Moderator

A moderator, almost always shortened to "mod," is a volunteer user who enforces the rules of a specific subreddit. Each subreddit has its own mod team, typically 2-20 people depending on the community's size, with one or more top-position mods who can add and remove other mods. Reddit itself does not pay moderators — every mod on every sub is volunteering their time.

Mods have a defined set of tools: remove posts and comments, ban users (temporarily or permanently), edit the subreddit's rules and sidebar, configure AutoModerator's regex-based moderation rules, distribute post flair, lock threads to prevent further commenting, and message users via modmail. Different mods get different permissions depending on what the top mod assigns.

For anyone marketing on Reddit, understanding the mod relationship is critical. Mods see modqueue activity that normal users don't — every removed post, every reported comment, every banned user. They tend to recognize patterns: which accounts are real participants, which are drive-by promoters, which subreddits are sending coordinated brigades. Reaching out to mods via modmail before doing anything that touches the gray zone (a launch AMA, a research thread, a survey request) is the difference between getting permission and getting banned.

Mod teams have their own internal culture too. Some subs have an active Discord where mods discuss policy; others run mostly via modmail. Top-mod attitude shapes the entire community — communities with thoughtful mods like r/AskHistorians are famous for their quality; communities with absentee mods often drift into chaos.

For founders specifically, the rule is simple: read the rules, read the sidebar, message the mods if you're doing anything new, and accept their decision without arguing. Mods who say no once will say yes later if they trust you. Mods who get pushback on a no usually escalate to permanent bans.