After my sixth Reddit ban, I stopped guessing and started tracking.
Built a Google Sheet with 143 rows. Each row logged a Reddit post (mine or others I was monitoring).
Tracked: subreddit, survived/removed, account age, karma score, time posted, comment frequency, days between activity.
Four months of data revealed patterns that contradict most Reddit marketing advice.
Here's what the data showed:
Subreddit size inversely correlated with survival. r/Entrepreneur (3M members) removed ~90% of product mentions I tracked. r/SideProject (180K members) allowed most through. The "go where the audience is" advice gets you banned.
Time of day mattered differently than expected. Posts at 2-5pm ET had highest removal rates (mods most active). Posts at 9pm-1am survived longer before review. Everyone says "post when users are active." Data says post when mods aren't.
Account age was the strongest predictor. Accounts under 30 days got flagged regardless of karma. 45+ day accounts with gradual karma building had 3x survival rate. Yet every guide says "build karma first" without mentioning the time component.
Comment frequency triggered automated filters. 3+ comments per hour got flagged even when legitimately helpful. The system can't assess intent, only patterns.
Posting rhythm mattered more than content quality. Pattern that worked: Post Monday → rest Tuesday → comment Wed/Thu → rest Friday → post different sub Saturday. Pattern that failed: Post Mon/Tue/Wed consecutively. Reddit doesn't ban promotional content. It bans behavioral patterns that look like spam.
The six bans:
Account 1: Commented on 8 posts in one afternoon trying to be helpful. Banned day 3.
Account 2: Built karma for 2 weeks, posted once about my product. Banned day 7.
Account 3: Only commented for a month. Casually mentioned product once. Banned.
Account 4: Hired someone on Upwork (different IP, 2-year-old account). Banned faster than my attempts.
Account 5: Built 500 karma over a month. Posted in a "what are you working on" thread. Shadowbanned. Took 3 days to realize no one could see my posts.
Account 6: Breaking point. Four months wasted.
Account 7: Followed the data. Still alive 11 months later.
What I built from this:
Turned the spreadsheet into a product (MediaFast). It analyzes historical data to find which subreddits actually allow product mentions, then builds a 30-day posting roadmap with pacing that avoids spam detection patterns.
Launched February 2024. Currently at $5.4K MRR, 185 users at $29/month, ~25% trial conversion, near-zero churn.
Revenue: Month 1: $360 | Month 3: $1,200 | Month 6: $2,300 | Month 11: $5,400
Growth is organic (SEO + sharing on X). The near-zero churn happens because the pacing system actually works.
Mistakes that cost me months:
Not tracking from ban 1. Started after ban 6, wasted 3 months of trial and error.
Chasing large subreddits. Smaller focused communities had better survival and conversion.
Cross-posting same content same day. Got banned in 4 subreddits simultaneously.
Posting daily. Thought consistency showed commitment. Actually flagged as spam behavior.
The insight:
Reddit's spam detection is pattern-based, not content-based. You can write the most helpful post ever and still get banned if your activity rhythm looks robotic.
The algorithm doesn't read context. It watches: posting frequency, comment velocity, rest periods, account age, cross-posting behavior.
Built a Google Sheet with 143 rows. Each row logged a Reddit post (mine or others I was monitoring).
Tracked: subreddit, survived/removed, account age, karma score, time posted, comment frequency, days between activity.
Four months of data revealed patterns that contradict most Reddit marketing advice.
Here's what the data showed:
Subreddit size inversely correlated with survival. r/Entrepreneur (3M members) removed ~90% of product mentions I tracked. r/SideProject (180K members) allowed most through. The "go where the audience is" advice gets you banned. Time of day mattered differently than expected. Posts at 2-5pm ET had highest removal rates (mods most active). Posts at 9pm-1am survived longer before review. Everyone says "post when users are active." Data says post when mods aren't.
Account age was the strongest predictor. Accounts under 30 days got flagged regardless of karma. 45+ day accounts with gradual karma building had 3x survival rate. Yet every guide says "build karma first" without mentioning the time component.
Comment frequency triggered automated filters. 3+ comments per hour got flagged even when legitimately helpful. The system can't assess intent, only patterns.
Posting rhythm mattered more than content quality. Pattern that worked: Post Monday → rest Tuesday → comment Wed/Thu → rest Friday → post different sub Saturday. Pattern that failed: Post Mon/Tue/Wed consecutively. Reddit doesn't ban promotional content. It bans behavioral patterns that look like spam.
The six bans:
Account 1: Commented on 8 posts in one afternoon trying to be helpful. Banned day 3. Account 2: Built karma for 2 weeks, posted once about my product. Banned day 7. Account 3: Only commented for a month. Casually mentioned product once. Banned. Account 4: Hired someone on Upwork (different IP, 2-year-old account). Banned faster than my attempts. Account 5: Built 500 karma over a month. Posted in a "what are you working on" thread. Shadowbanned. Took 3 days to realize no one could see my posts. Account 6: Breaking point. Four months wasted. Account 7: Followed the data. Still alive 11 months later.
What I built from this:
Turned the spreadsheet into a product (MediaFast). It analyzes historical data to find which subreddits actually allow product mentions, then builds a 30-day posting roadmap with pacing that avoids spam detection patterns. Launched February 2024. Currently at $5.4K MRR, 185 users at $29/month, ~25% trial conversion, near-zero churn. Revenue: Month 1: $360 | Month 3: $1,200 | Month 6: $2,300 | Month 11: $5,400 Growth is organic (SEO + sharing on X). The near-zero churn happens because the pacing system actually works.
Mistakes that cost me months:
Not tracking from ban 1. Started after ban 6, wasted 3 months of trial and error. Chasing large subreddits. Smaller focused communities had better survival and conversion. Cross-posting same content same day. Got banned in 4 subreddits simultaneously. Posting daily. Thought consistency showed commitment. Actually flagged as spam behavior.
The insight:
Reddit's spam detection is pattern-based, not content-based. You can write the most helpful post ever and still get banned if your activity rhythm looks robotic. The algorithm doesn't read context. It watches: posting frequency, comment velocity, rest periods, account age, cross-posting behavior.
Product: https://mediafa.st
Happy to share more about the tracking methodology or specific patterns I found.