10 important points of community-building advice for new mods!

https://www.reddit.com/r/modhelp/comments/ffit3j/10_important_points_of_communitybuilding_advice/

created by kungming2 on 08/03/2020 at 20:44 UTC*

573 upvotes, 88 top-level comments (showing 25)

Consider this post to be both a supplement and sequel to my original post, **10 frequently-asked questions by new mods, answered![1]**

1: https://www.reddit.com/r/modhelp/comments/e49gx0/10_frequentlyasked_questions_by_new_mods_answered/

The subject of this post expands on question #10 in the original and is meant **to help explain to new moderators what moderation and building a new subreddit up from scratch[2] entails.** This is organized into ten points roughly listed in the chronological order of the process of building a new subreddit.

2: https://media.giphy.com/media/nIUav1AOaK06s/giphy.gif

I will also include links to the excellent community resource r/ModGuide as well as the official Reddit Mod help center[3] with each point.

3: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us

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1. Don't use mobile to moderate.

You *cannot* effectively moderate a subreddit just by using Reddit's mobile app or site. It's just not possible as of March 2020, and most of those tools won't come until much later this year[4]. The vast majority of customization tools are completely absent from the site, and you cannot easily update things like the subreddit CSS (for Old Reddit) or AutoModerator from the mobile site. **If you cannot or refuse to use a regular computer for moderating, I do not think moderating a subreddit is for you.**

4: https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/fakcu6/mobile_community_settings_appearance_options_and/

You *may* use the app to keep an eye on new posts and comments as they come into your subreddit, and remove them or approve them as you see fit, or submit new content to it - the app is good for that. But that should be done *after* you've already properly set up the basics of your subreddit's design and its aesthetic.

Once your subreddit gets more popular, you should also look into installing the Toolbox extension (r/toolbox), which contains a wealth of tools to help moderators, including bulk actions, macros, removal reasons, user notes, and more. It is almost impossible to find a subreddit of moderate size or larger that doesn't use Toolbox - it is *that* essential to Reddit moderators.

Modding on mobile[5]
Mobile mod mode[6]
Browser extensions for mods[7]

2. Make your subreddit look good.

Let me use the metaphor of a party: creating a new subreddit and asking people to come join it, is like sending a party invitation out to the people of this site. But if people go to the party location and all they find is a bare, empty room with drab grey walls[8] and a single lightbulb, no one is going to want to stay! Thus customizing your subreddit is like decorating for a party - you want people to feel that the event is on-theme, and it's fun to stay.

5: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e5moia/modding_on_mobile/

6: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004311891-Mobile-Mod-Mode

7: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/f5e0zw/browser_extensions_for_mods/

8: https://media.giphy.com/media/OSuaE6AknuRc7syZXp/giphy.gif

So, *customize your subreddit* (on desktop, of course)! Use all the tools that are available to you. Create an icon and header that match the stated interest of the subreddit, add text telling new members what it is all about, and make it feel unique and special.

**Community Appearance[9]**
Adding a banner / icon in redesign[10]
Adding a banner using the stylesheet/css[11]
Community settings[12]
How to add a subreddit icon & edit the display of your sub name in redesign[13]
How to change the name of your members and online users[14]
Adding menu tabs[15]

3. Seed content! No one wants to post in an empty subreddit.

Let me continue with the metaphor of the party. Let's say this time you've put decorations and streamers up in the formerly empty room and it looks pretty good! But when the people you invited show up, they notice the room is empty - there's no one there at all! You, the host, aren't even there - but you left a simple sign on the door saying "Welcome! Please stay and have fun!" How many people do you think will actually stay?[16]

9: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008722771-Community-Appearance-overview

10: https://youtu.be/C9Ca_3CVKD4

11: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/ewv71c/video_adding_a_banner_using_the_stylesheetcss/

12: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/eq6rft/community_settings_in_redesign/

13: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/ee9w29/how_to_add_a_subreddit_icon_edit_the_display_of/

14: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e4nrql/how_to_change_the_name_of_your_members_and_online/

15: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e3j50m/adding_menu_tabs/

16: https://media.giphy.com/media/Y1DMOCSrctNhC/giphy.gif

That's effectively what an empty subreddit, devoid of posts, appears to new subscribers. Very few people want to be the first, or the *only* person posting in a subreddit[17], especially if the creator of the subreddit can't even be bothered to participate in their own community. As the creator of a subreddit, you *must* seed content, and seed content regularly.

