What Are Reddit Karma Points and How to Earn It Gracefully?

For those of you who don’t know, Reddit is a user-generated social news site.

Users can create “subreddits” to focus on particular topics and then post links to articles or other types of content that fit within the subreddit guidelines.

The subreddits are organized into a hierarchy with over 100,000 subreddits as of November 2016!

This means that if you have an interest in anything from world news to bacon, there will be a corresponding subreddit for it.

In addition, all posts are ranked by upvotes and downvotes, so the best ones rise to the top while junk falls away.

There’s also something called “karma points.”

You gain them when others upvote your posts or comments and lose them when they do the opposite.

Getting more karma is a great way to show off your expertise and build your reputation in the community.

But it’s not easy, because there are so many ways that you can screw up and lose all of your hard-earned points.

This article will teach you everything that you need to know about getting more Reddit Karma without losing any of the points that you’ve already earned!

We’ll cover topics like:

• What exactly Reddit Karma is,
• How do I earn karma, and
• How do I avoid getting downvoted?

So, let’s start with:

What is Reddit Karma?

Reddit karma points are a form of appreciation for an excellent post.

A high karma score indicates that a user’s postings and comments are well-liked, so they’re seen as more of an authority in the group.

A low or negative karma score implies that the user’s communications irritate others, and it’s usually indicative of being a bot,

However, the number of points doesn’t give you any kind of special status on the site and it doesn’t have any real-world value.

Karma points are just an upvote that hasn’t been downvoted yet – they don’t mean or do anything at all except make you feel better about yourself when other people agree with your opinion!

Getting more karma won’t get you closer to being a moderator, earning prizes from other website owners, or doing anything else aside from letting you bask in your own glory – if that’s really even worth it!

Types Of Reddit Karma

Karma is measured in both:

• Post karma, and
• Comment karma

They are summed to get the overall karma score.

To gain karma, you can concentrate solely on comments or posts, but we recommend going after them both.

How To Earn Reddit Karma?

Reddit is a powerful social media platform, but it can be hard to get started.

Getting your content on Reddit and getting upvotes is tough.

You have to know the right subreddits, post at the right time of day, and make sure you’re using the right title for maximum exposure.

After a year of testing and experimenting, I have figured out the best way to get upvotes on Reddit.

It’s actually fairly easy, you just have to follow a few guidelines and it all starts with:

Delivering High-Quality Postings

If you’re going to feed the Reddit monster, then you better make sure that your offerings are tasty enough to get an upvote or two.

Reddit is all about subscribed users finding new and interesting content, so you need to provide them with what they want in order for them to appreciate your contributions.

High-quality postings include:

• Well-thought-out, informative posts or
• Funny, entertaining videos or images, etc.

No matter how good the discussion is on the post in question, it’s not going to earn a high score if it isn’t relevant or helpful to the specific subreddit that it’s posted in.

Have Eye-Catching Titles That Encourage People to Click Your Post

You only get one chance to make a first impression.

So, you should take some time to mull over your idea and create the kind of post that will attract upvotes even before you hit the “submit” button!

This is something I call Reverse Thinking.

Instead of trying to game Reddit with spammy tactics like using clickbait or guessing what’s popular at the moment, you need to go against the grain by doing the opposite.

What do I mean? Well…

Why Would Anyone Upvote a Post with That Title?

When it comes down to it, most people are just lazy.

They read through all kinds of titles until they find one that sounds interesting enough for them to invest several minutes in reading through before they decide.

In other words, if you title your post with something that is bland or generic, then there’s a high chance it will get overlooked and not upvoted by anyone!

Even worse, the chances of it getting downvoted go up exponentially because Reddit users don’t like being misled or tricked into clicking on something that they won’t find interesting.

So…

Create eye-catching titles with relevant content to encourage people to actually read what you have to say.

This strategy is not only great for making sure that at least some people will click your link; it can also help you get karma points for having good grammar!

Deliver More Postings

You have to understand that if you want your posts to be seen by the widest audience, then you have to post often.

The more you post on Reddit, the higher the chances are that some of your submissions will be upvoted.

This is because there are users who are looking for new content on a daily basis, so they prioritize those with many submissions over those with just one or two.

It’s also important to keep in mind that posting too frequently can turn people against you and make them not care about what you’re saying (even if it is nothing but pure gold).

So…

A posting every 24 hours appears to be a good approach because it allows you plenty of time between postings to fine-tune your ideas and ensure that you’re bringing the best stuff possible, without allowing people to overlook you for too long.

Engage And Comment on Your and Other’s Reddit Posts

Being an active Reddit user means more than just making your own submissions.

You also have to act like a good netizen by commenting on the posts of others and joining in with existing conversations.

This kind of behavior is beneficial for you because it encourages other people to check out what you’re writing, which will then give them an opportunity to upvote your comments or alter their views based on the responses you get.

And speaking of replying…

Respond to upvotes with thanks and replies.

Following this simple rule will ensure that some incremental karma makes its way into your account!

