Ethan Young
How to Successfully Transfer a Purchased Reddit Account
10.62k127
BuyUpvotes Team
Reddit’s algorithm is one of the most misunderstood ranking systems in social media. Most people assume it works like Instagram or TikTok — showing content based on your history, preferences, and engagement patterns. It doesn’t. Reddit’s algorithm is fundamentally different, and understanding exactly how it works is the difference between posts that reach thousands of people and posts that disappear in 20 minutes.
This guide covers the full mechanics of Reddit’s ranking algorithm in 2026 — how Hot Score works, what signals matter, what the algorithm ignores, and how to use this knowledge to get your content seen.
Before getting into the algorithm itself, it’s important to understand that Reddit has three distinct ranking systems running simultaneously, each with different mechanics.
Hot — the default feed for most subreddits. Shows posts that are gaining momentum right now. This is where virality happens and where the algorithm is most aggressive about promoting early-momentum content.
New — chronological feed. Shows posts in the order they were submitted. No algorithmic ranking. Every post starts here before the algorithm decides where it goes.
Top — sorted by total upvotes over a selected time period (hour, day, week, month, year, all time). Pure vote count, no time weighting. The historical record of what a subreddit valued most.
When people talk about “the Reddit algorithm” they almost always mean the Hot feed. That’s what this guide focuses on.
Reddit’s Hot Score formula has been public since the early days of the platform. Understanding it explains almost everything about how Reddit behaves.
The core of the formula has two components: the vote score and the time component.
The vote score is calculated from the number of upvotes and downvotes. But it’s not simply upvotes minus downvotes. Reddit uses a logarithmic scale — the difference between 1 upvote and 10 upvotes is much larger in terms of Hot Score than the difference between 1,000 upvotes and 1,010 upvotes. The first votes on a post are worth dramatically more than later votes.
This is counterintuitive but critical: getting 10 upvotes in the first 10 minutes has more algorithmic impact than getting 100 upvotes 6 hours later.
The time component penalizes posts as they age. The penalty is aggressive — a post loses ranking position continuously from the moment it’s published, regardless of how many votes it accumulates. Reddit’s algorithm is designed to surface fresh content, not to let old posts dominate feeds indefinitely.
The combined effect of these two components creates Reddit’s defining characteristic: early momentum is everything. A post that gets 50 upvotes in the first hour will outrank a post that gets 500 upvotes over the first 12 hours. The algorithm rewards velocity, not volume.
For a practical breakdown of how to work with these mechanics, see How to Get Upvotes on Reddit: The Complete Guide for 2026.
The implications of Reddit’s Hot Score formula are stark. The first 60 minutes after posting are not just important — they are the primary window in which a post’s fate is determined.
What happens algorithmically in the first hour:
When a post is published, it appears in the New feed. From there, it receives a small amount of visibility — users browsing New see it and may upvote or downvote. If it accumulates upvotes quickly, the algorithm begins showing it to more users, which generates more upvotes, which increases its Hot Score further.
This self-reinforcing cycle — more visibility leads to more upvotes which leads to more visibility — is what separates posts that take off from posts that flatline. But the cycle only starts if the initial velocity is high enough.
The momentum threshold:
Every subreddit has an implicit momentum threshold — a number of upvotes in the first hour at which the algorithm starts actively promoting a post. For a subreddit where top posts average 500 upvotes, this threshold is approximately 30–50 upvotes in the first 60 minutes.
Below the threshold, the post’s Hot Score decays faster than it can accumulate votes, and it fades from visibility. Above the threshold, the algorithm takes over and the post has a genuine chance at the top of the subreddit.
What this means in practice:
When you need to cross the momentum threshold safely, BuyUpvotes uses drip-feed delivery from aged accounts — matching organic patterns so votes stick and the algorithm can take over.
Beyond raw vote counts, Reddit’s algorithm considers the upvote ratio — the percentage of votes that are upvotes versus downvotes.
A post with 1,000 upvotes and 100 downvotes has a 91% upvote ratio. A post with 1,000 upvotes and 500 downvotes has a 67% upvote ratio. Despite having the same number of upvotes, these posts rank very differently.
