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Can you promote in r/explainlikeimfive?

Explain Like I'm Five is the best forum and archive on the internet for layperson-friendly explanations. Don't Panic!

The short answer

If you reply publicly, focus on providing a clear, neutral explanation first; you may mention your product/company only briefly and transparently if directly relevant and not promotional.

What works here

  • Posting substantive explanatory answers to questions
  • Including links to sources if accompanied by original explanation
  • Mentioning relevant tools or projects when directly pertinent and factual

What gets posts removed

  • Overt self-promotion, sales pitches, or recruiting customers
  • Posting about business motivations or marketing content
  • Replying with short/insubstantial answers or just links

Where this comes from

View the current official rules on Reddit

All submissions must seek objective explanations

Community restricts posts to factual concept explanations and explicitly removes business/group/individual motivations and other non-objective questions — promotional intent is inconsistent with purpose.

Top-level comments must be written explanations

Replies must be full explanations (not jokes/short answers); links are allowed but must be accompanied by original explanatory text, which prevents link-only promotions.

Be Civil / moderation discretion

Moderation decisions left to mods and rules stress respecting spirit of subreddit, so ambiguous promotional posts may be removed at mod discretion.

Sidebar: objective, layperson-friendly forum

Public description emphasizes layperson-friendly explanations, reinforcing that content should educate rather than market.

Official rules of r/explainlikeimfive

  1. 01Be Civil
  2. 02All submissions must seek objective explanations
  3. 03Top-level comments must be written explanations
  4. 04Explain for laypeople (but not actual 5-year-olds)
  5. 05ELI5 is for factual information, not opinions
  6. 06Loaded questions are not allowed
  7. 07Search before posting; don't repeat old posts
  8. 08Don't guess
  9. 09Don't try to trick the bot
  10. 10Posts must begin with "ELI5:"
  11. 11Link to the Detailed Rules

Based on the community’s official rules, analyzed June 24, 2026. Rules change; the official rules page is always the source of truth.

Read the Intoru research and correction methodology.

Intoru follows these rules for you.

It finds people in r/explainlikeimfive and hundreds of other communities who are looking for what you sell, and drafts replies that fit each community’s rules, so you help first and never read as spam.

Find your buyers on Reddit