Authority Building on Reddit
Let's look at how to build genuine authority on Reddit without coming across as too self-promotional. We'll analyze a real example of successful authority building and break down exactly what works.
Profile Analysis: John Rush
John Rush's Reddit profile (/u/johnrushx) is a great example of how to set up a professional presence on Reddit. Let's look at how his profile covers all the elements we discussed:

His profile uses his real name and photo which makes him feel more approachable and trustworthy. His bio tells you exactly who he is: a startup founder who builds profitable products and knows his way around coding, design, marketing and AI tools. It gives you a clear picture of his experience without trying too hard to impress.
John links to his main projects in his profile. It lets readers check out his work if they want to learn more. He keeps things simple and natural without pushing his products too hard.
He pins his best posts at the top of his profile. They tell stories about growing his products and what he learned along the way. When someone visits his profile, they can quickly see he knows what he's talking about because he shares real results from his own experience.
The Story-First Approach
John Rush shares real stories from his own life in his Reddit posts. One of his most popular posts, "If only someone told me this before my first startup", was about things he wished he knew when starting his first company. The post got over 1,400 upvotes and 370 comments from other founders who found his advice helpful.

The post worked well because John told his story in a simple way. He started by admitting he spent 5 years building things no one wanted to buy. People connected with this because it showed he was honest about his mistakes. He shared personal stories for each lesson he learned, which helped explain business ideas in a way that made sense to everyone.
The post's success came from its honesty about mistakes. Instead of presenting himself as an expert who never failed, John shared raw stories about raising money when he didn't need to, hiring managers too early, and ignoring SEO for 14 years. This approach made readers trust his advice more because they could see he learned these lessons the hard way.
Content That Builds Authority
His post "Series A round Killed my startup!" got a lot of attention with 658 upvotes and 134 comments. People connected with his honest story about what happened to his company.
John tells the story year by year, from 2019 to 2023. He shares real moments anyone can relate to, like when his company lost customers during Covid and when the CEO stopped showing up. He writes in a way that makes you feel like you're there with him through it all.

He does a great job showing how he thought about each problem. When things weren't working, he tells us exactly what he did about it. He fired people who weren't helping and changed how the company sold its products. By sharing these real examples, he helps other business owners learn what they could do in similar situations.
Building Long-Term Presence
John spends a lot of time helping others in comments. In this detailed response he walks through exactly how he validates new business ideas. His comments often get more attention than regular posts because he puts so much thought into them.

People appreciate how he takes time to write full stories in his comments. Instead of quick one-line answers, he explains his real experiences and what he learned from them. He shares specific examples and numbers that help others understand exactly what worked and what didn't.
His comments stand out because he writes them like he's talking to a friend. He shares both successes and failures openly. This makes his advice feel more real and useful to other business owners who are just starting out.