# Reddit Post Templates

## Template 1: Experience Story (highest engagement)

```
Title: I {did something specific} — here's what {I learned / worked / broke}

{1-2 sentences: context and motivation}

## The Problem

{What you were trying to solve, why existing solutions didn't work}

## What I Built / Did

{Technical details, approach, architecture decisions}

## Results

{Specific numbers, benchmarks, outcomes}

## What I'd Do Differently

{Honest reflection — this is what makes it authentic}

---

{Links in comments if needed}
```

## Template 2: Technical Deep-Dive

```
Title: {Specific technique}: how {approach} gives {specific result}

{1 sentence hook with a concrete number or claim}

## Background

{Brief context — what problem space, why it matters}

## The Approach

{Technical explanation with code blocks}

## Benchmarks / Proof

{Data, tables, comparisons}

## Trade-offs

{What you give up, when NOT to use this}

## Code

{Link to repo or inline snippets}
```

## Template 3: "What I Use" (for recommendation threads)

```
Title: My {toolchain/stack/setup} for {use case} in {year}

After {time period} of {activity}, here's what stuck:

**{Category 1}:** {tool} — {why, 1 sentence}
**{Category 2}:** {tool} — {why, 1 sentence}
...

## What I Dropped and Why

{Honest about what didn't work}

## The Workflow

{How these fit together}

Happy to answer questions about any of these.
```

## Template 4: Question/Discussion Starter

```
Title: {Specific question that invites discussion}

{Context: why you're asking, what you've already tried}

**My current approach:** {what you do now}

**What I'm considering:** {options, with pros/cons you see}

Has anyone dealt with this? What worked?
```

## Template 5: Project Announcement (self-promo subs only)

```
Title: {Project name}: {what it does in <10 words}

{1 paragraph: problem you solved and why}

## Key Features

- {Feature 1} — {concrete benefit}
- {Feature 2} — {concrete benefit}
- {Feature 3} — {concrete benefit}

## How It Works

{Brief technical overview, 2-3 paragraphs}

## Try It

{One install command}

{GitHub link}

---

Built with {tech stack}. Feedback welcome — especially on {specific area}.
```

## Title Rules by Subreddit

| Sub | Good title | Bad title |
|-----|-----------|-----------|
| r/rust | "Persistent WebSocket sessions for OpenAI in Rust" | "Check out my new crate!" |
| r/ClaudeAI | "I built X with Claude Code — here's the process" | "Amazing AI tool!!!" |
| r/programming | "Benchmarking HTTP/2 keep-alive across 3 languages" | "My project is fast" |
| r/webdev | "Moving from REST to WebSocket reduced our TTFT by 40%" | "WebSockets are better" |

## Post Timing

Best times to post (UTC):
- **Monday-Friday:** 13:00-16:00 UTC (US morning)
- **Best days:** Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
- **Avoid:** Friday evening, weekends (lower engagement for technical content)
- **Exception:** Arts/showcase threads often on weekends

# Reddit Spam Signals Checklist

Review every comment/post against these signals before submitting. If ANY signal triggers: rewrite.

## Hard Stops (instant removal/ban)

- [ ] Contains shortened URL (bit.ly, t.co, etc.)
- [ ] Asks for upvotes directly or indirectly
- [ ] Copy-pasted from another comment (even your own)
- [ ] Posts same link to 3+ subreddits
- [ ] Uses multiple accounts to comment/upvote
- [ ] Contains affiliate/referral link

## Spam Filter Triggers (auto-removal by Reddit)

- [ ] First-ever post in subreddit contains a link
- [ ] Account karma < 50 posting link posts
- [ ] Multiple posts within 1 hour from low-karma account
- [ ] Title in ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation (!!!)
- [ ] Post body is just a link with no context
- [ ] New account (< 7 days) posting links

## Community Downvote Triggers (death by votes)

- [ ] Marketing language ("revolutionary", "game-changer", "10x")
- [ ] Opening with product pitch before any value
- [ ] Not addressing OP's actual question
- [ ] Generic advice that could apply to anything
- [ ] Humble-bragging ("I accidentally built a million-dollar...")
- [ ] Rehashed content everyone's seen before
- [ ] Emoji overload (> 1 emoji per comment)
- [ ] Corporate speak / press release tone
- [ ] "As a {title} at {company}..." opener (reads as ad)

## Subtle Signals (mod scrutiny)

- [ ] All your posts link to the same domain
- [ ] Comment history is 90%+ about your own product
- [ ] Only active in promotional threads
- [ ] Never reply to follow-up questions
- [ ] Post timing correlates with product launches only

## Self-Check Questions

Before submitting, ask:
1. Would I post this if I had nothing to promote? **Must be YES**
2. Does this directly help OP? **Must be YES**
3. Would I upvote this from a stranger? **Must be YES**
4. Is the product mention in the last 20% of text? **Should be YES**
5. Can the comment stand alone without the product mention? **Must be YES**

# Reddit Comment Style Guide

## Core Principle

Write like a helpful person in the community, not like a marketer. Every comment should pass the test: "Would this be useful if I had nothing to sell?"