Why upvote ratio matters:
A high upvote ratio signals community consensus — the post is broadly liked rather than divisive. Reddit’s algorithm interprets this as a quality signal and rewards it with higher placement.
A low upvote ratio can actually suppress a post even if it has many total votes. Controversial content that generates both strong positive and strong negative reactions gets algorithmically penalized relative to content with broad approval.
The practical implication:
Content that takes strong positions on divisive topics may generate intense engagement but poor upvote ratios. Content that provides genuine value to the majority of a subreddit’s readers generates high upvote ratios and ranks better. This is why the most consistently viral Reddit posts tend to be things that many people agree on rather than things that divide opinion.
Comments are not part of Reddit’s original Hot Score formula — but they influence ranking indirectly through several mechanisms.
Comment velocity as an engagement signal:
Reddit’s algorithm has evolved to incorporate engagement signals beyond just votes. A post that generates rapid comment activity is treated as more engaging than a post with similar votes but few comments. The algorithm interprets active discussion as evidence that the content is genuinely compelling.
Comments keep posts alive:
Every new comment on a post creates a notification for the author and for anyone who has commented previously. These notifications bring people back to the post, which generates additional votes and comments. A post with active discussion has a longer effective lifespan than a post with many votes but no comments.
Top comments affect post perception:
The top comments on a post significantly affect how new readers perceive it. If the top comment is enthusiastic and adds value, new readers are more likely to upvote the post. If the top comment is critical or dismissive, new readers are more likely to downvote. This is why managing your presence in the comments — especially in the first few hours — has a direct effect on the post’s algorithmic performance.
Learn more in How Buying Reddit Comments Accelerates Post Promotion.
An important nuance that many people miss: Reddit’s algorithm doesn’t operate identically across all subreddits. Each subreddit has its own Hot feed with its own ranking, and several factors modify how the algorithm behaves in different communities.
Subreddit size and post volume:
In large subreddits with thousands of posts per day, the momentum threshold is higher and the algorithm is more aggressive about filtering. A post needs more early votes to break through in r/worldnews than in r/productivity, even controlling for content quality.
In smaller subreddits with lower post volume, the algorithm is gentler — posts stay visible for longer because there’s less competition pushing them down.
Subreddit-specific filters:
Many subreddits use AutoModerator to apply additional filters that operate independently of the main algorithm. These can include minimum account age requirements, minimum karma thresholds, domain blacklists, and keyword filters. A post can have excellent algorithmic momentum and still be removed by AutoModerator because the author’s account is too new.
Understanding the specific AutoModerator rules of your target subreddit is as important as understanding the ranking algorithm.
Moderator actions:
Human moderators can override the algorithm in both directions — removing posts that are ranking well but violating rules, or pinning posts that would otherwise fade. The algorithm operates within the boundaries set by moderators, not above them.
Reddit’s algorithm has a built-in mechanism that penalizes posts perceived as controversial. This is implemented through the interaction between upvotes and downvotes in the Hot Score calculation.
When a post receives both significant upvotes and significant downvotes simultaneously, the algorithm interprets this as a signal of controversy rather than quality. The Hot Score for such a post is lower than the raw upvote count would suggest.
What counts as controversial algorithmically:
A post where 40% of voters downvote — even if the absolute upvote count is high — gets penalized. A post where 95% of voters upvote ranks far better at the same absolute upvote count.
The cultural dimension:
Beyond the algorithm, Reddit communities actively police content they consider controversial for their subreddit. Moderators remove posts that generate too much conflict. Users who perceive self-promotion or bad faith flag and downvote content. The algorithmic controversy penalty is compounded by these human behaviors.
The implication for content strategy:
Content that is broadly agreeable within a community’s values consistently outperforms content that is technically interesting but divisive. Understanding the values and norms of your target subreddit before posting is not just cultural awareness — it’s algorithmic strategy.
Reddit’s official algorithm documentation doesn’t explicitly list account age and karma as ranking factors. In practice, they function as critical gatekeepers that determine whether a post ever gets a chance to be ranked.
How account age affects visibility:
New accounts (less than 30 days old) have their posts automatically filtered or held for manual approval in many subreddits. Even if the post passes the filter, posts from new accounts may be shadowbanned — appearing to the author but not visible to other users. The algorithm never gets a chance to rank a post that has been shadowbanned.
