I found a loophole in Reddit’s anti-promotion rules 🔑

5 hot marketing tactics to steal.

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Hey, I’m Tom 👋 I spend my week obsessing over marketing so you don’t have to. Every Monday, I’m sharing the growth tactics, viral trends, and quick wins that are blowing up right now. Here’s what’s on fire:

#1

Cluely just pulled off a masterclass in Reddit marketing

Someone posted a screenshot showing a HUGE payment from Cluely.

Notice what’s missing? 👀 Any mention of what Cluely actually does!

Now thousands of people are Googling “Cluely” to figure out what it even is.

Some Redditors caught on:

Here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter.

If you try to promote anything directly on Reddit → you get banned immediately. Mods delete your post and shame you publicly. I’ve written about the dark art of Reddit marketing before.

But this post breaks NO rules. It’s just someone flexing their income. 100% allowed.

The formula: post something that shows a result tied to your brand name, without explaining what the brand does. “I quit my job thanks to [brand]”. Before/after transformations. Lifestyle flexes where your product happens to be visible.

The secret is the post has to be about them, not you. Their earnings, story, flex. Your brand is just... there.

#2

The Reddit ad trick you should steal

Cluely did it organically. But you can also pay Reddit to do something clever.

Ramp ran an ad using the TIFU (Today I F*cked Up) format:

Torq used the AITAH (Am I The A**hole) format:

Reddit users ignore anything that looks like an ad. But a juicy confession screenshot? They always stop for that :)

I’ve written about Reddit’s TIFU/AITAH storytelling formats before. Now brands are using them for paid ads too.

My take: If you’re running Reddit ads, stop using corporate creatives. Study what goes viral there (e.g. TIFU/AITAH) and build your ads in that format.

#3

Verizon’s crisis response was textbook (almost)

Verizon went down for 10+ hours on Tuesday. 180,000 outage reports at peak.

Here’s how they handled it:

1st tweet: Standard corporate acknowledgment.

2nd tweet: This one was actually good. Short sentences + real accountability + no blame-shifting.

3rd tweet (next day): They announced $20 credits for affected customers.

That’s excellent crisis communication. It follows my playbook for handling hate: acknowledge the problem, take responsibility, and take real action.

My take: Many comms teams apologize badly. They use corporate speak and minimize the problem. Verizon owned it. “They expect more from us” is a simple phrase that shows they actually get it. Save this as a template for your next crisis.

#4

But… Verizon’s competitors blew their chance

Both AT&T and T-Mobile jumped on the outage for some juicy RTM.

AT&T was wayyyyy too salesy. The replies roasted them.

T-Mobile was smarter (and funnier). They got the dig in without looking desperate.

But neither won the moment. Because the best move when your competitor goes down isn’t to sell. It’s to help.

IKEA gets this perfectly:

Umbrellas cost £5 on sunny days, but only £2.50 when it’s raining. They charge less exactly when you need them most. That’s how you build real loyalty.

Imagine if T-Mobile had offered Verizon customers a free month. That’s a headline. That’s a story you tell friends.

My take: Your competitor’s crisis is a rare chance to be a hero. Don’t waste it on a sales pitch!

#5

ChatGPT ads are coming (so move fast)

OpenAI officially announced they’re adding advertisements to ChatGPT.

Ads would look like this

Here’s why you should care: Every major ad platform follows the same curve. Launches cheap → early adopters crush it → everyone catches on → costs spike. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. Same story.

OpenAI is testing ads with select partners first, but a self-serve ad manager is coming. It’s inevitable.

When ChatGPT opens ads to everyone, I suggest moving fast. The marketers who crack this in 2026 will have a huge edge over those who wait.

My take: Same thing I wrote last week about Elon revealing the X algorithm. The window for early movers is always shorter than you think.

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Have an amazing week ✌️