17: https://media.giphy.com/media/VfyC5j7sR4cso/giphy.gif

Make posts every day / every other day that are relevant to the topic of your subreddit so people know it's an active place and that they feel welcome to post. You can also choose to cross-post relevant content from other subreddits into your own subreddit. In my experience a subreddit usually gets to 300-400 subscribers before you start seeing people other than the mods regularly posting stuff.

How to seed content[18]
Seeding content for a new community[19]

4. Set up post / user flairs.

As your subreddit receives more and more posts, it may be useful at some point to create *post flairs*, which are essentially categories for posts. For example, if your subreddit is about a game, you could have post flairs which are for "Gameplay", "Fanart", "Bugs", etc. Members can click on the post flairs and instantly see all posts related to that category.

18: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e7ircv/how_to_seed_content/

19: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024255272-Seeding-content-for-a-new-community

On the other hand, user flairs are more like the little status messages in WhatsApp, Discord, etc. - they're small snippets of information that the user chooses to reflect something of themselves. There are many different ways to use them:

Language learning subreddits often use them to indicate languages / skill levels of users.
Fan subreddits of media (games/film/TV shows) usually have user flairs of major or popular characters in them.
Location subreddits of countries, states, etc. usually use them to indicate where a user is from or represents.
Many subreddits for political candidates use user flairs to indicate donor status/amounts.

Think about works best for your community and customize accordingly.

Creating flair in redesign[20]
User Flair[21]
Post Flair[22]
Emojis[23]

5. Check for related communities.

Run a search for key terms related to your subreddit on the site (`https://www.reddit.com/search?q=SEARCH_TERM&sort=relevance&t=all&type=sr`) and see what subreddits pop up. If the *exact* purpose of your subreddit has already been done you may want to consider how your subreddit can differentiate itself, or even give up on the subreddit. There's no shame in the latter; people oftentimes forget to check if a subreddit already exists before creating their own.

20: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e0lx77/creating_flair_in_redesign/

21: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010541651-User-Flair

22: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010513191-Post-Flair

23: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010560371-Emojis

If you believe your subreddit is sufficiently differentiated, reach out via modmail to some of the related subreddits and ask them if you can:

Share sidebar links (they link to your subreddit, you link to theirs)
Make a post in their subreddit advertising your subreddit

Be polite, and don't be offended if the mods of their subreddits do not reply or say "no."[24] The other moderators are under no obligation to grant your request, and quite frankly, if you're openly trying to compete with them for the same subject matter they may see no point in helping you.

24: https://media.giphy.com/media/eKrgVyZ7zLvJrgZNZn/giphy.gif

6. Promote your subreddit judiciously.

Promote your subreddit, perhaps beginning with my multireddit of promotional communities[25]. If you see relevant posts in other subs, you can also drop a link to your subreddit in the comments. Don't overdo it or spam your subreddit link on unrelated content - that's an easy way to get banned everywhere, as no one likes a spammer.[26]

25: https://www.reddit.com/user/kungming2/m/new_subreddits/

26: https://media.giphy.com/media/BgU5mPxgj9NeM/giphy.gif

Promote New Subreddits Multireddit[27]

7. Don't add new moderators unless you have a good reason to.

A common mistake by new moderators is to *add more moderators* in the mistaken belief that the new random people that were added as mods will help them post in and grow the subreddit.

27: https://www.reddit.com/user/kungming2/m/new_subreddits/

*This almost never works.**

Unless the new moderators share the same passion for the project as you do, they have no incentive to help you grow your subreddit. The vast majority of such moderators get added and then promptly forget about the subreddit, *especially* if you yourself aren't participating in your own subreddit. If the creator of the subreddit doesn't even care about their sub, why should the new mods care?

