Link spam
Also called: link spamming, spam links, link dropping, domain spam
Definition
Link spam on Reddit is posting links, usually to your own site or product, repeatedly or where they are not wanted: the same URL across many threads, off-topic link drops, or masked and redirected links. Reddit's spam policy and most subreddit rules prohibit it.
Links are not the problem on Reddit. Repetition and irrelevance are. A link that answers someone's question is a contribution. The same link pasted into twenty threads is link spam, even if each thread is loosely on topic.
What Reddit counts as link spam
Reddit's spam policy and its spam guide for moderators list the behaviors:
- Mass-posting repetitive content for exposure or financial gain.
- Repeatedly posting the same or similar comments in a thread, a community, or across communities.
- Repeatedly posting unrelated, off-topic or link-farmed content.
- Using link redirects to get around an existing domain block or to disguise where a link goes.
- Link-masking or redirecting to harmful domains, and linking to malware, phishing or deceptive pop-ups.
Reddit's guidance for people who mostly post links to their own business is to be thoughtful about how often they post, or to use Reddit's self-serve ads.
How it gets caught
Several layers, often at once:
- AutoModerator. Reddit lists removing posts by domain and removing "links to sites inappropriate for the community, such as affiliate links" among AutoMod's standard uses. Once a mod adds your domain to a rule, every comment with it is removed automatically.
- Reddit's [spam filter](/glossary/spam-filter/). New and low-karma accounts posting links are the classic pattern it targets.
- Reports. Regular members recognize the same URL from other threads and report it.
- Mods marking it as spam, which Reddit says the spam filter learns from.
An account that keeps doing it risks being flagged for spam sitewide, which users call a shadowban.
Why it matters for marketers
The cost is bigger than a removed comment. Once mods add your domain to an AutoModerator rule, legitimate mentions by your real customers can be removed too. And every removal or spam mark becomes part of the account's history, which is what Reddit's trust signals look at.
Better habits:
- Answer the question fully in the comment itself. The reply should be useful even if nobody clicks.
- Name your product instead of linking it, unless links are allowed and relevant.
- Never paste the same comment into multiple threads. Write each one for that thread.
- Keep promotion inside the 10% rule or whatever the subreddit sets.
Example
A startup's marketer posts "Check out our tool: [link]" under every post in three subreddits that mentions spreadsheets. Within a day, members report the comments, mods mark them as spam, and one subreddit adds the domain to its AutoModerator block list. A week later, a happy customer recommends the product with a link in that subreddit, and it is removed instantly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I post links to my own website on Reddit?
Yes, where the subreddit allows it and the link is relevant. Reddit treats it as spam when your contributions are mostly links to your own business or the same link is posted repeatedly.
Why does Reddit remove my comments with links?
Usually an AutoModerator rule, the spam filter, or mod action. New accounts posting links, links to domains a subreddit has blocked, and repeated links are the most common triggers.