r/podcasting: rules, karma requirements and posting culture

Who posts here

The sidebar promises advice for podcasters of all skill levels and the feed bears that out. A first-timer asking which microphone to buy gets several specific answers, and so does someone asking about loudness targets for background music. Very basic questions stay up, though AutoModerator points new accounts to the wiki's podcast guide first.

• Hobbyists planning or just starting a first show.
• Independent podcasters a few dozen episodes in, working on audio, workflow and growth.
• Editors, producers and video people who do this for a living.
• People looking for a co-host, a guest or other podcasters nearby.
• Tool builders and service providers, who are expected to disclose and stay in the weekly thread.

Karma and account requirements

What it takes to get a post through in r/podcasting.

What you can post

What happens to a new post

Where the most recent posts ended up. Sample size: 400.

• Stayed up77%
• Removed by Reddit's filters4%
• Held by AutoModerator18%
• Deleted by the author<1%

Reddit counts a removal by the subreddit's own AutoModerator rules as a moderator removal, so that share is not all human. Held by AutoModerator means the post is waiting in the mod queue.

What happened when we posted here

We have posted here ourselves. This is how our own posts and comments fared.

Stayed up

100%

Removed by Reddit's filters

0%

Removed by moderators

0%

Period

August 2025 to August 2026

The rules, in the mods' words

1. 1

   Promoting Your Podcast

   Podcast self-promotion or thinly veiled 'feedback' requests should not be posted. Please post these types of posts in the Weekly Episode thread, posted every Thursday morning Eastern Time. Users who post a link to their show in a post will result in a temporary or permanent ban. Any post with a link to a podcast may be removed at the discretion of the moderators if deemed self-promotional.

2. 2

   Promoting Products or Services

   Promotional posts for products or services are not allowed without pre-approval except in the weekly Product or Service promotional thread. Permission to promote a product or service outside the weekly thread is given out on a case-by-case basis by the mods. Clarification on what counts as 'products or services.' Send a message to the mods using button below. Mods retain discretion to remove any promotional post, even if approved.

3. 3

   No Kudos, Milestones or Gratuitous Appreciation posts

   No kudos threads when you reach a milestone or gratuitous congratulatory verbiage as these look like a self-promotional post in an attempt to bypass Rule 1. While the moderation team understands a pat on the back and a word of encouragement is a good thing, the appearance of self promotion is unwanted by the subreddit members. Celebratory posts will be deleted by the moderators at their discretion and the posting member could be subjected to a temporary or permanent ban.

4. 4

   Be Civil

   Please do not conduct personal attacks, be intentionally rude, or report a post or comment just because you do not like it. Please familiarize yourself with Reddiquette and remember the human being behind the computer screen.

5. 5

   AutoMod Rule 1: Low Karma

   Your post will be removed by the automod if your reddit karma is less than 5. This is a measure to reduce spam and unwanted self-promotion in the subreddit from new accounts. The moderation team will monitor the automod removals and approve any legitimate non-spam post that was removed.

6. 6

   AutoMod Rule 2: Low Account Age

   Your post will be removed by the automod if your reddit account age is less than 7 days. This is a measure to reduce spam spam and unwanted self-promotion in the subreddit from new accounts. The moderation team will monitor the automod removals and approve any legitimate non-spam post that was removed.

7. 7

   AutoMod Rule 3: No Main Post Text

   Your post will be removed by the automod if your post does not have any text in the main post. Posts with runon sentences in the title without main body text to explain look like spam and often do not provide enough information to invite constructive conversation in the comments. The moderation team would like to encourage concise, descriptive post titles with a longer explaination in the post body.

8. 8

   No Calls For Review Exchanges

   Review exchanges are prohibited - contrary to popular belief, reviews don't help promote your show. Reviews should come from members of audience, not random people on reddit. Accounts posting to directly ask for reviews or review swaps are subject to being banned by the moderators.

9. 9

   Required Disclosure Of Affiliation

   In an effort to foster open and honest discourse in r/podcasting, Posts and Comments from a user which is affiliated with a product, service or event must disclose that relationship. In case multiple affiliations apply all relationships must be disclosed. This rule also pertains to any post granted permission to post via rule “Promoting Products or Services.” Users who post or comment that promote or recommend without the affiliation disclosure will be subject to mod actions up to being banned.

10. 10

    No Requests For Trailer Swaps

    There is a community thread that posts on Fridays to post and take trailers for swaps with the title "Weekly Podcast Trailer Exchange Thread - Post Your Podcast Trailer For Other Shows To Use." Do not ask to swap trailers outside of that thread.

These are the rules as archived in January 2025. Rules change. Check the sidebar before you post.

The culture

r/podcasting is for people who make podcasts, not people looking for one to listen to. It is mid-sized and steady: about 193,000 members, 13 posts a day, and votes that rarely go past a few dozen. What a post earns here is replies. The median is nine comments, and they tend to be specific.