You likely do not need any additional moderators until your community gets regular traffic in the form of posts and comments, or perhaps you aren't able to be on during a particularly active time zone. At that point, my recommendation is to *promote from within* - ask active members if they'd like to help out as moderators, rather than going to a place like r/NeedAMod. The members of your subreddit will have more of a vested interest in the success of the community and be more familiar with its "culture" and mores.

Moderators and Permissions[28]
How to add moderators[29]
What makes a good mod?[30]

8. Keep the subreddit active and curated.

Building a subreddit from the ground up is a marathon, not a sprint. If you have a burst of activity at the beginning and then proceed to neglect your subreddit for months at a time, it will not grow. If you allow spammers to post random stuff on your own subreddit and take weeks to remove them, people will leave because the content they see is not relevant to what they wanted when they joined in the first place.[31] Posting content regularly will also allow your subreddit to regularly surface in people's home feeds, which helps drive visits to it in the first place.

28: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002988131-Moderators-and-Permissions

29: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/df3p0n/how_to_add_moderators/

30: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e1ijuq/what_makes_a_good_mod/

31: https://media.giphy.com/media/4GIvR6cmYs8jC/giphy.gif

Furthermore, if you're away from Reddit for more than 60 days at a time, and you're the only moderator, your subreddit becomes potentially requestable in r/RedditRequest by someone else who thinks they can do a better job than you at building the community. And if you're never present in your own subreddit, they have a good argument for saying so.

Growing your community[32]
Modding throughout the year[33]

9. Keep it a friendly and fun place.

This should be pretty self-explanatory, for despite Reddit's reputation in the broader media, people really just want to have fun in their favorite subreddits, and generally do not engage in flame wars or vitriolic arguments. What this means is that once your subreddit gets bigger, you should keep an eye out for bad actors who make your subreddit a potentially toxic place.

32: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002538532-Growing-your-community

33: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e72s2q/modding_throughout_the_year/

To use the party metaphor again, you may have a party crasher who is going around the room telling the people having a fun time that they're stupid, ugly, and only an idiot would drink what they're having[34]. At that point, it's your job as the host of the party to either tell them to knock it off or eject them from the event.

34: https://media.giphy.com/media/V1ipAyt2Ovuqk/giphy.gif

Same thing goes for subreddits - whenever possible, try and message a toxic user to ask them to simmer down, but if they continue, ban them, either for a period of time or permanently.

Creating a welcome message[35]
Welcoming new members[36]
Dealing with rapid growth[37]
Ensuring your sub is inclusive[38]

10. Ask members for feedback.

Yes, technically according to Reddit moderators have ultimate power over their subreddit, but good subreddits always have moderators who solicit feedback from members and listen to what they have to say.

35: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/eyx3pr/how_to_create_a_welcome_message_for_your_community/

36: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002551551-Welcoming-new-members

37: https://mods.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360019892391-Dealing-with-rapid-growth

38: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/e0702z/ensuring_your_sub_is_inclusive/

You don't necessarily have to implement everything members suggest, particularly if it conflicts with *your* vision of how the subreddit should be run, but it's worth it to listen. You can create surveys or polls to ask people about proposed policies or rules as well.

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Feel free to share tips or ideas in the comments!

Comments

Comment by uomo_nero at 08/03/2020 at 22:44 UTC

51 upvotes, 2 direct replies

This should be included in the message you get, when you create a new community. Otherwise I fear this post will be a bit useless and that would be a shame because of all the effort you put in this.

Great work!

Comment by ladfrombrad at 09/03/2020 at 07:14 UTC

12 upvotes, 1 direct replies

and you cannot easily update things like the subreddit CSS (for Old Reddit) or AutoModerator from the mobile site. **If you cannot or refuse to use a regular computer for moderating, I do not think moderating a subreddit is for you.**

Can I be the exception to the rule? 😇 Seriously though, the *Redesign* via mobile would be better wording. Old reddit is fine for most, albeit some fiddly bits.

