Example subreddit analysis

r/startups

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 content and requests.

2,132,772 membersAnalyzed on September 25, 2026

Self-promotion

Strict

Direct sales, ads, or promotion of any kind are banned outside the Monthly Share Your Startup thread and Feedback threads; rule 3 requires discussion of methodologies without tying posts to a named project or URL, and rule 7 bars blog posts about one's own startup journey.

Patterns that work

Recurring patterns in the top 100 posts of the past year. Counts and scores are measured from those posts.

Score lift
1.1×
About the same
Rhetorical question about startup culture
12 of 100 top posts 12%
Title poses a broad question challenging assumptions about founders, wealth, or the industry.
Why it works: Open questions invite personal opinions and debate, boosting comment counts.
Top posts using it
Score lift
1.0×
About the same
Founder failure or crisis story
10 of 100 top posts 10%
Post recounts a startup collapsing, running out of money, or a personal crisis tied to the business.
Why it works: Failure stories feel authentic and invite empathy plus advice-giving, which drives comments.
Top posts using it
Score lift
1.2×
Contrarian take on YC or VCs
10 of 100 top posts 10%
Post criticizes or questions the prestige, judgment, or practices of YC, VCs, or big-name investors.
Why it works: The community has a love-hate relationship with YC/VC culture, so critical takes generate strong engagement and debate.
Top posts using it
Score lift
0.9×
About the same
Cofounder or equity conflict
9 of 100 top posts 9%
Post details a dispute over equity, cofounder commitment, or ownership.
Why it works: Equity conflicts are a universal startup pain point that readers have opinions on and want to weigh in on.
Top posts using it
Score lift
2.0×
Milestone with concrete number
7 of 100 top posts 7%
Post announces a specific revenue, user, or funding figure reached.
Why it works: Concrete numbers signal credibility and give the community something tangible to react to or question.
Top posts using it
Score lift
1.8×
Lessons-learned listicle
5 of 100 top posts 5%
Post shares a numbered or structured list of lessons from founder experience, hiring, or pitching.
Why it works: Structured takeaways are easy to skim and feel immediately actionable, encouraging upvotes and saves.
Top posts using it

How top posts are laid out

Top posts open with a brief personal or situational hook, then unfold a first-person narrative or numbered list of lessons in short paragraphs, often closing with a reflective statement or question to invite discussion.

A one to two sentence framing of who the poster is or what just happened
Context-setting background paragraph establishing stakes or timeline
Chronological or numbered breakdown of events, lessons, or mistakes
Specific figures or details (revenue, timeframe, roles) woven into the narrative
Bulleted list when summarizing multiple takeaways or steps
A closing reflection, open question, or invitation for others to share similar experiences
A disclaimer line disavowing self-promotion, often near the title or opening line

Best times to post

What formats win

Format of top posts

100%text posts. Nothing else made the top.

Share of the top 100 posts of the past year by post type.

Typical text post

211words

Middle half: 128–398 words

Median comments

108

Per top post

What top titles have in common

Almost every top title ends with a disclaimer like 'I will not promote' to preempt removal.
Personal confession or vulnerable admission framed as a lesson, e.g. 'Here's what no one warns you about'.
Concrete numbers or dollar milestones in the title, e.g. '0 to $186k per month'.
A provocative question aimed at the community's identity or beliefs, e.g. 'Is software dead?'.
A conflict or grievance narrative involving cofounders, investors, or HR, e.g. 'Girlfriend expecting equal equity'.

The culture

The community is skeptical, experience-driven, and allergic to overt marketing; members value blunt personal narratives about the messy realities of building a company over polished success stories or pitches.

It rewards specific numbers, hard-won lessons, and honest conflict or failure narratives that invite discussion, while ignoring or downvoting anything that reads as an ad, a vague inspirational post, or a thinly veiled promotion even when disguised with a disclaimer.

Do

Open with a one or two sentence hook that states your situation or the stakes before any background.
Include specific numbers (revenue, users, timeframes) to ground your story in credibility.
Frame the post around a lesson, mistake, or open question rather than a company pitch.
Use short paragraphs or bullet points for any list of takeaways so it is skimmable.
End with a question or invitation for others to share their experience to drive comments.

Don't

Do not name or link your own product, company, or URL in the post body or title.
Do not post feedback requests, surveys, or 'check out my startup' asks outside the designated weekly threads.
Do not pad the post with hype language or vague claims without concrete detail; the 250-character minimum expects substance.
Do not post legal questions or unscheduled AMA requests; use the designated Legal Office Hours or mod-approved AMA process instead.
Do not disguise a blog repost as original discussion without prior mod approval and full text inclusion.

Rules (9)

01Relevant 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. We want you to be able to ask any question that helps your startup.
02No direct sales, advertisements, or promotion
No direct sales, advertisements, or promotional posts of any kind. We have designated places that are an exception to this rule and they will always be stickied at the top of /r/startups. * You MAY share your startup in the Monthly Share Your Startup thread Self-promotion is anything you have an interest, stake or relationship with including being friends with someone at the company. At the end of the day, /r/startups moderators have the final say if your comments are promotional or not.
03Submissions 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. Titles must be clear and descriptive. Submissions must have at least 250 characters of content. The more details you provide us the better support our community can provide you with. Like life, the more you put into something the more you get out of it. No legal questions. Use our Legal Office Hours.
04Feedback 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. Be sure to contribute to the others in the thread and ask them to return the favor to increase engagement. You may not publicly offer feedback or direct support outside of the Stickied Threads.
05Rules 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. We also don't want the discussion to turn into a self promotional mess and link farm. If you are going to link to something in the comments please make sure to: * Write at least a sentence explaining why the link is relevant to the discussion. * Link only content you have no affiliation with. Affiliate links = banned.
06Do 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. You are more than welcome to engage privately with one another, but it is up to you to take the initiative directly.
07Sharing Your Blog is To Start a Discussion, Never For Self-Promotion
Sharing your blog is not a means to self promote. A link to the original blog post is allowed with prior Mod approval. If you are submitting your own blog content, the full body of the content must be included in the post, properly formatted for reddit. Include an outline & timestamps with a video. If your blog is over 2000 words you may ask for an exemption. All other rules still apply. No blogs about your "startup" journey allowed.
08Always 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. This does not mean to lie. It means to give support and explain why you don't like something. Try to remember people likely do not have much experience yet or might be simply ignorant to what you know. Be willing to hold a discussion and try to explain your opinion or point of view to the benefit of the entire community.
09No 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.

Similar subreddits

Free to start

Want this for any subreddit?

Know what works before you write: rules, self-promo limits, timing, formats and culture for the communities you care about. Then check your draft against them before you post.

Join the waitlist3 analyses a month on the free plan. No card needed.

Self-promotion

Patterns that work

Rhetorical question about startup culture

Founder failure or crisis story

Contrarian take on YC or VCs

Cofounder or equity conflict

Milestone with concrete number

Lessons-learned listicle