Issue 6: What actually works on Reddit (Post Structures)

Ok it's been a minute since I published an article, and I really appreciate you all for bearing with me while I figure out working on the newsletter + all the other stuff. Each of these posts have hours of research put into them + putting together my own experiences so sometimes it takes a while (and unfortunately. I am a procrastinator sometimes). Thank you for being here, and enjoy this issue!

I went through the Reddit posts that were still sitting at the top months later to understand why some founder posts turn into real conversations while most disappear.

I wanted my Reddit posts to do more than get a few upvotes. I wanted comments, DMs, people remembering the post, and maybe even checking out what I was building without feeling like I had forced it in front of them.

Before I get into what to post, there is one important thing to clarify: this article assumes your Reddit account is already ready to post.

Do not create a fresh account, join five founder communities, and immediately start talking about your product. Build up karma, use Reddit like a normal person, leave real comments, and spend enough time in the communities you want to post in that you understand how people speak there.

You also need to read every single community rule before posting. Something that is completely fine in one subreddit can get removed in another. Some communities allow links, some only allow self-promotion on certain days, and others do not even want you mentioning the name of your product.

I am writing a separate article about that entire process because I have personally been banned twice and learned a lot of it the annoying way. That article will cover warming up an account properly, building karma and trust, understanding the rules, and avoiding behavior that immediately makes you look promotional.

For now, I am going to assume you have already done that. This article is about the next question: once your account is ready, what should you actually post?

To figure that out, I went through posts that were still sitting at the top months later in a few builder communities, including r/SaaS, r/microsaas, r/startups, r/buildinpublic, and r/SoloDevelopment.

I did not analyze every post on Reddit, and I do not think there is one formula that works in every community. I did look at enough successful posts to notice the same ideas coming up again and again.

The biggest pattern was simple: the posts that worked did not feel like launches. They felt like a person explaining something that actually happened to them.

Here is what I kept seeing.

1. Write in first person

Generic advice usually reads like a blog post. A title like “10 tips for founders” could have been written by anybody, but “I sold 340 lifetime deals for $149 each. 18 months later I regret every one” can only come from the person who experienced it.

That difference matters on Reddit because people are not usually looking for another polished list of startup advice. They want the context behind a decision, why it seemed smart at the time, and what happened after.

You do not need to position yourself as an expert or pretend you have figured everything out. You just need to explain what you did, why you did it, and what you learned from the result.

For example, this feels distant:

This feels like a real experience:

The second version gives the reader something to picture. It also gives them a reason to trust the lesson because it came from a specific experience instead of a general opinion.

The point is not to use “I” in every sentence. The point is to write like you were actually there.

2. Use a specific number instead of a vague result

Specific numbers showed up in almost every strong post I found: $300,000, 340 lifetime deals at $149 each, €5,567 per month, 82 kg and 54 kg, or even $0 after quitting a job.

Words like “traction,” “growth,” and “successful launch” do not give the reader much to hold onto. A number makes the outcome concrete, even when the number is small or embarrassing.

One post simply celebrated making its first $1,000. Another post about earning $0 during the first month after quitting received hundreds of comments. Neither story required a huge exit or an unbelievable MRR screenshot.

I think a lot of founders wait too long to post because they assume they need to reach $10,000 MRR first. In reality, your first $5, first customer, first refund, or first month with no customers could be the more relatable story.

Sometimes the number that feels least impressive is the part people care about most. “I spent six months building this and made $27” gives me a reason to click. “Lessons from my startup journey” does not tell me what actually happened.

Use the real number. You can always explain the context inside the post.

3. Be careful with “looking for feedback” posts

Reddit has seen every version of the disguised launch post. “Looking for feedback,” “introducing my new product,” “join my Discord,” and “drop your SaaS and I’ll audit it” all look different on the surface, but they often have the same goal underneath: getting attention for something the person is selling.

That does not mean you can never ask for feedback. It means the post needs to offer something beyond the fact that you built a product.

The same issue shows up in revenue posts. Someone writes that they reached $10,000 MRR in 30 days, but they leave out what they did, what went wrong, how much they spent, and what another founder could learn from it. The number gets attention, but the post itself is still just a pitch.

Reddit users are especially sensitive to that because the platform is built around communities rather than personal audiences. When a post feels like it was written only to move people toward a product, both the readers and the moderators tend to notice.

A simple test is to remove the product name and URL before you publish. If the story is still interesting and there is still something useful to discuss, you are probably close. If the entire post falls apart without the product mention, it is likely too promotional.

I would also be careful with comment-farming formats like “share your landing page and I’ll review it” or “drop your startup below.” Those posts can get replies because everybody wants to promote themselves, but that is not the same as building trust or attracting people who care about what you do.

A lot of comments can look good in a screenshot. The better question is whether anybody remembers who started the thread.

4. End with a question someone can answer from experience

A real question gives people a reason to add their own story to the conversation. For example, “Has anyone else regretted selling lifetime deals?” can be answered by another founder who has actually dealt with the same problem.

