r/startups: rules, audience and how brands can post there
2,148,848 members. Self-promotion allowed? No. Monthly share thread only.
r/startups is the larger startup community, with about 2.1 million members. It bans direct sales, ads and promotion of any kind outside designated stickied threads, and several of its top posts from the past year have "I will not promote" in the title.
Paste your draft on the next page. We flag likely self-promotion and rule problems before you post.
- Members
- 2,148,848
- Self-promotion
- No. Monthly share thread only
- Created
- 2008
- Checked
- November 7, 2026
What r/startups is
Welcome to /r/startups, the place to discuss startup problems and solutions. Startups are companies that are designed to grow and scale rapidly. Be sure to read and follow all of our rules--we have specific places for common.
Founders who want peer discussion and are fine keeping any promotion to the monthly thread.
Can a brand post in r/startups?
Rule 2 bans direct sales, advertisements and promotional posts of any kind, except in stickied threads: you can share your startup in the Monthly Share Your Startup thread. The mods count anything you have an interest, stake or relationship with as self-promotion, and that includes a friend's company. Rule 3 says posts can't tie the discussion to your own project by name or URL, and they need at least 250 characters. A link in a comment needs at least a sentence on why it matters. Feedback requests go in the feedback thread, and soliciting PMs or posting DM notices is banned. Blog links need mod approval first. AMAs need two weeks' lead time, and unscheduled ones aren't allowed.
What works
- Posting your startup in the Monthly Share Your Startup thread
- Discussing methods and experience without naming your own project or URL, as rule 3 requires
- Adding a sentence of context to any link you drop in a comment, per rule 5
- Telling a lesson-learned story, which is what the top posts of the past year did, many of them labelled "I will not promote"
What gets removed
- Direct sales, ads and promotional posts outside the stickied threads
- Posts that name your own project or link its URL
- Asking for PMs or posting notices that you DMed someone
- Blog links without mod approval first, and unscheduled AMAs
The rules, summarised
- 1. Relevant Content Only
We are a community of discussion based around startups, not traditional businesses. All content must be relevant to startups. You are welcome to ask how to apply startup methodologies to your traditional business if you frame your question in a non-promotional way.
- 2. No direct sales, advertisements, or promotion
No direct sales, advertisements or promotional posts of any kind, except in designated stickied threads such as the Monthly Share Your Startup thread.
- 3. Submissions Serve a Specific Purpose
Submissions are for discussing methodologies, experiences, strategies, techniques, markets, and other such things WITHOUT tying them directly to your own project using its name or URL.
- 4. Feedback Has a Place
All Feedback Requests (including surveys/polls) belong in our Feedback Thread or other appropriate weekly thread. You are invited to repost each week.
- 5. Rules for Links in Comments/Discussion
Sometimes you think the best solution is simply to link to a resource that might answer someone's question. We want you to be able to link in discussion to relevant content.
- 6. Do Not Solicit PM Requests / Post DM Notices
The purpose of making a submission or comment is to engage in a public discussion with the community. It is not to request a PM/DM from someone. Do not post a notice that you DMed someone.
- 7. Sharing Your Blog is To Start a Discussion, Never For Self-Promotion
Sharing your blog is for starting a discussion, never for self-promotion. A link to the original post needs prior mod approval, and the full body must be included in the post.
- 8. Always Be Kind and Supportive
The goal of this community is to encourage people to learn and be inspired to pursue ventures related to startups. Do not troll, harass people, or be an asshole.
- 9. No Unscheduled AMAs
We do not allow unscheduled AMAs. We need to verify and approve all AMAs. If you wish to do an AMA you must use the "Message the Moderators" feature in the side bar and you must give us at least TWO (2) Weeks Lead Time to organize it with you.
Source: the community's own rules page, read on November 7, 2026. Rules change, so check the page before you post. See also the 9:1 rule.
Frequently asked questions
Can I promote my startup on r/startups?
Only in designated stickied threads, such as the Monthly Share Your Startup thread. Rule 2 bans direct sales, advertisements and promotion of any kind everywhere else.
Can I link my blog on r/startups?
You can link your own blog post only with mod approval first, and you have to include the full post in the body, formatted for Reddit.
Want help earning a place in r/startups?
30-minute intro call with a partner. If we're not the fit, we'll tell you in the first five minutes.
We take on 3 new engagements per quarter. Serious teams only.