Yes, you can do affiliate marketing on Reddit, but not the way you do it on a blog or a social feed. Reddit allows promotion in principle. Each subreddit’s moderators decide what stays, and the FTC expects you to disclose any affiliate relationship. The people who earn there answer questions first and mention a link second.
This guide covers how to pick subreddits, what to post, how to disclose, how to track results and what earnings reports say. We have built affiliate income online for years, and the same pattern holds on every platform: trust comes first and the click follows.
TL;DR
- Reddit’s sitewide rules treat affiliate links like any other self-promotion, and each subreddit’s moderators have the final say.
- Build a real history of helpful comments before you drop a single link, and read every community’s rules first.
- In the US, disclose your affiliate relationship next to the recommendation, in plain words, every time.
- Tag each link by subreddit so you can see which communities produce sales. Upvotes alone tell you little.
- Treat any income figure you read, including the ones below, as a range from individual reports, not a promise.
Table of Contents
- Is Reddit a good place for affiliate marketing?
- What Reddit’s rules actually say about affiliate links
- How to choose subreddits
- A comment strategy that earns trust first
- Disclosing affiliate links: what the FTC expects
- How to track whether Reddit is working
- What can you earn from Reddit affiliate marketing?
- Mistakes that get Reddit affiliates banned
- Our perspective
- Build the home base that Reddit traffic lands on
- FAQ
- Sources
Is Reddit a good place for affiliate marketing?
It can be, if you accept how the platform works. Reddit is built around communities and honest opinions, not around brands. One marketer quoted in a RightSideUp strategy guide calls it the hardest place to market in the traditional way, and also the place where the most honest conversations happen. That is the opportunity and the risk in one sentence.
There is a practical reason to care. The same guide notes that Reddit threads show up prominently in search results, and that many people add “Reddit” to a search to get past brand-driven content. A helpful answer in the right thread can be read long after you post it.
It works best for:
- Products you have actually used, because Reddit readers ask follow-up questions and spot vague praise quickly.
- Niches with recurring “what should I buy?” threads, such as software, gear, courses or tools.
- People willing to wait. One analysis of Reddit discussions from ReacherApp concludes it pays off when community trust comes before link traffic.
It works poorly if you want fast, copy-and-paste traffic. That approach gets accounts removed.
What Reddit’s rules actually say about affiliate links
There are three layers of rules, and you have to satisfy all of them.
1. Reddit’s sitewide rules. Reddit has no separate affiliate policy. Its Spam article says that if your contributions consist primarily of links to a business you run, own or benefit from, you should be thoughtful about how often you post. It also says moderators decide what counts as spammy content in their communities and may act on it. You can read that wording quoted in this breakdown of Reddit’s spam guidance.
2. Reddiquette. This is Reddit’s long-standing etiquette guide. It tells users not to use link shorteners to post their content, so people can see where a link goes. It also asks you to link to the specific blog entry, not the blog’s index page. Both points are covered in the same Reddit rules summary. In practice: link to the exact review or comparison, never a cloaked or shortened URL.
3. Each subreddit’s rules. This is where most people get caught. According to Semrush’s Reddit marketing guide, r/smallbusiness bans links to blog content and any business promotion, r/emailmarketing allows self-promotion only for original ideas, and r/ecommerce doesn’t allow posts from new accounts. Rules differ this much between communities in the same general topic area.
The same guide points out that most subreddits restrict or ban links, and that Reddit links are typically nofollow anyway. So do not come to Reddit for SEO. Come for readers.
Self-promotion is not the same as spam
A community made up only of your own links is treated as link-farming. The archived self-promotion guidance, as quoted here, says even in your own subreddit, only submitting links to your own site can get you banned. If you run a subreddit, mix in other people’s content and discussion.
How to choose subreddits
Pick communities where people already ask for the kind of recommendation you can give. Work through this list:
- Search your niche and list five to ten active subreddits. Active means new posts daily and real replies.
- Read the sidebar and pinned rules in each. Look for words like “affiliate,” “referral,” “self-promotion” and “links.”
- Check account requirements. Some communities block new accounts or require minimum karma.
- Scan recent removed or locked threads to see what moderators actually enforce.
- Ask the moderators when the rules are unclear. A short message costs nothing and moderators remember who asked.