They might explain how they handled support, whether they eventually moved customers to a subscription, or why lifetime deals worked well for them. Even disagreement is useful because it gives the thread somewhere to go.

“What do you think of my app?” is a much weaker question because it asks people to evaluate your product. Unless they are already interested in what you built, they may not have much to say.

The strongest questions connect directly to the experience in the post. A story about underpricing could end with a question about raising prices. A story about quitting too early could ask how other founders knew when they were ready. A post about spending $300,000 before validating should not end with “What is everyone building right now?”

Not every Reddit post needs a question. A visual demo or a genuinely shocking story can create discussion on its own. But if you are writing a personal story, one specific question gives other people an easy way to contribute something meaningful.

5. Put the product URL last, or leave it out completely

The title should not be “check out my app,” and the link should not be doing all the work for the post.

In r/startups, this is taken even further. They do not want the product URL or product name included, and they are serious about it. That forces the story to stand on its own, which is honestly a useful test even when you are posting somewhere with less strict rules.

If your post still works after deleting the name of your product, you are probably writing about an experience. If it becomes confusing or pointless without the product, you are probably writing an ad.

People who are genuinely interested can check your profile, ask for the link, search for the product, or send you a message. You do not always need to push them toward it directly.

Sometimes the best CTA is the mistake, screenshot, number, or demo itself. If the story is interesting enough, people will want to know what you built without being told to click anything.

The formats that kept working

Those five ideas showed up across nearly every subreddit I looked at, but the actual shape of the post changed depending on the story and the community.

An expensive mistake with the real math

Titles like “Spent $300k on a healthcare app that nobody uses” and “Sold 340 lifetime deals for $149 each. 18 months later I regret every one” work because they tell you both the mistake and the cost immediately.

The body usually explains why the decision made sense at the time, why it initially felt like a win, and what the bill looked like later. After that, the founder shares what they would do differently and asks whether anyone else has experienced something similar.

The mistake is interesting enough that the product link is not needed. People comment because they want to understand how the founder got there, and many of the replies turn into advice from other people who have made similar decisions.

This format works especially well in communities that care about pricing, margins, support costs, and the reality behind startup numbers.

A strangely specific personal story

One post used a title similar to: “I weigh 82 kg. My wife weighs 54 kg. We finally understood why sharing a mattress was destroying both our sleep.”

It does not sound like a product launch. It sounds like a personal problem that happened to lead to a product.

That order is important. The person and the problem come first, so by the time the product appears, the reader already understands why it exists.

A lot of founders do the opposite. They lead with the product, explain the features, and then try to convince people that the problem matters. On Reddit, a specific human situation is usually much more interesting than a company description.

A specific niche with a believable number

“I Built a Micro SaaS to €5,567 a Month in the Hotel Industry” works because both the niche and the result are clear.

“Hotel software” is more specific than “another SaaS,” and it creates an obvious question: why did this person decide to build for hotels? The founder can then explain that they worked as a night receptionist, saw how bad the existing software was, and eventually reached hundreds of hotels without spending money on ads.

The number also feels possible. Not every story needs to be about building a unicorn or reaching $1 million in ARR. For many solo founders, a small product making $5,000 to $10,000 per month is already the goal.

A modest number in a clearly defined niche can be more useful than a huge number with no context.

Something people can immediately see

A gallery, a 30-second demo, a Stripe screenshot, or a working before-and-after gives people something concrete to react to.

A title like “I built a tool to turn any coordinate into minimalist map art” works because the reader immediately understands what they are about to see. The post does not need several paragraphs explaining the market before the product becomes interesting.

This is also why generic “Day 42 of building in public” posts tend to struggle. The fact that you are still building is not the update. What changed on day 42 is the update.

Maybe you shipped a feature, got your first customer, redesigned the onboarding, or finally fixed the part that had been broken for three weeks. Building in public is only interesting when there is something specific to show, learn, or discuss.

Several failures followed by one real result

Titles like “After 13 months and 3 failed projects, I finally made $10k+ in a month” work because the result has a history behind it.

“Here is how I made $10,000” sounds like advice. “Here are the three things I built before the one that made $10,000” sounds like a story.

Showing the failed attempts makes the final result more believable, and it usually creates more useful lessons because the founder can explain what changed between each project.

You do not need to make the failures sound dramatic. Count the attempts, explain what happened, and show what was different when something finally started working.

Use the format that fits the subreddit

The same post will not work equally well in every community. Reddit is not one audience, and copying the same launch into five subreddits is usually a good way to get ignored or removed.

r/SaaS and r/microsaas tend to care about pricing, churn, revenue, customer acquisition, lifetime deals, support costs, and the process of building a small profitable product. A post with a real number and the math behind an expensive mistake makes sense there.

r/startups is stricter about promotion. A detailed text story can work, but the product name and URL should not be carrying the post. Also, it is r/startups with an “s,” not r/startup.

r/buildinpublic responds better when there is actual progress to show. A demo, screenshot, customer message, before-and-after, or launch result gives the community something more useful than a generic daily update.

r/SoloDevelopment is mainly focused on game development. A SaaS post-mortem with no clip, screenshot, or connection to game development will probably feel out of place, even if the post itself is good.