## Comment Patterns

### Pattern 1: Direct Answer
Best for: technical questions, "how do I..." posts
```
{Direct answer to the question}

{Optional: code snippet or steps}

One thing to watch out for: {edge case or caveat}
```

### Pattern 2: Experience Sharing
Best for: "what do you use for...", discussion posts
```
We ran into this exact issue at {context}.

What worked for us:
1. {Step one}
2. {Step two}

The key insight was {specific learning}.
```

### Pattern 3: Helpful Correction
Best for: posts with wrong assumptions or outdated info
```
Actually, {correction} — {brief explanation why}.

{Supporting evidence or link to docs}

That said, {acknowledge their broader point}.
```

### Pattern 4: Building On Others
Best for: threads where good answers exist but miss something
```
To add to what {commenter} said — {additional point}.

{Explanation with specifics}

This matters because {why it's relevant to OP}.
```

### Pattern 5: Question + Insight
Best for: posts where OP needs to think differently about the problem
```
Interesting — have you considered {alternative framing}?

The reason I ask: {experience or data that reframes the problem}.

{Suggestion based on reframing}
```

### Pattern 6: Data/Benchmark Drop
Best for: performance discussions, "is X fast enough" posts
```
I benchmarked this recently:

| {Test} | {Result A} | {Result B} |
|--------|-----------|-----------|
| ... | ... | ... |

{1-2 sentence interpretation}

Methodology: {brief description}
```

## Tone by Subreddit Type

| Sub type | Tone | Example |
|----------|------|---------|
| Language-specific (r/rust) | Technical, precise, humble | "The borrow checker catches this — here's the idiomatic way..." |
| General dev (r/programming) | Balanced, cite sources | "According to the benchmarks in..." |
| AI/ML (r/ClaudeAI) | Enthusiastic but grounded | "I've been using this approach and here's what actually works..." |
| Startup (r/SaaS) | Practical, metrics-focused | "We saw X% improvement after..." |
| Self-hosted (r/selfhosted) | DIY spirit, respect privacy | "Runs locally, no cloud dependency..." |

## Banned Phrases

Never use these — instant spam signal:
- "game-changer", "revolutionary", "disruptive"
- "you won't believe", "this changed everything"
- "check out my...", "I just launched..."
- "upvote if you...", "thoughts?"
- Excessive emoji (max 1 per comment)
- "As an AI..." or any AI-generated phrasing tells

## Length Guidelines

- **Short answer:** 2-4 sentences (simple questions)
- **Standard:** 1-2 paragraphs (most comments)
- **Deep dive:** 3-4 paragraphs with code/data (technical threads)
- **Never:** wall of text without structure

## Formatting

- Use markdown: `**bold**`, `code`, lists
- Code blocks for any code (even one-liners)
- Tables for comparisons/benchmarks
- Break paragraphs at natural points (no 5+ line blocks)

# Subreddit Catalog for Solo Founders

Curated list of subreddits for solo founders building AI/dev tools. Sorted by promotion friendliness.

## Tier 1 — Promo-Friendly (can post projects immediately)

| Subreddit | Members | Self-promo | Best format | Notes |
|-----------|---------|------------|-------------|-------|
| r/SideProject | 453k | Yes — designed for it | "I built..." + technical details | Gold standard for project sharing |
| r/coolgithubprojects | 50k | Yes — just post link | GitHub link + short description | Specifically for sharing repos |
| r/opensource | 210k | Limited | Story + repo link | Must be genuinely open source |
| r/alphaandbetausers | 22k | Yes | Feedback request + link | Early-stage products, expect honest feedback |
| r/SaaS | 386k | "Show" posts | Metrics + story + link | Lead with numbers, revenue, growth |
| r/IMadeThis | 18k | Yes | Show what you made | Physical and digital, low engagement |
| r/InternetIsBeautiful | 17M | If genuinely cool | Link to live demo | High bar, massive reach if accepted |

