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02 · Profile setup

Run it once (20 minutes), re-check monthly. People who like an answer click your username; this page decides whether they find you again.

  • Username: you can't change a Reddit username later, so if you're making a new account, pick one you'd be happy to see next to your product for years. Your real name or your maker name beats a brand name: Reddit readers trust people more than companies.
  • Avatar: your face or the same picture you use on X, so people recognise you across sites.
  • Display name and "About": who you are and what you make, plainly: "Solo dev, small Mac utilities. I answer Mac questions here." No sales line.
  • Social links: up to 5 buttons under your name on your profile, separate from the bio text (per Reddit's 2021 changelog; see reference). Add, in this order:
  • your X profile (the trust page, see cross-channel funnel)
  • your landing page / hub: ?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=profile
  • GitHub or LinkedIn, if your buyers would look there
  • Pinned posts on your profile: if you have a post that went well (a showcase or a lesson), pin it so profile visitors see your best work first.
  • NSFW off, profile public: a profile people can't see can't build trust.
  • Check logged out: open reddit.com/user/<name> in a private window. Can you see your answers, the social links and the pinned post? If not, see 08-rules-and-risks.md.

Brand account or personal account?

Use your personal account for answers and posts. Reddit Rule 5 asks you not to mislead about who you are, and subreddits trust "I'm the developer" from a person far more than from a brand. A brand account is useful later for ads or an official subreddit (reddit-facts.md).

One account only

Don't run a second account to upvote, reply to yourself or post the same thing again. That's vote manipulation under Reddit Rule 2 and the fastest way to a sitewide suspension (08-rules-and-risks.md).