first to report a news story.
r/todayilearned – This subreddit is a place to share interesting and specific facts about something you just learned. It’s important to focus on something very unique in this subreddit. For instance, letting the subreddit know you just learned that red and yellow make orange is neither interesting or specific and won’t get your post very far.

Examples of Top Performing Content

It can be helpful to browse the front page of Reddit and see what posts have made it there. While you don’t want to copy any post exactly, it’s useful to see the type of content that gets attention. Knowing what has performed well in the past can help you as your writing your post. Here are a few examples of some posts that have risen in rank and become some of the most popular Reddit posts of all times.

Reddit will often get behind a funny idea and devote itself to making it into a reality. That is how the most popular reddit post of all time climbed in popularity. The post was originally and aptly posted in the subreddit r/movies.

The redditor who made the post encouraged everyone to upvote the post so that an image of Chancelor Palpatine, a character from the Star Wars movies, would appear when anyone searches google to “The Senate.” The post earned record upvotes because it gave redditors a fun, common goal to rally behind.

Another now famous Reddit post appeared first in the subreddit r/videos. This post uses an external link to a Youtube video that shows many different news anchors reciting the same script. The redditor who posted the video felt it was important to share not just with an audience that is concerned with news, such as r/news or r/politics, but wanted it to be viewed by the more general audience of r/videos. The post is so successful because it brought up an interesting point with a visual illustration. It inspired hundreds of thousands of upvotes because other redditors found the content important and thought-provoking.

Wikipedia can be a great source to find interesting facts for r/todayilearned. One great example can be found in a highly upvoted post where a redditor shared an article about the life and death of a Union army officer who led the first all black regiment into battle. This post also earned hundreds of thousands of upvotes because it uncovered a previously unstudied bit of American history that intrigued redditors and encouraged discussion.

Uncovering an unusual piece of information is a great way to get a post to the front page of reddit. If you’re going to follow in these footsteps by searching Wikipedia for interesting history, make sure the Wikipedia article is factually correct before posting it to Reddit

Following The Accepted Reddiquette

Each subreddit has it’s own rules. Before you make your post, read through the rules, and make sure you are following the community guidelines. In addition to these subreddit rules, there are also some general rules on reddit use, appropriately titled “Reddiquette”. While these rules may technically be informal, it’s best to follow them as best you can. The rules where put together by fellow redditors and reflect the values of the site as a whole. Here are some highlights of the reddiqutte to keep in mind as you aim for the front page:

Treat people with civility. Remember that, even if you are locked into a heated debate, you should never dehumanize the person at the other end of the keyboard.
Strive to follow the same code of conduct online that you follow in your daily life. If you wouldn’t say something to someone walking down the street, you probably should refrain from posting it online.
Familiarize yourself with the reddiquette and make sure to check back occasionally. It’s possible that the document may be updated, and you want to make sure you have the most relevant information
Post your content to the most appropriate community. Posting content in the wrong spot will result in frustration for both you and the other redditors scrolling through the subreddit.
If you decide to post content that contains pg-13 text or images, mark it with the tag NSFW (Not Safe For Work) this will let other redditors to open the post at their own risk. Marking your post appropriately will also protect you from getting downvoted by disgruntled users who were not prepared for graphic content.
Do not post anyone’s personal information on reddit, including links to people’s personal social media pages
If a conversation becomes too argumentative/inappropriate/violent, resist the urge to comment back. Report the comment and move on.
Don’t ask directly or indirectly for upvotes. Not only is this an ineffective method of getting upvotes, it also decreases the overall quality of the platform and can result in your post being taken down.
While you can share posts on social media, you cannot ask your social media followers via your social feed or through private message to upvote your content. This can result in a ban from the Reddit admins.
Use the downvote button if you do not like a post. Reporting a post should be reserved for posts that are low quality or directly contradict the reddiquette rules.

Getting To The Front Page If You Are Representing Your Business

Reddit does offer paid ads, so if you are looking to get advertisements in front of redditors, you may try that route. However, if you want to gain a loyal online following and see your Reddit posts on the front page of reddit, it’s a good idea to post, comment, and earn karma before beginning any kind of promotion. Just like an individual using the site, you want to build up a positive reputation through thoughtful contributions to the site in the form of comments and posts before you advertise.

This is especially important if you are representing a brand or business, because you may find an automatic distrust if you are trying to sell to your fellow redditors. When you join Reddit and immediately begin promotion posts before establishing your credibility, your post will likely be ignored by users and possibly flagged for spam.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you create posts for your business:

Avoid creating titles where every word, or every letter, is capitalized. This will usually register as yelling or even “salesy” to the average Redditor and they will scroll past your content. If you are creating noise, Reddit users will filter out that nose through a steady stream of downvotes. Contrary to many advertising strategies, you won’t want to ask for sales directly on Reddit.
You want an intriguing title for your post. Make sure that you actually deliver on this title. Otherwise, your post may be seen as clickbait and the downvotes will start rolling in.
Keep in mind that you can give your post views and upvotes a boost by sharing your completed post on your other social media accounts. Reddit posts can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram in order to get more traffic and more upvotes on your post. Just like individuals you want to be wary of directly asking for upvotes, so you don’t risk your posts getting removed.
Do you have an interesting business? You can try setting up a post in the very popular r/ama subreddit. This stands for Ask Me Anything and encourages redditors to ask you all sorts of questions about the interworking of your business. Make sure to keep your answers interesting and informative and keep away from asking for sales. Your post has a greater chance of making it to the front page if the discussion is fun and helps your audience learn something new.

Reddit Resources

The Complete List of Subreddits That You Can Advertise On
Reddit Polls
How to Get on The Front Page of Reddit
How to Block Subreddits?
What Is The Reddit Logo Called?
What Age Group Uses Reddit?
How Do I Promote My Product On Reddit?
Guide To Getting Backlinks From Reddit
Reddit Ads vs Facebook Ads
How To Advertise On Reddit For Free
Reddit Ad Examples
Reddit Ads API – Detailed Set Up & Usage Guide