Comment by [deleted] at 09/03/2020 at 18:32 UTC

7 upvotes, 1 direct replies

my multireddit of promotional communities

76!

Do similar subs exist for 18+/NSFW subreddits? I'm only aware of r/nsfw411, which has a lovely categorized "master list" wiki page that unfortunately hasn't been updated in years.

Comment by RedSukura at 09/03/2020 at 01:38 UTC

5 upvotes, 0 direct replies

As new mod I am scared that I will not do a good job but this has help make me feel more comfortable

Comment by modwbo at 19/03/2020 at 12:34 UTC

6 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Thanks for posting this.

I want to say that although it IS difficult to Mod on mobile, it has gotten a lot better.

I’m to the point, especially with the redesign in play, where I can Mod almost exclusively on mobile.

Don’t let device restrictions discourage you from creating a sub or from attempting to be a good Mod. You can do everything you need to, even AutoMod, with the trade off of some convenience.

Comment by Xulu105 at 10/02/2022 at 17:57 UTC

5 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I just made my first community today!

Comment by -whatsername at 02/04/2020 at 11:14 UTC

5 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Excellent tips. The only thing I’m finding particularly difficult about being a subreddit creator/moderator is the regular content part. When the subreddit I created was around 32 members, it was fine to post something every day because nobody was around. Now the subreddit is at about 150 members, I’m trying to find a balance between posting enough to satisfy the members who want regular content, so they stay and participate, vs not annoying those who don’t want regular content so they don’t leave. It’s tricky and frustrating.

Comment by redeyejedi86 at 09/03/2020 at 03:16 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

thanks. this helps to implement changes.

Comment by ch_ch_cherry_bomb at 17/03/2020 at 03:40 UTC*

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

As a mod on a yet private sub (building it from the ground up), thank you for this. Very usefull info.

Comment by [deleted] at 18/03/2020 at 15:43 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Thanks for this info! This will really help me! Thanks a lot!

Comment by revertedoreo at 26/04/2020 at 14:32 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I just wanna know how to change the updoot arrow.

Comment by AsthethicGaming at 04/06/2020 at 07:03 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Hey can I tell you something? I do not have a computer, laptop or desktop

Comment by KingCryptoverse at 02/12/2021 at 19:50 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Hello! Just became a new Mod. Trying to access the guide so I can handle the position properly but the link to the guide isn’t working. How can I access the guide another way?

Comment by Daddyhp83 at 27/12/2021 at 15:58 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Why won’t it let me click the follow button to follow people as It did let me before

Comment by hollowlife78 at 06/03/2022 at 22:22 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

My question is, why can't I upload videos. It says my room doesn't allow it. If that's so how do I allow it? I've seen nothing in the mobile tools

Comment by galaxy_676 at 08/03/2022 at 13:51 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Comment by 1Oubliette at 28/03/2020 at 22:37 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I tried the link for changing my sub's NSFW. It auto appears on every post but, they're not NSFW. Some help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Comment by SeValentine at 04/04/2020 at 16:41 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I believe that a happy subreddit comes with a swift and agile response when comes to answer certain criteria from the fellow subredditor.

And regardless if the subreddit its SFW or NSFW the reddit rules shall be enforced in the same and equal way!

I also believe when approving or removing certain points that may be offensive or disrespectful to other's its an important thing since you want to draw a line between what is OK to be approved on post and what NOT is a cool thing to approve. So make the choice wisely and whatever its the action you taken. You may want to be open to that fellow redditor wondering why X post got deleted and how this redditor can reach you via mod mail to clarify the reasons! *you are just doing your job so ... yeah*

Comment by [deleted] at 21/04/2020 at 16:52 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Thank you very much this tips will help me grow my subreddit

Comment by [deleted] at 29/04/2020 at 12:16 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Thank you for these good tips.

Comment by [deleted] at 14/06/2020 at 04:21 UTC

1 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Thank you!

Anyways minecraft lovers will love this

https://www.reddit.com/r/NearDeathsInMinecraft/

Is this the correct way of promoting?