One affiliate-industry guide suggests building at least 1,000 karma before posting in subreddits. Treat that as a rule of thumb, not a Reddit requirement. What matters is that your history shows you helping people.
Avoid communities where links are banned outright. Trying to sneak affiliate links past those rules is how accounts get removed, and it damages the trust you are trying to earn.
A comment strategy that earns trust first
The pattern that works is simple and slow. We recommend this order.
Weeks one to four: contribute without links
Answer questions in your niche with real detail. One industry guide, Silverbean’s, suggests making around 90% of your posts informative and advice-driven, and getting to know the moderators. Whether the exact ratio is 90/10 or something else, the idea is the same: you should be known for helping.
Then: answer with substance, link as a footnote
When someone asks for a recommendation, give real detail on two or three options. Say which one you use. If the community allows it, include a disclosed link as one option among several, not as the point of the comment. This approach is described in Multilogin’s guide to Reddit affiliate marketing, which also warns that Amazon Associates links are easy to spot and get reported often.
A useful comment has:
- The asker’s situation restated in one line, so they know you read it.
- Two or three options with honest trade-offs.
- Your own experience: what you used, for how long, what annoyed you.
- A plain disclosure and one link, only where it is allowed.
Consider codes where links are blocked
Some communities block affiliate links but tolerate discount codes. The impact.com guide notes that unique promo codes can track your efforts where links are restricted. Ask moderators first, and still disclose that you earn from the code.
Comments usually beat posts
Track-and-attribute data from a Reddit tracking guide for affiliates says comments tend to outperform posts for conversions because they inherit the thread’s visibility and trust. That is one company’s observation, but it matches how people use Reddit: they open a thread with a question and read the answers.
Disclosing affiliate links: what the FTC expects
If you are in the US, or your readers are, the rule is straightforward. The FTC’s guidance for social media says to disclose any financial relationship with a brand. That includes affiliate commissions. Per the FTC’s Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers:
- Put the disclosure with the endorsement itself, where it is hard to miss.
- Do not bury it in a group of hashtags or links, or where people must click “more.”
- Use simple, clear language. Terms such as “ad” and “sponsored” work, and vague shorthand such as “sp” or “collab” does not.
- You cannot describe your experience with a product you haven’t tried.
In a Reddit comment, that can be as short as: “Disclosure: I earn a commission if you buy through this link.” Place it right beside the link, not at the bottom of a long reply.
Two more points. Some subreddits that allow promotion require disclosure as a condition, so your comment may need it for both reasons. And Amazon’s Associates program has its own disclosure and link requirements, as Multilogin notes, so check those terms if you promote Amazon products.
For wider context on affiliate law, including privacy rules for readers outside the US, see our guide to legal issues in affiliate marketing. If you earn outside the US, check your own country’s advertising rules too, since they differ.
How to track whether Reddit is working
Upvotes feel good and prove little. The Track Masters ROI guide says vanity numbers like upvotes, comments and awards do not correlate with affiliate revenue, and that a quiet comment in a niche thread can outsell a popular post.
Set up tracking like this:
- Use a separate tracking link or code for every subreddit. That lets you compare communities, not just “Reddit” as a whole.
- Tag consistently. The same guide suggests sub-IDs that record the source (reddit), the subreddit, the post type and the topic.
- Use a longer attribution window. It recommends 14 to 30 days for Reddit, since readers often come back later.
- Watch four numbers: clicks per comment or post, conversion rate by subreddit, revenue per click and time from click to purchase.
- Cut or change what does not convert. If a subreddit sends clicks but no sales after a fair stretch, the audience may not fit your offer.
Transparency matters on the money side too. Thinking about how to monetize without eroding reader trust is a theme across publishing; fair monetization approaches show how creators weigh that balance. For link hygiene and tools, our guide to affiliate links covers the basics.
What can you earn from Reddit affiliate marketing?
Honest answer: it varies a lot, and no source gives a guarantee. These are claims from individual guides, not verified averages:
| Source | Reported range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sellvia | $50 to $500 per month for consistent contributors | Beginners reported at $50 to $200 in the first 60 to 90 days |
| Dropship.me | $20 to $300 per month from Reddit and forum marketing | Most beginners $30 to $80 early on |
| Signals | Roughly $500 to $2,000 per month for active affiliates | A few outliers reach five figures |
The spread tells you something. Results depend on your niche, your commission rates, the trust you build and how consistently you show up. Plan for slow early months, and do not quit a job over a forum strategy.
