What is the Reddit Hot ranking algorithm?

Reddit's Hot ranking algorithm combines a post's score (upvotes minus downvotes) with a time decay function. Recent posts with strong upvote velocity rank higher than older posts with more total upvotes. The algorithm uses a logarithmic function for votes - the first 10 upvotes carry as much weight as the next 100.

Does Reddit show your posts to everyone in a subreddit?

No. Reddit shows new posts to a small subset of subreddit visitors in the New feed first. If the post receives strong early engagement - upvotes and comments within the first 30 to 60 minutes - the algorithm promotes it to the Hot feed where most users browse. Posts that do not gain early traction fade quickly.

How important are comments for the Reddit algorithm?

Very important. Posts with active discussion threads rank higher than posts with the same upvote count but fewer comments. The algorithm interprets comment activity as a signal of quality and relevance. Posts that generate genuine back-and-forth conversation tend to stay visible in Hot much longer than posts with only upvotes.

Does the time you post on Reddit matter?

Yes. Since the algorithm heavily weights early engagement velocity, posting when your target subreddit is most active gives posts the best chance of gaining initial traction. For US-focused subreddits, weekday mornings between 6 and 9 AM Eastern tend to perform best because posts can accumulate upvotes throughout the business day.

How Does the Reddit Algorithm Work?

The Reddit algorithm is a set of ranking systems that determine which posts appear at the top of subreddit feeds and the Reddit front page. It uses a combination of upvote velocity, time decay, and engagement signals to surface content - prioritizing recent posts that gain traction quickly over older posts with more total votes. Reddit's algorithm is open source, making it one of the most transparent social media ranking systems available.

How Does the Reddit Ranking System Work?

Reddit does not use a single algorithm. Instead, it offers multiple sort options - Hot, Best, New, Top, Rising, and Controversial - each with its own ranking logic. Understanding these sorting methods is essential for anyone using Reddit for marketing or distribution.

Hot Sort

Hot is the default feed for most subreddits and where the majority of Reddit users browse. The Hot algorithm balances two factors: a post's score (upvotes minus downvotes) and the time since the post was submitted.

The key mechanism is logarithmic vote weighting. The first 10 upvotes on a post carry as much ranking weight as the next 100, and those 100 carry as much weight as the next 1,000. This means early upvotes are dramatically more valuable than later ones. A post that gets 10 upvotes in its first 10 minutes will rank higher than a post that gets 50 upvotes over 5 hours.

Time decay ensures that old posts eventually fall off regardless of their score. A post from 24 hours ago needs roughly 10 times the score of a fresh post to maintain the same ranking position.

Best Sort

Best uses a Wilson score confidence interval - a statistical method that accounts for both the ratio of upvotes to downvotes and the total number of votes. This prevents posts with very few votes (like a post with 3 upvotes and 0 downvotes) from ranking above posts with thousands of votes but a slightly lower upvote ratio.

Best is commonly used for ranking comments within a thread and has become the default sort for many users.

New, Top, and Rising

New shows posts in chronological order with no algorithmic ranking. This is where every post starts its life on Reddit and where early upvotes are collected.

Top ranks purely by score (upvotes minus downvotes) within a selected time period - past hour, day, week, month, year, or all time. This is useful for finding the highest-performing content in a subreddit.

Rising surfaces posts that are gaining upvotes at an accelerating rate. It acts as a bridge between New and Hot - posts that are gaining momentum but have not yet reached the Hot feed appear here.

What Role Does Upvote Velocity Play?

Upvote velocity - the rate at which a post receives upvotes relative to its age - is the single most important factor in Reddit's ranking algorithm. Two posts with identical final scores will have very different trajectories based on how quickly they accumulated those upvotes.

A post that receives 50 upvotes in 30 minutes will significantly outrank a post that received 50 upvotes over 6 hours. This is because the Hot algorithm's time decay function constantly pushes older content down. Fast accumulation of votes counteracts this decay and pushes the post higher in the feed.

This has direct implications for content timing strategies. Posting when a subreddit's audience is most active maximizes the chance of strong early engagement, which feeds the velocity signal the algorithm rewards.

How Do Comments Affect the Algorithm?

Comments are a significant but often overlooked signal in Reddit's ranking. Posts with active discussion threads stay visible in the Hot feed longer than posts with equivalent upvotes but minimal comments. Reddit's systems treat comment activity as a quality indicator - a post generating real conversation is more likely to be valuable to the community.

The depth of comment threads matters too. A post with 50 comments that are mostly one-line replies signals less engagement than a post with 30 comments featuring multi-reply discussion chains. Back-and-forth conversations indicate genuine community interest.

For startups distributing content on Reddit, this means comment engagement strategy is as important as the post itself. Responding to comments on your own posts, asking follow-up questions, and encouraging discussion all extend a post's visibility window.

How Does the Algorithm Differ at the Subreddit vs. Front Page Level?

Content ranking works differently within a subreddit versus on Reddit's front page (r/all and a user's home feed).

Within a subreddit, posts compete only against other posts in that community. A post with 50 upvotes can easily reach the top of a small subreddit's Hot feed. The same post would be invisible on r/all, where competition comes from every subreddit simultaneously.

Reddit's front page algorithm also applies normalization to prevent large subreddits from dominating. A post from a 50-million-subscriber subreddit needs proportionally more engagement to rank on r/all than a post from a 500,000-subscriber community.

For startup distribution, this means targeting appropriately sized subreddits is more effective than trying to reach r/all. A post that ranks #1 in a niche subreddit with 200,000 subscribers drives more targeted traffic than a post that briefly appears on page 3 of r/all.

What Is the Optimal Posting Strategy Based on the Algorithm?

Understanding the algorithm translates directly into tactical decisions:

Post timing - Target the window when your subreddit's audience is most active. For US-focused communities, this is typically weekday mornings between 6 and 9 AM Eastern. Tools like Later for Reddit and Subreddit Stats provide historical activity data.

Content format - Posts that invite discussion - questions, opinion-based analysis, how-to guides - generate the comment engagement that extends visibility. Link-only posts with no context perform poorly because they generate less discussion.

Early engagement - The first 30 to 60 minutes are critical. Having accounts with sufficient karma ready to leave genuine, thoughtful comments can help kickstart the engagement cycle. This is not about fake engagement - it is about ensuring quality responses are present early.

Title optimization - The title is the only element most users see before deciding to upvote. Clear, specific, and slightly provocative titles outperform generic ones. Questions and data-driven statements tend to generate curiosity clicks.

At Conbersa, we build distribution strategies around these algorithmic principles. Our multi-account infrastructure ensures accounts are warmed up, properly positioned in target subreddits, and ready to participate when content is posted. Understanding the algorithm is the first step - executing consistently against it at scale is where the real distribution advantage lies.