Before posting, I would look at the top posts in the community, read the comments, and pay attention to what people reward or push back on. A cynical operator community may want the ugly numbers. A solo founder community may respond more to a modest result that shows a small business is possible. A visual community may want to see the product immediately.

The principles can stay the same, but the delivery should match the room.

Be careful with joke posts

One post with a title similar to “I just made $1.5B by selling my SaaS. AMA” did extremely well because it was obviously making fun of exaggerated founder posts.

That kind of joke can get attention, but attention and trust are not always the same thing. If every post is mocking startup culture, people may remember the joke without remembering what you actually build or know.

That energy can work for a meme account. It is harder to turn into a brand people rely on, so I would use it carefully.

How I would actually write the post

If you have a real result, mistake, or number, this is the structure I would start with.

1. Write a title a stranger can understand quickly

Keep it under roughly 90 characters and include what you did, a specific number, and the result you did not expect.

For example:

The title does not need extra adjectives or a clever motivational line. It just needs to make the story clear enough that someone understands it while scrolling.

2. Explain why you made the decision

Maybe you needed cash, wanted to grow faster, or thought selling lifetime deals would make the launch easier. Maybe you were scared nobody would pay monthly.

Do not start with “I’m excited to share.” Start with the real reason, especially if that reason is not flattering. The honest motivation is usually where the story begins.

3. Explain why it felt like a win at first

Most bad decisions do not feel bad in the beginning. Maybe you made $20,000 in two weeks, customers flooded in, or you finally had proof that people were willing to pay.

Showing the early win makes the later problem more understandable. The reader can see why you made the decision instead of judging it with the benefit of hindsight.

4. Show what the decision cost later

This is where the specific number matters again. It could be refunds, support requests, hosting costs, churn, or hundreds of customers expecting updates without ever paying again.

Do not replace the difficult part with a vague lesson. The actual bill is what makes the lesson useful.

5. Share what you would do differently

Three to five specific changes are usually enough. You might limit the number of lifetime deals, raise the price, offer one year instead of lifetime access, change the refund policy, or wait until the product is more stable.

Avoid ending with advice like “talk to users” or “never give up.” Those ideas are not wrong, but they are so broad that they do not tell the reader what to do differently.

6. End with one relevant question

Ask something another founder can answer from experience, such as:

The question should feel like the natural end of the story, not something added only because you want more comments.

7. Read the post again without the URL

If the post still works, you are probably ready to publish. If the subreddit allows links and you feel that one is necessary, place it at the end after the question.

Most of the time, the story should be strong enough without it.

What to post when you do not have a big result

You do not need $10,000 MRR, a viral launch, or a dramatic failure. You also should not invent a cleaner or more impressive story because you think that is what Reddit wants.

A smaller, real receipt can be enough:

• Your first $5
• Your first paying customer
• Your first refund
• Your first month after quitting
• Thirty days of building with no signups
• The first feature somebody actually used
• One pricing change that led to a sale
• The mistake that cost you one customer
• The product you shut down after six months

Overly polished success stories often feel distant. A small number that is true can be much more useful than a huge number with no believable context.

Titles you can use

These are the title structures I would test and adapt to your own experience:

• First person, money, and an unexpected result: Spent $300k on a healthcare app that nobody uses.
• Something people can immediately picture: I built a tool to turn any coordinate into minimalist map art.
• A personal problem with the product hidden at first: I weigh 82 kg. My wife weighs 54 kg. We finally understood why we could not share a mattress.
• A first-money milestone: Hello! I made my first $1,000.
• A tool, a process, and the current result: How I used Claude to validate my idea in 10 minutes. Now it makes $2.3k MRR.
• Several failures followed by one win: After 13 months and 3 failed projects, I finally made $10k in a month.
• A smaller version of success: Forget unicorns. $10k MRR solo feels better than raising $2M and being stressed.

The title should make sense to someone who has never heard of you or your product. Once it does that, stop adding to it.

Then post it

Pick one real event from your own experience, find the number inside it, and choose the subreddit where that story actually belongs. Read the community rules again, write in first person, remove the product name and link if they are not necessary, and end with a question another person can answer honestly.

Once you publish, stay in the comments. Answer questions, explain parts people misunderstood, and respond to disagreement without immediately becoming defensive. Do not copy and paste the same product pitch under every reply.

The goal is not just a screenshot with 2,000 upvotes. The more useful signal is what people argue with, what they ask you to explain, who checks your profile, and who sends you a DM about something they would never post publicly.

That is usually where the real value of Reddit starts.

Hit reply if you have a draft you want me to look at. I read everything.