Subreddit guide
r/buildinpublic exists for sharing work-in-progress openly, so self-promotion is structurally allowed — but not without context. Posts must center progress, lessons learned, or feedback requests rather than pure promotion. Spam links mean immediate removal, and shared tools or resources must be transparent about being paid, free, or affiliate-linked.
Sharing your product is the point — as progress with context, never as a bare ad.
No karma or history requirement in the 7 published rules; moderation keys on post framing (progress vs. promo) and spam.
Digest of the subreddit's published rules as of 2026-07-02, focused on what matters for founders doing outreach. Always re-check the live rules before posting.
Promotion rules limit how you can talk — they don't stop buyers from talking. These are the phrase patterns that signal a potential customer in this community:
Post angles that consistently land inside this community's rules — framed as value, not promotion.
It scores every new post for buying intent, flags each subreddit's self-promo policy before you engage, and never sends a message for you — you reply in your own voice, which is exactly what these communities' rules reward.
Sharing your product is the community's core activity — framed as progress updates, lessons, or feedback requests. A bare "check out my app" post without that context violates the no-self-promo-without-context rule.
Builders there narrate their problems in real time — including the exact moment they hit a wall on distribution, analytics, or user acquisition. Those posts are high-intent signals from people actively looking for solutions.
One SHOW IH post per product, framed for feedback — repeat promotion is removed.
r/SideProjectNo published rules — sharing your own project is community norm, but low-effort promo still gets buried.
r/microsaasShare with backstory and insights — bare links, DM requests, and black-hat tactics are removed.
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