You’re commenting regularly, but the karma counter isn’t moving. You might even be getting upvotes sometimes, yet the number stays flat. That’s frustrating, and it’s usually not because your comments are bad.
The problem is almost always one of three things: your comments aren’t visible to others, you’re filtered by a specific subreddit, or you’re commenting in places where karma doesn’t accumulate the way you expect.
This guide walks you through the fix in a specific order. Don’t skip ahead — each step rules out a different cause.
What you’re trying to do
You want to increase your comment karma. But before you can increase it, you need to know whether your comments are actually being seen and upvoted by real users.
If your comments are invisible to everyone except you, upvotes never happen, and your karma stays frozen. So the first goal isn’t “write better comments.” It’s “confirm your comments are actually in front of other people.”
Before you start: a 2-minute account health check
Spend two minutes on these checks before you change anything else:
- Log out of Reddit (or open an incognito window).
- Go to your profile page and look at your recent comments.
- Are they visible in the public view?
- Check your profile for any red “banned” or “suspended” banners.
- Go to r/ShadowBan and post a test comment. If it’s removed instantly, your account is shadowbanned.
If your account is shadowbanned, none of the later steps matter. You need to appeal the shadowban first. If your comments are visible publicly, move to Step 1.
Step 1: Confirm your comments are visible to others
A comment can appear in your own view but be removed by automod or the spam filter. That’s the most common reason comment karma not going up for beginners.
Here’s how to check:
- Open the subreddit where you commented.
- Sort by “new” and find your comment.
- If you see it in the subreddit feed, it’s visible.
- If you can only see it on your profile, it’s been removed.
If your comments are removed silently, you’re not shadowbanned. The subreddit’s filters are catching you. This happens a lot with new accounts, accounts with low karma, or accounts that post links too early.
Step 2: Rule out a shadowban or account-level restriction
A shadowban is different from a subreddit removal. With a shadowban, all your content is invisible across Reddit. You can still post and comment, but no one sees it.
Test it in r/ShadowBan. If the bot tells you you’re not shadowbanned, move on.
Also check your account’s “Cake Day” and age. Some subreddits have minimum account age requirements. If your account is under 7 days old, many communities will auto-remove your comments, and you won’t know until you check.
Step 3: Check if the subreddit is silently filtering you
Each subreddit has its own rules and its own AutoModerator configuration. A subreddit can remove your comments without notifying you.
Test this: find a small or medium subreddit (under 100k members) related to your niche. Make a thoughtful, non-controversial comment. Check back in a few hours.
- If it’s still visible, the subreddit isn’t filtering you.
- If it’s gone, try another subreddit.
If you’re filtered in one subreddit, don’t fight it. Move to a different community. There’s no way to force a subreddit to accept your comments.
Step 4: Audit your comment content and timing
If your comments are visible but still not earning karma, the issue is content quality or placement.
Common karma-killers:
- Commenting in huge subreddits where your comment gets buried instantly (r/AskReddit, r/funny, r/pics).
- Posting low-effort one-liners like “this” or “lol.”
- Commenting hours after the post was published.
- Commenting in threads that are already dead.
- Using links in your comments too early — this triggers spam filters and makes people distrust you.
Instead, target small-to-medium subreddits where you can actually add value. A comment with 20 upvotes in a 10k-member subreddit helps your karma more than a comment with 0 upvotes in a 10-million-member subreddit.
Step 5: Change your commenting strategy for 7 days
Stop doing what you’re doing. For the next week, follow this exact plan:
- Pick 3 niche subreddits related to your interests or work.
- Comment on posts that are less than 2 hours old.
- Write comments that are 2–4 sentences and add new information.
- Never post links.
- Never start a comment with “I” or “me.”
- Reply to other people’s comments too — conversations generate more upvotes than standalone comments.
By day 4, you should see a small increase. If you don’t, go back to Step 1 and re-check visibility.
Common blockers and why they happen
| Blocker | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Comments visible only to you | Subreddit spam filter or AutoModerator caught you | Move to another subreddit |
| Account shadowbanned | Reddit flagged the account for suspicious behavior | Appeal at reddit.com/appeals |
| Comments visible but no upvotes | Post is too old, or comment adds no value | Comment earlier, add detail |
| Karma stuck at a specific number | Subreddit doesn’t count comment karma the way you expect | Check subreddit rules |
| Post not showing | Sometimes the issue is your posts, not comments | Check if your posts are visible too |
Practical example: stuck at 12 karma for three weeks
A user joined Reddit to promote their freelance writing service. They commented on r/freelance and r/writing every day for three weeks. Their karma stayed at 12.
The issue? They were commenting on posts that were 6–10 hours old, in threads with hundreds of comments. Their comments were visible, but they were at the bottom of the pile. No one scrolled down far enough to see them.
They switched to commenting on posts under 1 hour old in smaller subreddits like r/Blogging and r/juststart. Within 5 days, their karma went from 12 to 40.
The comments weren’t better. The timing and placement were better.
Checklist for your next 7 days
- [ ] Confirm your comments are publicly visible (incognito check)
- [ ] Verify you’re not shadowbanned (r/ShadowBan test)
- [ ] Check account age and subreddit minimum requirements
- [ ] Pick 3 small-to-medium subreddits in your niche
- [ ] Comment on posts less than 2 hours old
- [ ] Write 2–4 sentence comments that add new info
- [ ] No links in comments, no one-liners
- [ ] Check your karma every morning and note the change
Practical takeaway
Comment karma not going up is rarely a mystery. It’s either a visibility problem, a subreddit filter problem, or a timing problem. Work through the steps in order, and if you’re still stuck after 7 days, the issue is almost certainly that your comments aren’t visible to anyone but you.
The fastest fix is always the same: find smaller communities, comment early, and add real value. Everything else is noise. If you’re also dealing with Reddit post not showing, the same visibility checks apply — check your posts in incognito mode before assuming the problem is your content. And if you suspect AutoModerator removed post issues, remember that moderators are the only ones who can unstick you, so message them politely once and move on. A Reddit spam filter catch is often triggered by link-heavy activity, so keep your comments clean for the first few weeks.
For this use case, practical proxy option for Reddit workflows should be compared by pricing, setup difficulty, support quality, refund policy, and whether it fits your workflow.
FAQ
Q: How long does it take for comment karma to update?
A: Comment karma updates in real time. If someone upvotes your comment, the number changes almost immediately. If your karma hasn’t moved in days, either no one is upvoting you, or your comments aren’t visible to anyone but you.
Q: Can a subreddit block my comments without banning me?
A: Yes. AutoModerator can be configured to remove comments from accounts with low karma or new accounts. The comment looks normal to you, but no one else sees it. The only fix is to build karma in other subreddits where you’re not filtered.
Q: Does commenting on my own posts increase comment karma?
A: No. Upvotes on your own comments from your own alt accounts violate Reddit’s rules and can lead to a sitewide suspension. Even if it worked, it’s not worth the risk.
Q: Is post karma or comment karma more important for new accounts?
A: Comment karma is usually more useful for credibility because it shows visible interaction inside discussions. Post karma matters in some contexts, but for building trust and participating in communities, comment karma is the stronger signal.
Q: Should I delete comments that get downvotes?
A: No. Downvotes happen to everyone. Deleting comments makes your history look empty and suspicious. Leave them up and focus on your next comment.
