How to Earn Karma with Comments

This article introduces a detailed process on how to earn Karma by posting comments on Reddit, including patterns of phenomena, cognitive summaries, and practical methods.

I've noticed that on Reddit, many users have a very high 'Comment Karma' compared to their 'Post Karma'. As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, this is not a minority of users; in fact, the vast majority of Reddit users are like this. This is interesting—why does this happen? What role does 'Comment' play in Reddit's traffic distribution mechanism? I specifically studied this and found some interesting patterns.

Understanding: Some Cognitive Summaries About Reddit Comments

1. On Reddit, 'Comment' is the primary way users interact with each other, whereas users are less active on 'Post'.

2. In the Karma calculation mechanism, there is no weight distinction between Post Karma and Comment Karma on Reddit; they are both equally important and contribute to the user's total Karma score. Reddit uses Karma to showcase the quality of user-posted content. Posts and comments that receive a lot of upvotes appear at the top of the page, where they are seen and upvoted by more people. If a post gets enough downvotes, it may eventually be hidden and require a click to expand.

3. In Reddit's product design, Comments are at least as important as Posts, and arguably more important. This is determined by user behavior; the main activities on Reddit are reading and commenting, not posting. Therefore, the quality and relevance of comments are more important to users. The user data mentioned at the beginning of this article also illustrates this point, that most users have much higher Comment Karma than Post Karma.

4. Reddit Comments are similar to the comment system on NetEase Cloud Music in China. There are many popular comments on NetEase Cloud Music, and the reason users spend a lot of time on comments there is similar: expressing feelings, opinions, and interacting with other users. These behaviors can provide positive feedback to users, creating a positive cycle. This, in turn, encourages Reddit and NetEase Cloud Music to invest more resources in 'comments', including product design and traffic distribution.

5. To encourage users to make more Comments, Reddit has designed a badge system with many Comment-related badges, such as:

   • Top Commentator: Users in the top 10% for Comment Karma
   • Nice Comment: Comments with more than 100 upvotes
   • Quality Commentator: A single Comment with more than 1000 upvotes
   • Captivating Comment: Comments with more than 10,000 upvotes Obtaining these badges requires a certain threshold; the higher the threshold, the greater the sense of achievement, and of course, the more exposure the user gets.

6. As users, we should take advantage of these patterns and understandings to gain more Karma through Comments, becoming natural, standard Reddit users, and gaining more positive feedback and exposure.

Practical Guide: How to Earn Karma Through Comments

1. Don't waste the traffic on your own posts. Actively interact with other users in the comments section of your posts. Respond positively to others' comments, but there's a technique to it: the most valuable are the first few comments, especially the earliest ones. The likelihood of getting upvotes decreases the further down the comment thread you go. This is almost a rule. As shown in Figure 5: As shown in the figures, comments on the first and second floors are more likely to get upvotes, while comments on the third and fourth floors don't get many upvotes. I've analyzed many posts and found this pattern to be universally present. I think this has to do with user interaction. Most people just scroll through the first few comments, upvoting the interesting ones and ignoring the rest. Comments further down don't get seen. So as the author of the post, take full advantage of this and try to respond in the first few comments to likely earn Comment Karma. For example, I simply responded to one comment with "Coolest idea, Thanks for sharing!" and earned 35 upvotes.

2. When it comes to others' comments, aim to be 'early' and 'hot'. For comments that have already received a significant number of upvotes, replying to them gives you more exposure and a chance to earn some upvotes.

3. Most importantly, have a bit of internet sense to spot posts that might go viral, and comment on them as early as possible. The earlier you comment, the higher the chance of getting upvotes. I once had a post that got over 3400 upvotes, and the first guy to comment simply said, "Would you really interrupt those feet twitches..." His comment received over 800 upvotes, almost earning him the 'Quality Commentator' badge. Even the second comment received over 200 upvotes. This is internet sense, this is insight.

4. These experiences can be extended to subreddits. Find subreddits where users love to comment, then find posts, and finally, secure 'early' and 'hot' positions. This action will be much more efficient. Here are some subreddits with a lot of comments that you can try:

   • r/AskReddit
   • r/NoStupidQuestions
   • r/AskWomen
   • r/AskMen
   • r/AskScience
   • r/AskHistorians

5. Welcome to follow and join me on Reddit to drive traffic, exchange ideas, and make progress together.