How to Promote YouTube Videos on Reddit in 2026: The Right Way to Do It

How to Promote YouTube Videos on Reddit in 2026 (Without Getting Banned)

Reddit has over 500 million registered users organized into thousands of topic-specific communities (subreddits). When done correctly, Reddit promotion can drive thousands of highly targeted, engaged views to your YouTube videos. When done wrong, it results in bans, account suspensions, and damaged reputation.

Reddit's Culture: Understand Before You Promote

Reddit has a strong anti-spam culture. The community deeply distrusts self-promotion, and moderators actively remove content they perceive as marketing or spam. However, Reddit also loves genuinely useful, interesting content — including YouTube videos.

The key distinction Reddit makes: "This creator is sharing something valuable that happens to be their video" vs. "This creator is using our community to market their product." Your goal is always the former.

The Right Way to Promote YouTube Videos on Reddit

Step 1: Build Account Karma First

Create a Reddit account (or use your existing one) and spend 2–4 weeks genuinely contributing to communities in your niche before sharing any YouTube links. Upvote other content, comment thoughtfully, ask questions. Most subreddits require account age and karma before allowing link posts.

Step 2: Research Your Target Subreddits

Find subreddits where your YouTube content is genuinely relevant. Look for:

• Subreddits with 10,000–1,000,000+ members (very small subreddits won't drive much traffic)
• Active moderation (suggests quality community)
• Rules that allow self-promotion (look for "OC allowed," "self-promo thread," or "video/content" flairs)
• Recent similar posts that got good engagement

Step 3: Read and Follow Every Rule

Before posting in any subreddit, read the rules completely. Many subreddits have:

• Dedicated self-promotion days ("Free Promo Saturday")
• Percentage limits (your posts can't be more than 10% self-promotion)
• Specific formatting requirements for video posts
• Rules requiring transcripts or summaries in post body

Step 4: Frame Your Post as Sharing, Not Promoting

When sharing your YouTube video on Reddit, write a compelling title that frames the video as a community resource: "I spent 6 months testing [topic] — here's what I found" performs much better than "[My Channel]: Watch my new video about [topic]."

Step 5: Add Value in the Post Body

Don't just drop a link. Include:

• A brief summary of what the video covers
• The 2–3 most interesting findings or tips
• Why this specific community would find it valuable
• An invitation for discussion

Best Subreddit Types for YouTube Promotion

• Topic-specific subreddits matching your content
• r/[yourjob] professional communities
• Learning-focused subreddits (r/learnprogramming, r/LearnEnglish, etc.)
• Hobby subreddits where tutorials are welcome
• AMA-style posts where you answer questions and reference videos

Avoiding the Reddit Ban

Follow the 9:1 rule: for every link you share to your YouTube channel, contribute to the community 9 times in other ways. This ratio keeps you well within acceptable self-promotion limits while building a positive reputation.

Complement your Reddit promotion strategy with professional YouTube promotion from VidOrange to maximize your total reach.