Thanks, might be enough in some cases, but when people spend their valuable time and energy posting a link for everyone else to enjoy, then it’s important to let them know that you appreciate the gesture.

If your post gets a high number of upvotes—or if it happens to make Reddit’s front page (nicely done!)—then take the time to publicly thank everyone who helped make it such a success!

Another thing:

Don’t be afraid to reply with follow-up posts if people give you feedback in the comments section, especially if they ask questions or want more details.

By engaging and responding to other users in this way, then you’ll build yourself a reputation as someone who cares about Reddit and its members.

And in turn, this will lead more people to check out your own submissions and potentially upvote them when they see what kind of material you’re offering.

Leverage Karma Bombs

When you respond to a prospective top remark immediately after it is posted, you’ll be creating a “karma bomb.”

If the comment gets a large number of upvotes, your response will almost certainly get upvotes as well.

But you’ll need to assess the potential for a remark to get widespread positive feedback, which will take time and practice.

This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy: if the comment receives negative attention, you’ll probably receive downvotes as well.

Be A Part of Large Subreddits Above Million Followers

Participating in a large subreddit with an enormous following is especially important if you want people to see your submissions.

If there are already a lot of active users in the thread, then it will get even more views because more people will want to join in on the discussion.

And from what we’ve been saying throughout this guide, that’s exactly what you’re trying to accomplish!

Reddit has thousands of active subreddits so there should always be someplace where you can talk about a topic and post it for anyone who wants to check out what you have going on.

So…

To ensure that your posts become successful, search Reddit for subreddits related to your content before making a submission.

When choosing which ones fit best, think about whether or not they have enough members interested in the topic to give you a good chance of getting upvotes.

If you’re just starting out on Reddit, it’s probably best to stick with more generic subreddits that are less likely to create problems due to their size.

How Do I Avoid Getting Downvoted?

We all know the feeling of getting downvoted.

You post something, and you can almost feel people’s negative reactions to it—even though they might not say anything out loud.

It feels like a punch in the gut, doesn’t it?

That’s because we’re all human beings who care about what others think of us.

And when someone criticizes us or our work online, that criticism stings even more than if they did so in person.

That’s why it’s important that you take steps to make sure your posts on Reddit don’t get downvoted too often.

Here are some tips for avoiding this problem:

STOP Spamming Subreddits

If you’re not a frequent contributor to a particular community, then your posts will only annoy users who are trying to talk with one another about their shared interests.

So it’s best to avoid posting the same thing in multiple subreddits unless those groups happen to be related or have some kind of cross-over.

This means that if you post a question in AskReddit, then don’t submit the same question to Healthy Living unless your topic is relevant to both groups.

And vice versa.

Don’t Post Negative/Hatred Oriented Content

Reddit is a community and communities work best when everyone treats each other with respect.

So, the more you post content that denigrates other people, groups of people, or objects, the more likely it will be downvoted by Reddit users who disagree with your viewpoint.

It’s okay to post opinions that are unpopular, controversial, or out of the norm.

But you should be willing to accept that other Reddit users may not agree with your outlook and will vote accordingly.

Always Follow the Rules of Subreddits

Every subreddit has its own set of rules which you must follow if you want to participate.

For example, some subreddits only allow text posts while others only allow links to images or videos.

Some will remove your post after a certain amount of time has passed unless it is still getting new comments and upvotes.

It’s best to check these rules before posting so that you can avoid getting your submission removed or downvoted by the community moderators for not following proper procedure.

Don’t Over-Promote Your Account

As we said earlier in this guide, Reddit isn’t just another social media site where people create profiles and talk about themselves.

So don’t go around promoting your username and asking people to subscribe to it.

You should only do this if the subreddit specifically states that you are allowed to promote your username or links back to your profile.

This can lead to people thinking you’re trying to take advantage of them by posting too much content about yourself, which means it’s only a matter of time before someone downvotes you out of nowhere.

The key is moderation!

Conclusion

Reddit is a social media site where people can come together to share their thoughts and opinions on different topics.

The community will judge you based on how much effort you put into your posts, so it’s important that you follow the rules set out by Reddit in order to avoid getting downvoted or removed for breaking them.

This means:

• Not spamming subreddits with content they aren’t interested in,
• Posting negative/hateful content,
• Over-promoting yourself,
• Being rude to other users who are sharing their thoughts too, or
• Promoting low-quality posts

Because these things annoy members of the subreddit communities which lead to less upvotes when compared to more meaningful contributions.

If you want feedback from others about what type of post would be best suited for a specific subreddit, then you can always ask those who are more experienced with the group to offer some advice.

A good way to do this is by communicating with moderators and users over private messages or other forums that the subreddit offers.

This way, you can form a stronger connection and get more quality feedback which will boost your karma score.

Reddit Karma is what makes Reddit work; it’s proof that you’re an active user and someone who contributes positively to the community as a whole.

So, make sure that you keep these things in mind when working on your posts so that they can rise up to their highest potential!

You can follow Lisa on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Lisapatb