## Tier 2 — Community-First (build karma first, then post)

| Subreddit | Members | Self-promo | Karma needed | Best angle |
|-----------|---------|------------|-------------|------------|
| r/ClaudeAI | 200k+ | Rule 7: built with Claude, free to try | 50+ | "How I built X with Claude Code" |
| r/ChatGPT | 11M | Limited | 100+ | OpenAI API tips, tools, workflows |
| r/AI_Agents | 212k | Moderate | 50+ | Agent frameworks, multi-agent systems |
| r/LocalLLaMA | 541k | Moderate for OSS | 50+ | WASM, edge, local-first, self-hosted |
| r/Entrepreneur | 2.8M | Very limited | 200+ | Founder story, lessons learned |
| r/startups | 1.5M | Requires flair | 100+ | Lean startup, validation stories |
| r/IndieHackers | 200k+ | Moderate | 50+ | Revenue, growth, solo founder journey |
| r/webdev | 2M+ | Showoff Saturday only | 100+ | Technical deep-dives, tools |
| r/selfhosted | 400k | OSS gets leeway | 50+ | Privacy, no cloud dependency, Docker |
| r/devops | 300k | Moderate | 100+ | CI/CD, infra tools, automation |

## Tier 3 — Technical (comment only, earn respect)

| Subreddit | Members | Self-promo | Culture | Strategy |
|-----------|---------|------------|---------|----------|
| r/rust | 350k | 1/week, strict AI rules | Technical, humble, benchmarks | Comment on perf/architecture posts |
| r/programming | 6M+ | Effectively none | Skeptical, depth required | Comment only, link in profile |
| r/Python | 1.5M | Moderate for OSS | Helpful, educational | Python bindings angle |
| r/javascript | 2M+ | Low | Framework debates | Node bindings, performance |
| r/node | 300k | Low | Practical | npm package announcements |
| r/typescript | 200k+ | Low | Type-safety focused | Type-safe SDK angle |
| r/ExperiencedDevs | 200k+ | None | Senior-only | Pure expertise, no promo |
| r/netsec | 500k+ | None | Deep expertise | Security tools only |

## Tier 4 — Adjacent (for specific product angles)

| Subreddit | Members | When to use |
|-----------|---------|-------------|
| r/MachineLearning | 3M+ | ML model serving, embeddings API |
| r/datascience | 1M+ | Data pipeline tools |
| r/aws / r/googlecloud / r/azure | 200-500k | Cloud deployment guides |
| r/kubernetes | 300k | Container orchestration |
| r/cloudflare | 100k+ | Workers, WASM, edge |
| r/webassembly | 20k | WASM-specific projects |
| r/nocode | 100k | Low-code/no-code AI tools |
| r/reactjs / r/vuejs / r/nextjs | 200k-500k | Frontend integrations |

## Product Angle Matrix

Which subs for which product angle:

| Angle | Best subreddits |
|-------|----------------|
| **Rust crate / CLI tool** | r/rust, r/programming, r/coolgithubprojects |
| **AI agent / LLM tool** | r/ClaudeAI, r/AI_Agents, r/LocalLLaMA, r/ChatGPT |
| **SaaS product** | r/SaaS, r/SideProject, r/Entrepreneur, r/startups |
| **Open source project** | r/opensource, r/coolgithubprojects, r/SideProject |
| **Python/Node package** | r/Python, r/node, r/javascript |
| **WASM / edge** | r/webassembly, r/cloudflare, r/LocalLLaMA |
| **Self-hosted tool** | r/selfhosted, r/opensource, r/devops |
| **Developer experience** | r/webdev, r/programming, r/ExperiencedDevs |
| **Solo founder story** | r/IndieHackers, r/Entrepreneur, r/SaaS |

## Posting Schedule

Optimal times (UTC) for developer subreddits:
- **Best days:** Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
- **Best hours:** 13:00-16:00 UTC (US morning/lunch)
- **Avoid:** Friday evening, weekends (except Showoff Saturday threads)
- **Space crosssposts:** 24h+ between subreddits

## Karma Building Priority

For a new/low-karma account, build karma in this order:

1. **r/ClaudeAI** / **r/AI_Agents** — comment on others' projects, share tips
2. **r/SideProject** — comment "nice project, have you tried X?" on others' posts
3. **r/rust** / **r/Python** — answer technical questions
4. **Post first project** to r/SideProject + r/coolgithubprojects (no karma needed)
5. **Post to tier 2** subs after 50+ karma
6. **Post to tier 3** subs after 200+ karma and month of commenting