If you see the question “Can you make $10,000 a month with affiliate marketing?”, the realistic answer is that it is possible for some people across several traffic sources, but Reddit alone is rarely how it happens. Use Reddit as one channel in a wider system with a blog, email list and other platforms.
Mistakes that get Reddit affiliates banned
- Posting the same link in many subreddits. Repetition is what moderators and Reddit’s spam systems notice.
- Using a brand-new account for promotion. It looks like what it is.
- Shortened or cloaked links. Reddiquette discourages shorteners, and Amazon’s terms prohibit cloaking.
- Linking your homepage. Link the specific page that answers the question.
- Ignoring the rules because another post got away with it. Moderators vary, and your account is the one at risk.
- Promoting something you haven’t used. The FTC says you can’t describe experience you don’t have, and Reddit readers will ask.
Our perspective
Most of what we publish at EntreResource comes from running online businesses ourselves: affiliate sites, blogs, digital products and Amazon FBA. Reddit is a good test of everything we teach about affiliate marketing, because it strips away the tricks. There is no algorithm to game, only people asking real questions and moderators protecting their communities.
Our advice is to treat Reddit as a place to learn what your audience actually wants. Read the threads in your niche for a few weeks. Note the questions that keep coming back. Those become your best blog posts, and the blog is where your affiliate links belong at full strength, with proper disclosure, your own tracking and no moderator deciding whether they stay.
Then come back to Reddit with something worth sharing. Answer the question properly in the thread. If your own detailed guide helps and the rules allow it, mention it. That is how a Reddit comment becomes a reader, then a subscriber, then a customer for a product you honestly recommend.
We also think a structured path beats scattered tactics. That is why we put our guides, courses and swipe files in one place, so you can build the blog, the list and the offers that make a Reddit strategy pay.
Nathaniel
Build the home base that Reddit traffic lands on
Reddit works best when it sends people somewhere that converts them. If you want a structured way to build that, our Instant Course Access for Life is a one-time $97 purchase. See the Instant Course Access for Life offer.
If you would rather start with free material, browse the free downloads page or the Affiliate Marketing College articles. Other channels pair well with Reddit too: see our guides to YouTube affiliate marketing and Instagram affiliate marketing. To see what a high-converting review looks like, study these affiliate blog post examples.
FAQ
Can I use Reddit for affiliate marketing?
Yes, within limits. Reddit treats affiliate links like other self-promotion and leaves final decisions to each subreddit’s moderators. Read the community rules, disclose your relationship and make your account about more than links.
Is Reddit a good place for affiliate marketing?
It can be, particularly in niches where people ask for recommendations. It rewards patience, honest detail and real experience with the product. It punishes fast link-dropping, so plan for weeks of contributing before you expect results.
Do I have to disclose affiliate links on Reddit?
In the US, yes. The FTC says to disclose any financial relationship with a brand, in clear words placed with the recommendation. A short line beside the link, such as “I earn a commission if you buy through this link,” does the job.
How do I know which subreddits are worth my time?
Tag each link or code by subreddit and compare clicks, conversion rate and revenue per click over a few weeks. Communities that produce sales stay on your list, and the rest get dropped.
Sources
- Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers (FTC)
- Reddit Marketing: How to Do It Right (Semrush)
- Reddit Affiliate Marketing for Brands and Publishers (impact.com)
- Reddit Affiliate Marketing Without Getting Banned
- Reddit Affiliate Marketing: Why It Matters and How to Build a Strategy (RightSideUp)
- Affiliate Marketing on Reddit: What Actually Works (ReacherApp)
- How To Effectively Utilise Reddit In Your Affiliate Program (Silverbean)
- How to Do Affiliate Marketing on Reddit (Multilogin)
- Reddit Marketing for Affiliates: How to Track Traffic and Conversions (Track Masters ROI)
- Can You Make Money On Reddit? (Sellvia)
- Start Affiliate Marketing With No Money (Dropship.me)
- How to Make Money on Reddit (Signals)
- Fair Monetization: The Advertising Opt-Out for Authors