I Got Shadowbanned on Reddit. 6 Months of Work Gone. Here's What I Learned.

Your Reddit comments are getting zero engagement. No upvotes, no downvotes, no replies. For weeks.

You’re probably shadowbanned.

I’ve seen this destroy months of Reddit marketing work. Companies invest in building presence, then suddenly realize nobody can see their posts. The worst part? Reddit doesn’t tell you.

What is a Shadowban?

Reddit’s shadowban is designed to frustrate spammers. Instead of telling them they’re banned (which would prompt them to create new accounts), Reddit lets them keep posting into the void.

For legitimate marketers who accidentally triggered spam filters, this is a nightmare. You might spend weeks on a strategy that’s completely invisible.

How to Detect a Shadowban

Why Shadowbans Happen

Reddit shadowbans accounts for several reasons:

Spam Detection

The most common cause. Reddit’s algorithms flag accounts that: - Post too frequently - Post the same links repeatedly - Use multiple accounts to upvote content - Follow patterns similar to known spam accounts

New Account + Promotion

New accounts that immediately start promoting products trigger spam filters. Reddit expects organic activity before commercial mentions. This is one of the most common Reddit marketing mistakes we see.

Vote Manipulation

Using multiple accounts to upvote your own posts or downvote competitors is an instant shadowban trigger. Reddit’s detection for this is sophisticated.

Link Shorteners and Suspicious URLs

Posting shortened URLs (bit.ly, etc.) or links to flagged domains can trigger shadowbans.

Brigading

Following links from other subreddits or external sites to vote on specific content. This looks like coordinated manipulation.

Recovery Options

Option 1: Appeal the Shadowban

Reddit has an appeals process, though it’s not well publicized.

1. Go to reddit.com/appeals
2. Submit an appeal explaining you weren’t intentionally spamming
3. Be honest about what you were doing
4. Wait 3-7 days for response

This works sometimes, especially if your violation was minor or accidental. It rarely works for accounts that were clearly violating terms of service.

Option 2: Get Un-Shadowbanned by Admin

Some subreddit moderators have the ability to manually approve your posts, effectively un-shadowbanning you for their specific community. This doesn’t fix the global shadowban but can restore some functionality.

Option 3: Start Fresh

Often the most practical option. Create a new account and build it properly this time.

The key difference: your new account needs months of organic activity across various subreddits before any promotional activity. Think of it as building credit before asking for a loan. Follow our authority-building timeline to do it right this time.

Preventing Future Shadowbans

The Recovery Timeline

If you’re starting fresh after a shadowban, here’s a realistic timeline:

Months 1-2: Create account. Participate organically in communities you genuinely care about. Zero promotional activity.

Months 3-4: Continue organic participation. Start engaging in professional communities related to your industry. Still no product mentions.

Months 5-6: Begin occasional participation in threads where your product category is relevant. Provide value without direct promotion.

Month 6+: Occasionally mention your product when directly relevant and clearly valuable. Maintain the 10:1 ratio.

This feels slow because it is slow. But it’s the only approach that works sustainably.

For Teams and Companies

If your company has multiple people managing Reddit presence:

Coordinate carefully. Multiple accounts from the same company posting about the same product looks like astroturfing, even if it’s genuine employees.

Use different subreddits. If multiple people are participating, spread across different communities rather than flooding the same threads.

Never cross-promote. Don’t have one employee post and others upvote. This is vote manipulation, even if done innocently.

Consider agencies. Professional Reddit marketing agencies have established accounts with years of history and deep understanding of community norms. This can be faster than building from scratch.