How karma affects filtering:
Most active subreddits have minimum karma requirements set through AutoModerator. Posts from accounts below these thresholds are automatically removed before any users see them. The Hot Score algorithm is irrelevant if a post is removed before it can accumulate votes.
The karma quality distinction:
Reddit distinguishes between post karma (upvotes on posts) and comment karma (upvotes on comments). Many subreddits specifically require comment karma, not just total karma, because comment karma is harder to acquire through low-effort means. An account with 10,000 post karma from meme subreddits but zero comment karma looks very different to subreddit filters than an account with 2,000 comment karma from substantive discussions.
Tip: If karma gates are blocking your posts, aged Reddit accounts with karma let you publish in restricted subreddits without waiting weeks to build history.
r/all is Reddit’s global front page — a feed that aggregates top content from across the entire platform. Reaching r/all is the path to millions of views, and it operates on different mechanics than individual subreddit rankings.
How r/all ranking works:
r/all ranks posts from all subreddits simultaneously using a modified Hot Score that accounts for subreddit size. Posts from smaller subreddits can compete with posts from large subreddits because the algorithm normalizes for audience size.
What it takes to reach r/all:
A post needs to achieve exceptional performance within its own subreddit before the r/all algorithm considers it. Specifically, it needs a high Hot Score relative to the subreddit’s typical top posts, a high upvote ratio (typically 90%+), and sufficient vote velocity to signal that it’s genuinely trending.
Subreddits that consistently feed r/all:
Certain subreddits are known for producing content that reaches r/all regularly — r/todayilearned, r/mildlyinteresting, r/Unexpected, r/interestingasfuck, r/nextfuckinglevel. These subreddits have large audiences, high engagement rates, and content types that appeal broadly. Posting content that genuinely fits these communities is one of the more reliable paths to r/all.
For the full virality playbook, see How to Go Viral on Reddit: A Complete Guide for 2026.
In 2024, Google entered into a formal partnership with Reddit that changed the relationship between Reddit’s internal algorithm and external search visibility.
What changed:
Reddit content began appearing significantly more prominently in Google search results following the partnership. Reddit posts and comments now appear in Google’s standard results, featured snippets, and the dedicated “Discussions and Forums” section that Google added to search results pages.
What this means for your Reddit strategy:
A post that performs well on Reddit’s algorithm now has a second life in Google search. Posts with high upvote counts, strong engagement, and keyword-rich titles get indexed by Google and can drive organic search traffic for months or years after the original Reddit post has faded from Reddit’s own Hot feed.
This creates a dual optimization opportunity: optimize for Reddit’s Hot Score algorithm for immediate visibility, and optimize for Google’s indexing for long-term search traffic. In practice, these optimizations align well — high-quality, substantive content with clear titles performs well on both platforms.
The practical implication:
Treat your Reddit post titles as both Reddit headlines and potential Google search results. A title that works well on Reddit (“I analyzed 10,000 startup failures — here’s what actually kills companies”) also works as a Google search result because it contains the keywords people search for and makes a specific, credible claim.
Understanding what Reddit’s algorithm ignores is as important as understanding what it measures.
Reddit’s algorithm is not static. Several changes in 2025 and 2026 have affected how content ranks.
Understanding the algorithm translates into a specific set of actions before, during, and after posting.
Before posting:
During the first hour:
After the first hour:
Continue engaging with comments for the first 3–6 hours. A post that crosses the momentum threshold will continue growing for several hours with diminishing returns — staying present in the discussion maximizes the value extracted from this window.
For long-term value:
Reddit’s Hot Score algorithm rewards posts that get upvotes quickly, from a broad range of accounts, with a high ratio of upvotes to downvotes, in the context of active comment discussion. The first hour is decisive. Early momentum triggers a self-reinforcing cycle that determines whether a post fades or grows.
Everything else — subreddit selection, posting time, title engineering, comment engagement, initial momentum seeding — is in service of crossing the threshold that activates this cycle.
The algorithm doesn’t care about your reputation, your history, or your follower count. It cares about one thing: does this post have momentum right now? Build your strategy around answering that question with a yes.
