Reddit karma: how much is a lot, and how to get it
Leadhoot teamOctober 27, 20265 min read
Karma is Reddit's rough measure of how much other users liked what you posted. Past a few hundred it stops opening doors; under that, it decides where you are allowed to post at all.
Reddit karma is the score Reddit shows on your profile for the upvotes your posts and comments have earned, minus downvotes. It is not one point per upvote: Reddit scales it, and the exact formula is not public. 10,000 karma is a lot: it clears every karma rule a subreddit is likely to set. 1,000 to 2,000 is a solid, established account. Under 100, many subreddits will hold or remove your posts automatically.
How much karma is a lot?
| Karma | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Under 10 | Brand-new account. Many subreddits filter your posts and links until you build some history |
| 40 to 100 | Enough to pass the low karma rules a lot of subreddits use, especially with an account a few weeks old |
| 500 to 2,000 | An established account. Moderators and the spam filter treat you as a regular |
| 10,000+ | A lot. No normal subreddit rule will block you; more karma past this point changes nothing you can post |
Why subreddits ask for karma
Karma rules are set by each subreddit's moderators, usually in AutoModerator, often together with a minimum account age. They exist to stop spam and throwaway accounts. Most subreddits do not publish the exact number. If your post vanishes right after you submit it, check the sidebar rules, then message the moderators rather than reposting. If every post you make disappears everywhere, check whether your account is shadowbanned.
Post karma vs comment karma
- Post karma comes from upvotes on your submissions. One popular post can earn thousands.
- Comment karma comes from upvotes on your comments. It grows slower but steadier, and some subreddits only count this kind.
- Your total also includes small amounts for giving and receiving awards on older accounts.
- See any account's split, age and most active subreddits with the free Reddit user analyzer.
How to get your first 40 to 100 karma
- Comment early on rising posts in mid-sized subreddits you actually know about. Early, useful comments collect most of the upvotes.
- Answer questions in hobby and help subreddits. A specific answer beats a joke in almost every subreddit outside the meme ones.
- Post in subreddits made for new accounts, such as r/NewToReddit, where low karma is expected.
- Avoid karma-farming subreddits and upvote swaps. Accounts built that way are what moderators and the spam filter look for, and buying upvotes breaks Reddit's rules.
- Do not post links to your own site until the account has a real comment history. See the 9:1 rule.
Does karma matter for marketing on Reddit?
Only as a floor. A few hundred karma and a few months of normal activity is what gets your posts past filters and your replies taken seriously. After that, what matters is answering the right threads early, which is a timing problem, not a karma problem.
Leadhoot alerts you within a minute when someone on Reddit asks for what you sell, so your replies land while the thread is still fresh.
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