Reddit is one of the most-quoted sources in Ai answers, so businesses want in. But Reddit is also one of the easiest places to get yourself banned — because the obvious “marketing” moves are exactly the ones it punishes. Here's how it really works, and how to not get burned.
New accounts start with the deck stacked against them
Short version: Reddit quietly scores accounts for spam risk, and a brand-new one starts at the bottom.
The classic mistake is “make a Reddit account and post about the business.” It usually goes nowhere, and Reddit's own tools explain why: it rates accounts for how trustworthy they look, and communities can automatically hold back posts from brand-new accounts and non-members. So a fresh account promoting a business is often invisible from the very first post. Standing has to be earned first.
The four things that get accounts banned
Short version: All four are spelled out in Reddit's own rules.
Reddit explicitly treats these as spam or worse: a brand-named account that mostly posts promotions; dropping your link on lots of posts and comments; posting the same thing across many communities; and — the serious one — making a new account to get around a ban, which can lead to a site-wide suspension. If a previous attempt got blocked, the answer is to appeal, not to start over with a fresh account.
Treat Reddit as a community you join, not a billboard you rent. The shortcuts are the exact things that get accounts banned.
The version that actually works
Short version: Slower, but real — and the only kind Ai ends up quoting.
Use a normal personal account. Spend time genuinely helping in the communities your customers are in. Keep anything self-promotional rare and relevant. It's slower than a marketing blast, but it's the only approach that survives — and a genuinely useful, upvoted comment is exactly what assistants like Perplexity end up quoting. (For how Reddit ranks that contribution, see how Reddit decides what rises.)
Where this comes from: Reddit's own Help pages on spam, account quality, and ban evasion. We're describing Reddit's stated rules, not promising a result.