## Sources

- [Best Subreddits for SaaS Founders 2025](https://ogtool.com/blog/best-subreddits-saas-founders-2025-ogtool-guide)
- [32 Best Subreddits to Promote Your Startup](https://www.foundevo.com/best-subreddits-to-promote-your-startup/)
- [11 Proven Subreddits to Promote Tech 2026](https://www.subredditsignals.com/blog/best-subreddits-to-promote-a-tech-product-in-2026)
- [Best Subreddits for AI Agents](https://redditagency.com/subreddits/ai-agents-and-api-integration)
- [Top 10 Subreddits Self-Promotion 2025](https://toffu.ai/blog/top-10-subreddits-self-promotion-2025)

# Subreddit Rules Quick Reference

## Developer Subreddits

### r/rust (~350k)
- **Self-promo:** Allowed with limits — 1 per week, must be Rust-related
- **AI content:** "Submissions appearing to contain AI-generated content may be removed"
- **Format:** Descriptive titles required ("Announcing libfoo 1.0: a library to foo your bars")
- **Culture:** Technical, humble, appreciates benchmarks and honest trade-offs
- **Weekly:** No specific showcase thread
- **Tips:** Post as technical discussion, not announcement. Show code. Accept criticism.

### r/ClaudeAI (~200k)
- **Self-promo:** Rule 7 — must be built with Claude, free to try, minimal promo language
- **AI content:** Expected and welcome (it's an AI sub)
- **Format:** Must use relevant flair (Claude Code, Project, etc.)
- **Culture:** Builder-friendly, wants to know HOW Claude helped
- **Tips:** Detail the AI workflow, not just the result. "How Claude Code helped" > "what I built"

### r/programming (~6M)
- **Self-promo:** Very low tolerance
- **Format:** Link posts with context
- **Culture:** Skeptical, technical depth expected
- **Tips:** Don't post here early. Comment only until well-established.

### r/webdev (~2M)
- **Self-promo:** Showoff Saturday thread
- **Format:** Varies — text posts for discussion, links for articles
- **Culture:** Practical, career-focused
- **Tips:** Use weekly threads for showcase. Add value in comments.

### r/Python (~1.5M)
- **Self-promo:** Moderate tolerance for open source
- **Culture:** Helpful, educational
- **Tips:** Good for Python bindings announcements with technical context.

### r/LocalLLaMA (~500k)
- **Self-promo:** Moderate — if it helps local AI
- **Culture:** DIY, loves open source, local-first
- **Tips:** WASM/edge angle works well here.

### r/selfhosted (~400k)
- **Self-promo:** Open source gets leeway
- **Culture:** Privacy-focused, DIY spirit
- **Tips:** Emphasize self-hosting, no cloud dependency.

## Non-Dev Subreddits

### r/SaaS
- **Self-promo:** "Show" posts allowed
- **Culture:** Metrics, revenue, growth
- **Tips:** Lead with numbers.

### r/startups
- **Self-promo:** Requires flair
- **Culture:** Lean startup, validation
- **Tips:** Frame as learning, not announcement.

## General Rules Across All Subs

1. **Read sidebar before first post** — every time
2. **Check top posts** — understand what format succeeds
3. **Search for competitors** — see how similar posts performed
4. **Flair is mandatory** in many subs — wrong flair = auto-removal
5. **Crosspost sparingly** — max 2-3 subs, customize title for each, space by hours

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Check Reddit user karma and account age via public JSON API
# Usage: ./check-karma.sh <username>
set -euo pipefail

USERNAME="${1:?Usage: check-karma.sh <username>}"
URL="https://www.reddit.com/user/${USERNAME}/about.json"

DATA=$(curl -s -H "User-Agent: solo-factory/1.0" "$URL")

if echo "$DATA" | grep -q '"error"'; then
    echo "Error: account not found or banned"
    echo "$DATA" | python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.dumps(json.load(sys.stdin), indent=2))" 2>/dev/null || echo "$DATA"
    exit 1
fi

echo "$DATA" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
from datetime import datetime

d = json.load(sys.stdin)['data']
created = datetime.fromtimestamp(d['created_utc'])
age_days = (datetime.now() - created).days

print(f\"Username:       {d['name']}\")
print(f\"Comment karma:  {d.get('comment_karma', 0)}\")
print(f\"Post karma:     {d.get('link_karma', 0)}\")
print(f\"Total karma:    {d.get('total_karma', 0)}\")
print(f\"Account age:    {age_days} days ({age_days // 365}y {age_days % 365}d)\")
print(f\"Verified email: {d.get('has_verified_email', False)}\")
print(f\"Suspended:      {d.get('is_suspended', False)}\")
print()

total = d.get('total_karma', 0)
if total < 50:
    print('Status: LOW KARMA — comment only, no links, no self-promo')
elif total < 200:
    print('Status: BUILDING — can post in promo-friendly subs (r/SideProject)')
elif total < 1000:
    print('Status: ESTABLISHED — can post in most subs with context')
else:
    print('Status: TRUSTED — full posting privileges')
"

