Pinned post
Also called: sticky, stickied post, community highlights, announcement post
Definition
A pinned post, also called a sticky or community highlight, is a post that moderators fix to the top of a subreddit so everyone sees it first. Communities pin rules, announcements and recurring threads such as weekly self-promotion threads.
A pinned post sits at the top of a subreddit regardless of votes or age. Reddit Help notes the action is called "sticky," "highlight" or "pin" depending on where you are on Reddit; they all mean the same thing.
How it works
From Reddit's help documentation:
- Moderators with the Manage posts and comments permission can highlight up to six posts at the top of a community on reddit.com and the apps. They appear in a Community highlights carousel.
- Mods can label each highlight, for example Event, Megathread or Announcement, and reorder or remove highlights.
- A highlighted post stays until a moderator removes it.
- Old Reddit still uses stickies, with a limit of two per community. They sync with highlights: old-Reddit stickies fill the first two highlight slots. On old Reddit, a stickied post stays at the top when the community is sorted by Hot.
- Comments can be pinned too. Moderators can distinguish and sticky their own comment to the top of a comment section, often used for rule reminders or summaries.
Reddit lists typical uses: weekly discussion threads, mod applications, community rules, announcements of major changes, contests and highlighting quality content.
Why it matters for marketers
Read the pinned posts before you post anything. They are where communities put the things that most often get brands removed:
- Self-promotion rules and the weekly megathread where promotion is allowed.
- Temporary rules, such as a ban on a specific topic or link type that is not yet in the sidebar.
- Recommendation or FAQ threads that answer the "which tool" question for the community.
A pinned comment from a mod at the top of a thread is also a signal: if it says "no product recommendations," a recommendation reply will be removed even if the community normally allows them.
Example
A founder wants to post their app in a productivity subreddit. The second pinned post is titled "Rules update: all app promotion goes in the Saturday thread." Posting it on Tuesday as a standalone post would have been removed. Waiting until Saturday and commenting in the pinned thread keeps the account in good standing.
Common mistakes
- Scrolling past the carousel. Highlights are easy to miss on mobile.
- Assuming pinned threads never change. Recurring threads get replaced weekly or monthly.
- Asking mods to pin your post. Mods pin community content, not promotion.
Frequently asked questions
How many posts can be pinned on a subreddit?
Up to six community highlights on reddit.com and the apps, and two stickies on old Reddit, which fill the first two highlight slots.
Can regular users pin posts in a subreddit?
No. Only moderators can highlight or sticky posts in a community.
What does "stickied" mean on Reddit?
It means a moderator pinned the post or comment to the top. It is the older name for a community highlight.