Every post is text, about 110 words, and a little over a third have a question for a title. The staples are gear, recording and editing software, hosting platforms and their prices, getting onto YouTube, growth, and finding co-hosts and guests. Comments run around 23 words and name products freely when that is the answer.

The whole rulebook is built around one worry: that the subreddit turns into a wall of people plugging their shows. So promotion lives in weekly threads for episodes, feedback, services and trailer swaps. Milestone posts are banned because they look like promotion in disguise, and review swaps are banned outright. AI comes up as an irritation, from tools that all sound the same to creators being accused of using it.

What lands

• A workflow question with your setup stated, such as how many episodes people keep recorded ahead of release.
• A production opinion from experience, like questioning whether a wide camera shot earns its place in a video podcast.
• A specific technical problem with the platform named, described well enough that someone can spot the cause.
• News about a hosting company changing prices or having trouble, which other podcasters need to know.
• A practical how-to written out in the post, with any connection to the source disclosed.

What gets removed or ignored

• Posts from accounts under 5 karma or under 7 days old. This is the most common AutoModerator message in our sample.
• Posts with no real body text.
• Posts that link your own show or ask for feedback on it outside the weekly thread.
• Product, tool or service posts without prior approval.
• Milestone and thank you posts, review swap requests and trailer swap requests outside their thread.

The unwritten rules

• Leave your show's name out of the post. Regulars running a networking thread will say outright that no names or links are needed.
• State your budget, how many people are recording, whether they are in one room, and audio only or video. Gear questions without that get scattered answers.
• If you build or sell something for podcasters, say so in the first line, even in a comment.
• In the feedback thread, ask specific questions and give feedback to someone else. The wiki says general requests get fewer replies.
• Research questions that read like product discovery are tolerated when you ask about people's real process and pitch nothing.

Self-promotion

The rules are detailed. You may not post a link to your podcast or ask for feedback on it outside the weekly thread, and doing so risks a temporary or permanent ban. Products and services go in the weekly promotional thread unless the moderators approve a post first, and anyone affiliated with something they mention has to disclose it. The wiki allows informational posts without permission if you include at least a paragraph of the content, cite it, disclose your connection and do not post from the same source more than once a week. In practice the feed is clean, and the few vendor posts that sit in it open with a disclosure. Use the weekly threads and comment the rest of the week.

How people write here

Typical post length

108 words

Typical title length

8 words

Titles phrased as a question

36%

Typical comment length

23 words

Comments that include a link

7%

The regulars

The accounts that showed up most in our sample. Worth reading before you post: they set the tone, and they are usually the first to reply.

Top keywords

The words and phrases that show up far more often here than in other communities, from recent posts in r/podcasting.

• podcast 225 posts
• episode 79 posts
• podcasts 65 posts
• episodes 63 posts
• audio 75 posts
• recording 66 posts
• podcasting 38 posts
• riverside 31 posts
• editing 52 posts
• guests 36 posts
• podcasters 28 posts
• video 63 posts
• spotify 30 posts
• guest 29 posts
• show 55 posts
• co-host 13 posts
• youtube 39 posts
• audience 34 posts
• mic 19 posts
• listeners 18 posts
• listen 26 posts
• host 28 posts
• clips 21 posts
• thread september 13 posts
• zencastr 10 posts
• podcasting community 10 posts
• sound 30 posts
• video podcast 11 posts
• mics 11 posts
• zoom 18 posts
• record 29 posts
• descript 10 posts
• detailed description 8 posts
• editor 18 posts
• podcast episode 10 posts
• hosting 20 posts
• weekly 25 posts
• cohost 7 posts
• receive feedback 8 posts
• recordings 14 posts

Recurring topics: podcast, help, looking for, episode, advice, audio, guest, podcasting, recording, mic.

Posts that did well

• I got ripped off and being sued22 upvotes · 26 comments
• Is it worth it trying to distribute audio only podcast on YouTube?19 upvotes · 30 comments
• What podcast topic is under supplied ?18 upvotes · 49 comments
• perfectly polished show notes just look like spam now17 upvotes · 16 comments
• International Podcast Day16 upvotes · 4 comments
• I'm going insane. I need an editor or an easier & faster method!13 upvotes · 54 comments
• help finding the right audio editing headphones12 upvotes · 14 comments
• Guess Libsyn ins't paying their bills12 upvotes · 7 comments

Growth

1. 2012269
2. 2013665
3. 20141.2k
4. 20152k
5. 20164.6k
6. 20179.2k
7. 201817k
8. 201934k
9. 202059k
10. 2023134k
11. 2024151k
12. 2025171k
13. 2026193k

Related subreddits

• r/videography
• r/editors
• r/Filmmakers
• r/architecture
• r/NewTubers
• r/livesound
• r/homestudios
• r/SmallYoutubers
• r/PhD
• r/helpdesk

Common questions