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Read a Reddit post and its comments via public JSON API
# Usage: ./check-post.sh <post-url-or-id> [subreddit]
set -euo pipefail

INPUT="${1:?Usage: check-post.sh <url-or-post-id> [subreddit]}"

# Extract post path from URL or construct from ID
if [[ "$INPUT" == http* ]]; then
    # Extract path: /r/sub/comments/id/title/
    PATH_PART=$(echo "$INPUT" | sed 's|https\?://[^/]*/||; s|\.json.*||; s|/$||')
    URL="https://www.reddit.com/${PATH_PART}.json?limit=20"
else
    SUBREDDIT="${2:?Need subreddit for post ID}"
    URL="https://www.reddit.com/r/${SUBREDDIT}/comments/${INPUT}.json?limit=20"
fi

DATA=$(curl -s -H "User-Agent: solo-factory/1.0" "$URL")

echo "$DATA" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
from datetime import datetime

data = json.load(sys.stdin)

# Post data
post = data[0]['data']['children'][0]['data']
age_h = (datetime.now().timestamp() - post['created_utc']) / 3600

print('=' * 60)
print(f'Title: {post[\"title\"]}')
print(f'Author: u/{post[\"author\"]}')
print(f'Score: {post[\"score\"]} | Comments: {post[\"num_comments\"]} | Age: {age_h:.0f}h')
print(f'Flair: {post.get(\"link_flair_text\", \"none\")}')
print(f'URL: https://www.reddit.com{post[\"permalink\"]}')
print('=' * 60)

if post.get('selftext'):
    text = post['selftext'][:500]
    print(f'\n{text}')
    if len(post['selftext']) > 500:
        print(f'... ({len(post[\"selftext\"])} chars total)')
print()

# Comments
comments = data[1]['data']['children']
print(f'--- Top {len(comments)} comments ---')
print()

for c in comments:
    if c['kind'] != 't1':
        continue
    d = c['data']
    body = d.get('body', '')[:200]
    print(f'[{d.get(\"score\", 0):+d}] u/{d.get(\"author\", \"[deleted]\")}:')
    print(f'  {body}')
    if len(d.get('body', '')) > 200:
        print(f'  ... ({len(d[\"body\"])} chars)')
    print()
"

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Search Reddit posts in a subreddit via public JSON API
# Usage: ./search-posts.sh <subreddit> [query] [sort: new|hot|rising]
set -euo pipefail

SUBREDDIT="${1:?Usage: search-posts.sh <subreddit> [query] [sort]}"
QUERY="${2:-}"
SORT="${3:-new}"

if [ -n "$QUERY" ]; then
    URL="https://www.reddit.com/r/${SUBREDDIT}/search.json?q=${QUERY}&restrict_sr=1&sort=relevance&t=week&limit=10"
else
    URL="https://www.reddit.com/r/${SUBREDDIT}/${SORT}.json?limit=10"
fi

DATA=$(curl -s -H "User-Agent: solo-factory/1.0" "$URL")

echo "$DATA" | python3 -c "
import sys, json
from datetime import datetime

data = json.load(sys.stdin)
posts = data.get('data', {}).get('children', [])

if not posts:
    print('No posts found')
    sys.exit(0)

print(f'Found {len(posts)} posts in r/${SUBREDDIT}:')
print()

for i, post in enumerate(posts, 1):
    d = post['data']
    age_h = (datetime.now().timestamp() - d['created_utc']) / 3600
    age = f'{age_h:.0f}h' if age_h < 48 else f'{age_h/24:.0f}d'

    print(f'{i:2d}. [{d[\"score\"]:4d} pts | {d[\"num_comments\"]:3d} comments | {age}]')
    print(f'    {d[\"title\"]}')
    print(f'    https://www.reddit.com{d[\"permalink\"]}')

    # Flag good candidates for commenting
    if 2 <= d['num_comments'] <= 30 and age_h < 48:
        print(f'    >>> GOOD CANDIDATE')
    print()
"