We measure Reddit before we advise on it
Original studies from live Reddit data. Every number is replicable, and the limits are written down.
Almost 25% of Reddit comments recommending a product are fake or coordinated
We pulled 16,644 comments from live Reddit API data and tested four signals: repeat pushers, multi-account clusters, karma ratios and scripted talking points. Of the threads that named a business, 25% were flagged. It's a floor, not an estimate, and astroturfing is now a federal offense under 16 CFR Part 465.
16,644 comments815 threads7,871 accountsMethodology published Read the study Research · July 2026 37.6%of a fake review network's accounts deleted within two weeks. Genuine communities: 0 of 179.What Reddit's biggest enforcement update did to fake and real accounts
We tracked one operator's network of fake communities against genuine business communities, account by account, after Reddit's July 2026 update. 99 of 263 fake accounts were gone. The survivors had one thing in common: a real person, named, behind the account. Some disclosed brand accounts were still banned.
379 threads442 accountsChecked in one 24-hour window Read the studyWant this for your brand?Reddit decides
We run the same checks on your category: who's recommending your competitors, how, and where you should show up.