I’m wondering whether Reddit can quietly reduce an account’s reach without applying an actual shadowban or permanent restriction.
I have an account that I regularly use to post in a fairly niche subreddit. Most of my posts are educational or useful rather than directly promotional, and historically they have performed consistently well. Even an average post would usually receive at least 50 upvotes, which is a solid result for this particular niche.
Recently, however, the performance has changed quite noticeably.
Some posts that I consider stronger and more relevant than my previous ones are receiving significantly fewer upvotes and much less engagement. The strange part is that the posts are still visible, they are receiving views, and there is no indication that the account itself is shadowbanned.
I am also an administrator of the subreddit and publish directly in my own community, so I can confirm that the posts are approved and publicly visible.
Still, it feels like they may be receiving less distribution in home feeds, recommendations, or other discovery surfaces than they used to.
I understand that post performance naturally varies depending on timing, topic, competition, and early engagement. But the change has been consistent enough that it feels less like normal fluctuation and more like some kind of reduced distribution.
Has anyone experienced something similar?
Can Reddit temporarily reduce the reach of an account or its posts without issuing a formal ban or making the content completely invisible?
I’m especially interested in whether Reddit uses any kind of account-level reputation, trust score, recommendation limit, or temporary visibility restriction that sits somewhere between normal distribution and a full shadowban.
I have an account that I regularly use to post in a fairly niche subreddit. Most of my posts are educational or useful rather than directly promotional, and historically they have performed consistently well. Even an average post would usually receive at least 50 upvotes, which is a solid result for this particular niche.
Recently, however, the performance has changed quite noticeably.
Some posts that I consider stronger and more relevant than my previous ones are receiving significantly fewer upvotes and much less engagement. The strange part is that the posts are still visible, they are receiving views, and there is no indication that the account itself is shadowbanned.
I am also an administrator of the subreddit and publish directly in my own community, so I can confirm that the posts are approved and publicly visible.
Still, it feels like they may be receiving less distribution in home feeds, recommendations, or other discovery surfaces than they used to.
I understand that post performance naturally varies depending on timing, topic, competition, and early engagement. But the change has been consistent enough that it feels less like normal fluctuation and more like some kind of reduced distribution.
Has anyone experienced something similar?
Can Reddit temporarily reduce the reach of an account or its posts without issuing a formal ban or making the content completely invisible?
I’m especially interested in whether Reddit uses any kind of account-level reputation, trust score, recommendation limit, or temporary visibility restriction that sits somewhere between normal distribution and a full shadowban.